Home Theater shelf project for a newbie

[joe_sun]

I was hoping someone would help a newbie with an idea.

I can’t seem to find any shelving brackets that look nice enough to hold a 16in deep shelf so I think I have to try and build something.

I’m looking to build a shelf, I guess it would be more of an open cabinet to hold my home theater equipment. We’re talking about 80 lbs worth of amplifiers, DVD players and such. It would be approx 74 inches long, 16 inches deep and made from either ¾ plywood or MDF.

I was looking at how my kitchen cabinets were built and I came up with this idea. Would this be able to support that much weight?

I’m thinking 3 inch screws on the top and bottom cleats into the studs.

Here’s a bad drawing of if your were looking at it from the front.



Thanks!

[Garasaki]

Does the equipment sit IN or ON the shelf?

That is, does it sit on the bottom piece of wood or the top?

[joe_sun]

Inside only

[mschrank]

Welcome to the forum! You'll get some good answers here.

I think I see what you're after.

Without some center supports (vertical pieces spaced between upper & lower shelves), I think the shelves will visibly sag. You might want to play with the "Sagulator." You might also consider some type of edge treatment. Also, plywood would offer more sag resistance than mdf, but I think you'll still need some intermediate supports to resist movement.

And I'm not sure about those joints...I don't see how they will be much stronger than a butt joint since you will only have end grain in the stress direction. I'd go with dowels, biscuits, or even pocket screws. Given that you are a self-professed newbie, I'd say just go with just butt joints with 4 screws coming in from the sides (countersunk and covered with plugs).

You will also want to make sure those rails on the back are very securely attached to the carcase...considering all that pricey a/v equipment!

Here's a quick idea I did in SketchUp. Note the screw locations along the side (these could be covered with plugs) and the intermediate support (you might want two):

[Black wallnut]

According to this sag estimater you would better off using plywood. I question the integrity of you design. If you added a face frame and added screws at the lower corners then you would strengthen it considerbly. 80 pounds seems to be quite a load for such a long span.

Dang Mike ya beat me to it!

[pelligrini]

Screws through the top shelf into the top cleat would be a good idea too.

Don't forget about holes for cables.

[joe_sun]

Thanks everyone!

I said rabbet joints instead of butt because I was just trying to be fancy and I had read that rabbet were much stronger. Butt is easier :-)

It's good to know that my concept was sound just gotta work on the details a little more.

[chopnhack]

Considering the weight and the length of the distribution, I would like to start at the beginning of the design process...if you will indulge me. How about two pcs of 3/4" ply glued together to serve as your base and then perhaps decorative corbels at either end and perhaps an additional one in the center if needed? Here's a rough sketch to illustrate. The corbel can be quite fancy and you can edge the plywood with solid wood, route a nice profile etc. You can also build a hutch over this if you are moie interested in the original design parameters. But this type of base will be very stiff and will carry the load very nicely. Just make sure the corbels will go over the studs.

[Garasaki]

The problem with the rabbets as you've drawn them is that they will not resist being pulled apart in the "up down" direction.

This



Might work better.

I agree with the idea of putting a face frame on this - it will help stiffen the shelf in the "left right" direction as well as dress it up a little. I think with a faceframe, the cleated support idea might be enough. Although I would suggest some sort of support at the "front" of the shelf if at all possible.

[joe_sun]

Dupe post please see pg 2

[joe_sun]

Thank you everyone for your replies..

I tried posting earlier using my mobile phone but I don’t see the reply here so I’ll try again.

Chopnhack, thank you for the suggestion but I don’t believe I have anywhere near the skill to make a corbel. Heck as I said in my first post, if I could find nice shelf brackets that would hold this weight, look good and hold a 14-16in shelf I’d just buy those.


Plywood is better I just figured MDF since it was easy to route (something I’m VERY new at) but if I’m using butt joints then I’d rather use plywood and just use veneer banding instead of having to veneer the whole thing.

I did some calculations and decided I could get away with 45in of useable space if it was 8-9 inches tall. I’m thinking 48 inches with two full length vertical supports spaced as follows. 19in-7in-19in . This would allow me to use half sheets of plywood and allow my receiver and amps to go on the far left and right while the power strip will be in the center. It would still have to be 16in deep.

Would you still think I would need a face frame? I’m just not sure how to execute that into the design.

As for securing the cleats I was planning on using LOTS of woodscrews and Titebond glue.

Maybe it would be best to show you what I’m replacing.

This is the old setup and you can see how these Ikea shelf brackets were not up to the task as they are bent down even with no weight on them.

[chopnhack]

You can make the corbel's Two pieces of plywood sandwiched together, just cut out a pleasing shape with jig or band saw, separate pieces, space out to appropriate or pleasing distance, but wood blocks in between - glue, screw or nail (put in even distances) then bend thin plywood around the edges between the two pieces of ply to hide the blocking.

Here's an example of blocking a curve - if you keep the blocking back the thickness of what you intend to skin it with, you can use the inside edges to help line up your work.


Just food for thought

[wbsettle]

I'm not trying to discourage DIY, but you mention that shelf brackets would be acceptable. Have you looked at Lowes? Some of the 8"-10" "decorative" brackets should work as long as you can hit studs. I use singles of these guys to hold up shelves for my 20# surround speakers. Actually used drywall anchors on one of them (have seen anchors rated to 75# each) until I bumped the shelf, loosening the anchor's grip. Fortunately, it was in a FROG so I just put in a "nailer" from the attic side to replace the achors.

Depending on your interior decorator's tastes, you could also build an adjustable shelf solution using the vertical tracks and matching brackets. Black usually works well with A/V gear and they come in a little as 24" lengths. I'm planning to do this for media storage. Granted, I won't be building 16" deep shelves, but the matching shelf supports come in varying lengths and you can paint to taste, if needed. From the looks of things, that's a flat panel in the titled photo so you could use a shelf right above the TV for the center channel and then a second or more shelves above for the gear.

-Brent