Is my wood too short!? (shelving question)

[potato80]

Hi all

I'm wanting to put shelves up in an alcove.

Problem: the gap is 124cm in length, and most plywood comes in 244cm lengths. I can either waste nearly 50% of each bit of plywood, OR make each shelf 122cm - basically 2cms short in my alcove.

What I want to know is: is the 2cm difference a problem? Could I just make some thicker battens for them to rest on, or is it really important that they sit flush with the walls?

Ive been on the sagulator (http://www.woodbin.com/calcs/sagulator.htm) to check there is enough support for my books.

Any help much appreciated.

Thanks

Potato

 

[Burnerman]

Your shelves don't have to fit exactly into the alcove, but it would be better if they did.....maybe if the shelves moved to one side, they could come off the opposite batten?
The amount of sag largely depends on the thickness of the shelving material.
John

 

[tony1851]

If you put a batten along the back of the alcove so as to support the back of the shelf underneath, it will considerably reduce any tendency to sag.

If you screw it down to said batten, it will not move off your side battens.

 

[potato80]

Cheers guys. I plan to add a batten at the back and screw into it.

I just didn't know if 122cm was just too wide for plywood without a central bracket or batten in the middle to support it.

 

[oldbutnotdead]

Seems a shame to do all that work and use an ugly material like plywood. Have you tried your local timber merchant (NOT the DIY sheds) for 6 x 1 PSE or even 8 x 1 PSE timber- yes it sounds more expensive per metre but plywood isn't that cheap either.

If you're even vaguely handy you can dowel and glue 2 bits of 6 x 1 together to make a 12" deep shelf and they'll look much nicer than plywood.

 

[potato80]

I'll have a look at some different woods; I was just gonna use ply and then paint it to match the colour of the walls.

I'm an absolute newbie to all this tbh, so I'm learning by trial and error!

 

[oldbutnotdead]

Plywood is ugly stuff, best hidden- if you had access to a free stash that's one thing but if you're paying for it......

Have a look at 18mm MDF if you are planning on painting- gives a nice smooth finish & is fairly cheap. Get wherever you buy it from to cut it to size for you- much easier than trying to get dead straight dead square cuts yourself.

 

[potato80]

Cheers, thats really helpful.

MDF is certainly cheaper than plywood and if it looks ok painted then I'll probably go with that.

I'll get the heavy stuff cos I'll have lots of books on it, and I'll use some big battens at the back and sides.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

A 10mm gap either end will look pretty pants though .......

 

[Belboz]

And if you are going to use MDF then consider putting an edging strip on any cut leading edge OR take your time to properly prepare such a cut MDF edge for painting.

The surface of MDF looks great but a cut edge can look a bit unsightly if the prep work isn't done before painting.

 

[potato80]

OK, so Ive found an MDF supplier that'll cut my MDF to size for a decent price - perfect; no gaps at the sides!

Last question: do I just use Standard MDF sheet, Melamine Faced MDF, or Veneered MDF (laminate, particle, fibre)?

I was just gonna use standard and avoid getting the 'light' version.

Thanks for all your help guys

I'll make sure to use the edging strip as well.

 

[Belboz]

Standard MDF if you are looking for the best cost option and then painted as you suggested.

BTW - when I said edging strip, I meant a thin wood 'facing'

Same 'height' as the edge (you can buy lengths of this type of moulding at any decent wood suppliers at low cost)

Alternatively, you can prepare and paint the edge.

Up to you.

Hope that makes sense.

B

 

[potato80]

cheers for the help guys; shelves look great and are really sturdy

Untitled

• potato80
• 20 Mar 2015
• 1

 

[Belboz]

Glad to see it all worked out for you.