Putting up shelves. Wood to use?

[GusGF]

I'm putting up shelves in and an airing cupboard and a storage cupboard and was wondering what type of wood would I be best off using. I'm going to be buying a sheet of wood which will be cut up as single pieces (88.5cm x 59cm). Shelves won't be carrying anything heavy and will only be supported at either side by a batten fixed to the wall. When I phoned my local wood merchant they recommended MDF 18mm.

What do you think?

 

[Burnerman]

If it's only supported at the ends, anything other than MDF for me.....it bends under it's own weight.
Ply ( with a lipping if you want) will fare much better.
John

 

[ladylola]

Airing cupboard shelves are commonly constructed with 2x1 to allow ventilation , although how that fully works when it's piled with clothes I'm not sure.
I'd go with the ply suggestion but if you intend to go with mdf I'd beef it up to 25mm.

 

[GusGF]

Thank you for the suggestions.

On their website (http://wenbantimbershop.co.uk/) I have the choice of the following ply:
Exterior
Marine
Birch
Radiata Pine

What would you recommend?

 

[Burnerman]

Birch or Radiata really, depending on what you want and would like to pay and how you want the finish to be (talking about the edges here which would be best lipped) and I'd still use 18mm.
You could also use pine flooring if you want, tongued and grooved together.....planing the tongue off would give you a nice edge.
John

 

[GusGF]

Thanks John that gives me a better idea when I go there tomorrow

 

[Gerrydelasel]

Or make each shelf from three pieces of 8x1" pine from any builders merchant, laid side by side.

 

[GusGF]

Or make each shelf from three pieces of 8x1" pine from any builders merchant, laid side by side.

Thanks Gerry have gone with a sheet of ply.

 

[GusGF]

Maybe I should have been better prepared but I ended up having to do some cutouts to fit around pipework, more than I had originally thought.

Cutting plywood with a circular saw is not something I recommend or maybe the blade (standard) was not suitable but the cut was messy leaving small bits sticking out waiting to stick into an unsuspecting hand.

Think I'll give pine a go next time.

If it's only supported at the ends, anything other than MDF for me.....it bends under it's own weight.
Ply ( with a lipping if you want) will fare much better.
John

Whats a lipping?

 

[rsgaz]

the cut was messy leaving small bits sticking out

Set your circular saw blade depth to 1mm and run the saw backwards over the cut to make a scoring cut, then forwards at the proper depth and it will reduce tearout a lot. See the same trick here...

Yes, I know it's a table saw, just picture that process upside down!!

Gaz

 

[Burnerman]

A lipping is a strip of planed timber, glued and fixed onto the plywood open grain, to hide it.
John