Alcove shelving with Bookcase strips for AV equipment?

[MrD]

Hi, this has turned into a bit of an essay, so questions in bold for those who want to cut to the chase

I'd like to construct some alcove shelving using veneered MDF for both lining panels and shelves. To begin with, I think I need to ensure the back and side lining panels are vertical and square using battens and spacers, a plumb line, a square and some patience.
How best to fix the nicely finished panels to the battens?
Will steel pins penetrate the MDF OK? I think they'd be pretty unobtrusive....?

Once this is done, I'd thought to use bookcase strips, so the shelves can be adjusted for height. The shelves will span 1000mm, most of them will be for books or ornaments, but 2 will be used for AV equipment - this can get quite heavy, eg an amplifier alone can weigh 20kg/44lb, so reckon double that in total per shelf. I'd thought to use 19mm for most of the shelves and 2x13mm thicknesses glued together for the AV equipment.
Do you think that would be sufficient to prevent any bend or bow?
Is there any particular glue I should use?
Is there a better, unobtrusive way of reinforcing the shelf?
I've used 18mm ply for this span before and under a lot of books - not weighed - only one of them suffered any permanent set after 6yrs, though most shelves did show a bit of bend when loaded. Also, these were screwed in place to wall-mounted battens.

I've got these from you-know-who but on delivery, they don't exactly seem heavy duty.
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/cat.jsp?cId=A333041&ts=40752
They are 10mm wide by 1m long, with screw-holes every 100mm, so I'm not worried about the strips, so much as by the 4 individual fittings holding up each shelf.
Will this system be sufficient to support this weight?
How do I make sure all 4 strips are aligned horizontally with each other?

That's a lot of questions, any help gratefully received! Thanks for listening Mark.

 

[Jasonb]

How best to fix the nicely finished panels to the battens?
Will steel pins penetrate the MDF OK? I think they'd be pretty unobtrusive....?

I would tend to build upo a carcase as a box rather than panels and battens, the batten will always look unsightly

By steel pins do you mean panel pins/lost head nails? is so then No. Use either pocket screws, biscuits and carcase screws or dowels & glue.


Do you think that would be sufficient to prevent any bend or bow?
Is there any particular glue I should use?
Is there a better, unobtrusive way of reinforcing the shelf?

I would not go over 500mm with 18mm MDF shelves and 700mm with 25mm. I use titebond wood glue but Evostic in the green bottle will be OK. No better way of reinforcing apart from increasing thicness, for 1000mm span I would use two 13mm with 25mm spacers between to give a 50mm shelf.

I've used 18mm ply for this span before and under a lot of books - not weighed - only one of them suffered any permanent set after 6yrs, though most shelves did show a bit of bend when loaded. Also, these were screwed in place to wall-mounted battens.


Will this system be sufficient to support this weight?
How do I make sure all 4 strips are aligned horizontally with each other?
Not sure about the SF ones get decent tonk strip from Isaac Lord or Woodfit, the type you recess into the panel looks better than the surface mount. Magic wires look even less obtrusive but you would be best going to 25mm shelves fot that and the AV weight, this unit uses them and you cant see the fixing holes from a few feet away

The strips should all start from the bottom of your panels so the holes will be equally spaced.

Jason

 

[MrD]

Jason, thanks for the advice.

I had alway intended the battens to be hidden, they'll be behind the finished panels, so don't understand your comment about unsightly. The front edges must be covered of course.

The carcass as a box would be a mighty sized box - 2.4 x 1.0 x 400mm so my way seems more manageable. Don't have a biscuit cutter, or a pocket screw tool, was hoping to avoid it!

Do you mean panel pins won't work, or that the'd look rubbish?

Reading around a bit more, MDF is not the best material for shelving. Also found the sagulator. Perhaps I should find some good quality ply or blockboard. Thanks for the tip re shelving thickness.

Your work looks very impressive, but can't see the magic wires, Googled them, no luck, can you give me another reference?

Thanks again,
Mark.

 

[Jasonb]

If you plan to nail through the MDF into the battens then yes you could use long pins or lost head nails and fill the holes with brummer etc. Pins or nails into the edge of MDF will not hold and will split the board.

It will be almost impossible to find blockboard and veneered ply over 12mm will have to be veneered to order and cost a lot more than off the shelf MDF.

The box size is not to bad if you are used to it, just done a wardrobe with three "boxes" 2200x1300x600 and top boxed on those to take me upto the 2800 ceiling height. All by myself.

Magic wires can be found here

Jason

 

[Janaka7]

One idea is to use a thin steel flat bar screwed to the front edge of the shelf. Places like B&Q stock shorter lengths pre-drilled. Specialist steel merchants can supply longer pieces.
Cover the whole front edge with a planted moulding strip.
Why wait 6 years for failure?

 

[MrD]

Thanks again for the tips. I'll make a deep shelf section from 2 x 13mm and some spacers as suggested. Should be solid and look much better, too.

Good progress this w/e, with one small problem. The alcove studwork I've constructed is sturdy enough, only... one of them is bowed out across it's width, by about 3/4". I'm pretty sure the stud is not bent, so it seems the noggins are responsible.

I guess I've been a little enthusiastic with ensuring a tight fit, coupled with not cutting the noggins square enough at the end...? using a handsaw...

Is there any way to cure this apart from re-cutting the noggins?

Any tips for avoiding this in future?