Load ratings for shelf pins?

[BillG]

I need to build some shelves to hold fairly heavy loads.  Some of them will be fixed with dadoes to support them, but I would like to make as many as possible adjustable for flexibility.  Flexibility may be the problem however.  They need to hold small boxes of lead, brass, and copper.    I realize that strength is a function of the wood species being used as well as span, but is there a chart or table of general information out there, or does anyone here have experience with this? I am interested in how well 5mm shelf pins will hold up to lots of weight being put upon them. 

 

[DKurzweil]

I can't give you too much information on what kind of loads the shelves can hold.  I can say that the 2 piece pin systems can hold more.  There is a sleeve that gets inserted into the hole, it is either a friction fit or you can use some glue.  the other half is the pin you are used to.  The sleeve helps to reinforce the hole and prevent the hole from becoming oblonged due to the weight of the shelf.  It also gives the holes a nice finished look, the sleeve matches the finish of the pin.

Hope it helps
Daniel

 

[greymann]

I am also in the process of building cabinets for my shop and expect heavy loads on some of the shelves.  I was thinking of using the metal sleeves in the pin holes.  To the best of my knowledge this will require 5.5 mm holes. 

Have others done this and does it cause problems?  I was especially wondering if I did all 5.5 mm holes would this cause a problem installing door hinges?

Dick

 

[DKurzweil]

I am also in the process of building cabinets for my shop and expect heavy loads on some of the shelves.  I was thinking of using the metal sleeves in the pin holes.  To the best of my knowledge this will require 5.5 mm holes. 

Have others done this and does it cause problems?  I was especially wondering if I did all 5.5 mm holes would this cause a problem installing door hinges?

Dick

Different brands require different diameters for the sleeves.  There are 2 options for the hinges.

1.  Mark and leave the drilling of those holes for last and drill with a different bit
2.  check the size of the screws on the hinge, some of them are large enough to use 5.5 mm holes (the difference is negligible)

or

3.  By another router and LR32 kit and set up one for 5mm and the other for the larger size required for the sleeve 

Daniel

 

[tjbnwi]

Bill,

If these are shop shelves, and you have a Domino use the 10x50 Dominos.

That's how I did mine. The shelves on mine are 5/4 oak 11" deep about 4' long.

Tom

 

[upscale]

but is there a chart or table of general information out there, or does anyone here have experience with this? I am interested in how well 5mm shelf pins will hold up to lots of weight being put upon them. 

Don't have a chart, but with three pins on each side and a span width of 19", I've got an acrylic shelf supporting my 40 lb stereo. In fact the shelf itself sagged a bit so I doubled it up to support the stereo.

 

[BillG]

Thanks for the responses everyone.  The shelves are going to be holding reloading components.  Powder and primers aren't all that heavy for the volume they occupy, but bullets, and even brass casings get real heavy.  I am keeping the spans relatively short, and the depth is just under 7".  I will have to investigate the pins with sleeves and see what I can find.  I had planned on using my LR 32 to build these.  I also thought about using dominoes for the fixed shelves, but decided on dadoes, since dominoes will have less "meat" on the top side of the shelf itself, and that can lead to breakage from sagging over time.  I made some shallow bookshelves about 12 years ago that used slotted metal tracks, and they are being used right now to hold some of this stuff.  They are working out fairly well, but if I go and buy tracks like that again instead of using the LR 32, my wife is going to want to know the reason why.  [scared]

 

[mouppe]

A solid wood apron on the front and rear of a plywood shelf will strengthen it dramatically. I read that if you double a shelf's thickness, it's load-bearing rating increases by the cube of that factor, assuming everything else remains constant. So tripling the thickness makes it 27 times stronger!

Also, increasing the length of a shelf by a factor divides it's rating by the same factor. So twice as long equals half as strong.

Just one note about using dominoes for shelf pins- they can make putting the cabinet together quite complicated as you have to install the shelves on one side before attaching the second side. (Made this mistake before!)

 

[tiralie]

I realize that strength is a function of the wood species being used as well as span, but is there a chart or table of general information out there

Bill:
You can use the Sagulator to calculate shelf length material sag.

I am interested in how well 5mm shelf pins will hold up to lots of weight being put upon them. 

This article on The five types of loads that can act on a structure might help.
Tim

 

[tjbnwi]

I may not have been clear about using Domino's.

[attachthumb=#]My shelves are adjustable.

[attachthumb=#]I used the Domino to mortise the shelf so it locked in place.

[attachthumb=#]

Tom

 

[upscale]

I may not have been clear about using Domino's.I used the Domino to mortise the shelf so it locked in place.

Not bad! But, it's not finished yet. You didn't stain the inside pin part of the dominos.
[poke]

 

[greymann]

Tom - I for one didn't have a clear picture of how you used the domino's.  The way you use the domino's to lock the shelf in place is slick.  I'll have to play with it myself.  Thanks for showing.

Do you also put any support along the back?

Dick

 

[tjbnwi]

It's as done as it is gonna get.

No supports along the back. Those are 1" thick oak stair treads, they have not sagged yet (about 3 years).

Tom

 

[tiralie]

Those are 1" thick oak stair treads.

Jeesh, nice bit of wood there. Shame they couldn't be used as stairs...gotta be a good story there.
Tim

 

[tjbnwi]

That's what happens when some dumb a$$ stains them the wrong color. (I hope self berating is allowed?) I'm sure most here, have figured out I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Tom

 

[tiralie]

...well, at least you didn't cut them the wrong length...like I have done.