I currently have these shelves for plants and nicknaks which are made from solid pine. The shelved are attached to the wall using 5 Hafale concealed shelf brackets per shelf. The wood is a bit twisted and shelves aren't quite wide enough so I'd like to rebuild the shelves using a 4x2 batten and ply. Will pine 4x2s (one long peice at the wall plus 5 perpendiculat short peices attached with pochetholes and screws) and 8 mm ply be strong enough/the recomended plan? I plan to paint it white.
Floating shelves avice needed
- Thread starter Yukster
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Are the shelves in an alcove or on open wall?
Shelves are on an open wall
How long are the shelves?
If you're going to keep plants on them i'd prefer to see at least half an inch thickness in the wood.
If you're going to keep plants on them i'd prefer to see at least half an inch thickness in the wood.
There are 3 shelves, length vary. They're around 2m long. When you say at least half an inch thickness in the wood, are you referring to the plywood?
Given the length, i'd go for an inch. It's as good as a mile if you're putting plants on it.
Scaffold boards are a cheap strong alternative.
I made the shelves using a 44mm solid core fire door. I drilled the holes for the floating self brackets which are 12mm in diameter using a 12mm twist drill bit and a drill block to make it square. The fit appears a bit too tight so I cant slide the shelf onto the rods. I checked the fit, and strangely it's variable. The rods slide in with a push into some of the holes but go in a bit and get stuck in other holes.
I run the drill in and out several times using same drill bit to extend the holes diameter which improved the situation but still the fit is too tight. Can you advise how to fix this?
I run the drill in and out several times using same drill bit to extend the holes diameter which improved the situation but still the fit is too tight. Can you advise how to fix this?
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Buy a slightly bigger drill bit is the obvious answer, you can buy drill bits in 0.1mm increments. However exactly what size to buy is not so obvious .....
I didn't realise that. Who sells these?
Getting the drill bit is the easy part. The harder part is how to use the marginally larger drill bit to extend an existing hole?
If it were me I'd have used a pillar drill.
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I think this is going to be a bit of a nightmare. In my experience, the bit will follow whatever path it wants, even if you're using a pillar drill* and the work piece is firmly clamped.
I would use a hand-held drill with the existing bit, with some sideways force to use the flutes in the drill to wear away at the edge [this might be what you've already been doing]. Offer it up, if it doesn't fit, try again.
Have you checked if the rods fitted to the wall are square? Maybe a bit of bending will get you there.
* My pillar drill is some cheapo thing I inherited, perhaps a better-made unit with less play in it would perform better.
Who sells these drill bits for wood in 0.1 mm increments? I found 1 or 2 that are sold for upwards of £70! Is that the going price or do they sell for cheaper?