need woodshop help
i’m looking to place open shelving in the kitchen…two rows on either side of a window. will have iron L brackets attached to studs behind drywall and tile. the L brackets will be 5/8″ thick x 2″ wide by 9″ long. after the drywall and tile goes on top, figure the iron will stick out 8″ or so. will have 2 irons per shelf. each shelf will be 1.5″ thick x 9.5″ deep x 36″ long…thinking poplar will be fine, will be painted over. will need each shelf mitered to receive the irons. the big challenge i see is mitering it 8″ deep…will that be possible? sure it’d be simple enough to just lay the shelves on top of the irons and screw them tight from the bottom. but trying to go achieve the full floating look by having the irons insert into the shelves. seeking a skilled carpenter for this…tks!
ditmaspark
in Carpenters and Woodworkers 11 years and 4 months ago
8
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8 replies
ditmaspark | 11 years and 4 months ago
the apartmenttherapy project is exactly what i had in mind as an option. most difficult: channel a notch on backside to accept iron rods (as i originally describe) –> router bits too short too notch that deep less difficult: plywood layers, leave one layer “empty” to accept rods –> but would need to be pressed together properly, and edge sanded less difficult: router shape/depth of the iron bars on the underside of shelves so that bars are flush with the bottom surface, and then attach layer of plywood –> need router labor, press together properly, and edge sanded less difficult – same as above, but no layer pressed on bottom, same as apartmenttherapy example –> need router labor least difficult – just place shelf on top of the iron bar, exposed on bottom –> easy but not true ‘full floating’ best option – likely the option bedstuyreno found –> no woodworking labor needed on my/contractor’s part…just bolt the suckers in, done. seems very strong, and many wood type options.
brokelin | 11 years and 4 months ago
Check out Christine and Pierre’s recent kitchen renovation on apartmenttherapy.com, post #24\. They used L-brackets attached behind the tile at least, and wood shelves routed for the bracket at less than the full depth of the shelves…and even routed the underside of the shleves to hold a string of lights. Check it out.
thetinkerswagon | 11 years and 4 months ago
I actually have what I think are floating shelves from Ikea. I found them nicely used and taped up curbside in brooklyn. they are thick – like 2.5″ or better so as to hide the brackets in the back. what surprised me is that, with brackets tied to the studs (we have wood) they can hold some weight. if you want to make your own, you can do what dibs says just be sure to clamp the wood well or you will see that joint/seam. what we usually do when making shelves is use plywood (sometimes 1″) and laminate two together with the face cap. I use epoxy on the face cap with fine wood flower filler in the epoxy as the table saw does not cut perfect and the thickener is needed to take up gaps between the wood. also, something I just started doing for shelves. Solid core flat slab doors. you know what I mean. the cheap doors from suburbia – but the solid model. they already have the wood edge on them. HD carries them and by ripping one down you get two shelves and if need be you can glue a cap on the back of each. strong. see what the others say for brackets. I like DIBS brackets behind the walls. also, if you could hit wood studs, the ikea things; I wish i had found more of them. Steve
ditmaspark | 11 years and 4 months ago
+1 on bedstuyreno’s find! will look into it.
daveinbedstuy | 11 years and 4 months ago
Great find, bedstuyreno!!! I suppose they could have been easily found by just googling “floating shelves” I may be using these in the future. Nice selection of woods
bedstuyreno | 11 years and 4 months ago
I plan on doing the same thing in my kitchen. Have a look at this site: http://www.customfloatingshelves.com/ It’s DIY and seems a lot less complicated and affordable than what you’re proposing. NeoGrec suggestions is good too. Good luck!
NeoGrec | 11 years and 4 months ago
OK, I’m NOT a carpenter so feel free to ignore this! But if the material you use has an impact on how you approach the project, consider this. We used IKEA’s solid beech Numerar countertops for shelving. Our carpenter ripped the wood slabs lengthwise to make shelves. It’s very thick (1.5 inches) and strong. Looks beautiful and functions perfectly. We used Elfa brackets and uprights from the Container Store to support the shelves. Could that work for you?
daveinbedstuy | 11 years and 4 months ago
I understand what you are trying to accomplish with a floating look and no brackets visible. The easiest way would be to sandwich two pieces of 3/4″ poplar together to get the 1.5″ thickness and rout out a “rabbit,” a slot on one of them that will hold the bracket arm before the pieces are glued together, a pretty easy operation. Then the face edges would be “wrapped” with a similar piece of wood so that the seam of the two glued boards is not visible. You may even be able to get away without wrapping them since you are using boards not plywood and once glued together, will largely be invisible after sanding and, presumably, painting. Most any carpenter with a modicum of routing skills can do this. Installing the brackets first, behind the drywall, is pretty ingenious.