Support for linen closet shelves

[Don Morris]

I built LOML a food storage cabinet last year and used two sided plywood faced with maple banding as shelves as I had never done that. She loves the look of wood rather than metal, and requests that I do the same for several linen closets needing shelves ready to be done after a home renovation. For the food cabinet I used a Rockler jig to place the multiple 1/4" shelf pin holes. In the linen closets, what would work well as supports for the shelving pins? I'm thinking a 1" X 2" strip of some sort of any kind of hard wood...or should it be something substantial like maple? The supports will be painted, but certainly not the shelves because LOML loves the natural wood look.

Thanks for any input or advice.

[Jamie Buxton]

Are the linen closets built-ins? That is, they have sheetrock walls, and that's why you can't just drill pin holes into the walls?

If so, what I'd do is to build plywood side walls for the closets. I'd be able to drill the pin holes in the shop, where I can do it accurately, and I'd be able to apply finish easily. Another benefit of adding plywood walls is that you can shim them to assure that they are parallel. Your sheetrock walls may not be parallel, which would mean that your adjustable shelves might fit in one place, but not in another.

[Don Morris]

I've thought about doing that, but that would take up almost an inch on each side. Even suggested that to LOML because I thought she might like the look of built-in veneered plywood, but she said she thought she might appreciate the extra 2" width. That's why I figured to just use two strips of some kind of wood. The walls are indeed sheetrock and are indeed uneven, but I could shim the strips of whatever wood I put up there. I just worry if I use a strip of soft pine that would be inadequate support. The shelves at the widest are almost 3' wide by 15" deep. Would Maple strips be overkill? It's just the idea of learning to use the right wood for the right job. I'm only a mid-level woodworker...still learning.

[Cecil Arnold]

Don, consider adding another strip at the back of the shelf to give it extra support. At 3' it will start to sag if you don't have additional support unless your wife doesn't load shelves like mine. Another concern is the 15" width of the shelves. Can you get a wall stud on the side supports at each end of the support. If so, then the three sided support can be made from decent pine.

[Alden Miller]

If you go the route of using the strips I would use something like hard maple. It will hold up to the load better than any pine (except maybe heart pine and if you use that you should be shot!).

I don't picture how using the wood strips is going to safe you any room over plywood sides. Unless you are intending to notch the shelves around the wood?

-Alden

[Jamie Buxton]

What would you fasten the 1x2s to? I'd want to fasten them to studs, not sheetrock. There may not be studs where you want them. That's why the plywood sides would help: you can tie the plywood firmly to the studs, wherever the studs happen to fall, and put the column of pin holes wherever you want.

You can use 1/2" thick plywood for the sides. Most 5 mm pins have shafts which are 8 mm (5/16") long, and most 1/4" pins have shafts which are 5/16" or 3/8" long.

[Dan Oelke]

If you really want to go all out - cut out the drywall and replace it with plywood with the holes. Makes it a much bigger job, but keeps the extra space, and makes sure that you have good support.

PS: If it sounds like too much work - it probably is, but I'm a glutton for punishment myself.