making shelves

[Luci]

so today im hoping to head to home depot to get some ledges/shelves made.

ive read through the safe/unsafe wood list, so does anyone have any experience of what home depot offers?

or is it better to buy from someone online, and if so, send a link!

oh and what is the hardware called? the one with the 2 circles that close together when you screw it shut (if that makes sense).

 

[Essentia]

When ot comes to shelves I find that the KD (Kiln Dried) pine works the best and is the easiest to find at most home depots or lowes. I honestly don't remember what the "screw" is called, but you want the one with threads on both sides (farther apart threads on the side that gets screwed into the wood). The other two things you need are metal washers and wing nuts.

If I were you I would try your hand at making your own shelves first. They are very easy to make and it will save you a TON of money.

 

[AZChins]

Shelves are super, duper easy. Just buy the boards that are on the isle with the nicer wood. Ask someone to help you if you can't find it on your own. Most of the boards are kiln dried.

If you are really nice, you can get the people at Home depot to cut the boards to length for you.

I drill 1/4" holes in the ends of the shelf and two on both sides of the back for a total of four holes. Then I just use a 5/16" lag screw (1 inch to 1.5 inches long) and a large fender washer with the 5/16" hole. That allows for you to really torque down the shelves on the sides and makes them more flush than using hanger bolts.

That's about it...it's super easy. If you don't sand them down, it takes no time at all. I make them for people all the time even after I have told them how to to it themselves.

 

[alli713]

The screw type thing that I use for shelves is called a hanger bolt. It looks like one half screw, one half bolt. The screw half goes into the wood while the washer and wing nut go onto the bolt side.

 

[yummychinchillatoys.com]

Use hanger bolts, flat/fender washers and wing nuts for the hard ware... I use KD Pine for the wood...

If you don't get it here is the link to my site.. I make shelves..
http://yummychinchillatoys.com/ledges_and_play_toys_main_page.html

 

[danakscully64]

They make different sizes for the Hanger Bolts. Here's a picture in case you don't know what it looks like:

 

[Brittney]

I made mine and it was so easy. I used Poplar, which was actually really hard to cut (I cut it at home) and all of my shelves are cut, well, a little lopsided

Total total it ran me about 70 bucks and that includes the wood, hanger bolts, washers and wing nuts. Just make sure you ask someone to help with the hardware search. I couldn't find hanger bolts for the life of me, then I asked and they were right in front of my face. He matched the washers (Be sure to ask for a larger diameter washer). Only crappy thing was I had to tighten the wing nuts with pliers, which means, those babies are never coming off. And I split some wood putting one of the hanger bolts in, but it held up nicely. Just ask how to screw them in properly. It might have been the wood I used, but I had to attach them inside my drill and do it that way. Crazy tough wood.

 

[Rickman]

If you pre-drill the holes with a 1/4 in. drill, they go in rather easy!
A small square will help with straight cuts!
Measure twice, cut once, helps avoid mistakes!

 

[FierceDeityLink1]

I could only find non-galvanized hanger bolts at my Home Depot (only galvanized/zinc-plated at ACE Hardware) which means that they'll rust.

Everyone says to buy stainless steel, but it is a lot more expensive. Though, it's interesting that the Bass Equipment pans for the FN 142 are galvanized when people suggest against it (source). I'm at odds whether the vinegar/water solution will "neutralize" the zinc. Maybe someone who's an expert at this can help, but I am under the impression that galvanization is (almost?) always zinc.

If you're looking to save some money, go with nuts instead of wingnuts. In stainless steel, they are 4x the price. And like they said above, measure twice, cut once, and be sure to drill pilot holes.