A easy way to build shelves

[Mike W]

I have built a lot of shelves using 1" angle iron. The verticle members are 1" angle. The shelves are 36" long by 18" deep. The 18" pieces are upside down to the 36" front and back. This allows them to be welded with a short weld where they touch.

I make up a jig to weld the shelves together so it is fast once you have the pieces cut. Just set them in and weld. With the 18" sides upside down, you can bolt them to the verticle members.

I drop in a piece of particle board and cover it with a piece of masonite. They will handle a lot of weight. I made a couple that were 4' wide but found that heavy loads would tend to make them sag slightly. I'm talking coffee cans full of nuts and bolts.

[echo8287]

Shelf Pictures

I just cleaned out my basement. 6 pickup truck loads to the dump and I'm not quite through. In the process I decided I need some shelves to finish sorting things out. I was gonna buy some surplus ones but I need someplace in Atlanta to get them from. Seems like all the surplus joints are up near Franz in the northeast. I didn't want to pay freight to have them shipped. I thought about making some, I want them to be pretty sturdy. I was looking at some cantilever rack and some bulk rack. So lets see some Pics!!

[Mike W]

I'll have to get a camera first. I forgot to mention that I use 1" by 1/8" strap as an X brace on the back and sides. I bolt the shelves to the vertical members so they can be taken apart. It would be faster to weld every thing. They are plenty sturdy.