82 - The Complete Miter Saw Workstation, страница 10

Inexpensive Plastic Support

XruT"

STEM

Rubber bumper keeps glass shelves — in place

No-slip plastic coating cushions glass shelves

LOCKING SHELF SUPPORT

PREVENTS SHELVES FROM TIPPING

& Hardware

supporting cast

Shelf Pins

L-SHAPED SUPPORTS

The first kind to look at is the L-shaped support. This is one of the most common styles, and we use them on projects all the time. They're pretty inexpensive and have large, flat tongues that won't flex or mar the shelf it's holding.

Three Uses for the Hole. A handy feature of this style of support is the hole in the tongue. As you can see in the photo and drawing at left, the hole serves two purposes. One way to use it is to drive a screw up through the hole and into a shelf. This prevents the shelf from slipping off the support when you move items around. You can also use a screw to pull a slightly warped shelf flat. This eliminates the annoying rocking sound a warped shelf makes.

Another use for the hole is shown on the second example. By

fitting a rubber bumper in the hole, you can create a slip-resistant support for glass shelving.

Keeping glass shelves from slipping is also the idea behind the next L-shaped support. Here, instead of using a separate bumper, these supports are plastic coated to create a non-slip surface.

Plastic Supports. Not all L-shaped supports are made from metal, as the two lower supports show. The bottom one is pretty basic. The advantages to these are low cost and the brown color blends in better with wood shelves.

The other plastic support has a clip designed to grab a -W-thick shelf and prevent it from tipping. This is handy for kitchen cabinets where the contents get moved around a lot. But for it to work, you'll need to size the shelf exactly.

Sizing Shelves. There's one last thing to keep in mind when using these supports. They stick out more than you think. This is because of the bracket that's attached to the support's stem. So, the shelf may need to be almost V4" shorter than the opening in order to fit.

It's a good idea to find out just how much space the supports need before cutting your shelves to size. You'll also want to consider how this gap will effect the look of the project. If the case has a face frame, as shown in the left photo, it's not a

10 ShopNotes No. 82

Using shelf supports in a bookcase or cabinet to hold shelves is a pretty simple solution for adjustable shelving. All you have to do is drill a few holes and insert some pins or supports. The trouble is, it's easy to just pop them in place without giving them enough thought.

But as these examples show, there are several types of shelf supports available. By matching the support to the task, you can make shelves more stable, secure, and sometimes, better looking.

L-Shaped Shelf Supports

BRACKET MEANS SHELF WILL BE SHORTER THAN OPENING

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