Hopefully I picked the correct section for this..... As indicated in the title I'm going to build a cantilever, I think that's the proper name for it, bookshelf for our oldest daughters room. In concept it seems pretty simple, but due the reclaimed materials I'm going to use I'm unsure as to the best method to attach the shelves to the upright as well as the upright to the stud. So here goes...
For the upright I'm using an old beam from a structure that was built by my fraternal Great Grandfather and am going to use some t&g heart pine flooring or wall boards from an old home that my maternal great great Grandmothers family lived in. The beam is 4 1/8"W x 3"D x 82 3/4"L, the depth or thickness does vary a bit towards what will be the top, but the width appears to be fairly consistent. I'll get some more measurements while cleaning it up some. The heart pine boards will be 22"L x 10"D x 11/16" thick. My plan is to rip the groove off the boards and leave the tongue on. Then cut notches in the beam to mount probably 4 shelves into. Was planning on making the notches about 1.5", or half, of the beams thickness. Is that too much or not enough for adequate support? I had planned to drill holes in the notches and screw from the back to secure them to the beam. The I thought I could also drill and screw from the front into the stud to mount the beam, but that would mean I couldn't screw the shelves from the backside... :icon_scra Maybe I could leave the top and bottom shelf unattached from the back and use those two notches to attach to the stud. Think the weight of books will keep those shelves in place? I haven't decided if I'll use a router to make the notches or maybe cut them with a hand saw and clean out with a chisel..... If I use a router I'll have to make a jig to make the cuts since the face of the beam isn't level enough to use for reference, so hand cutting might be easier...
Anyway, I'd welcome any suggestions on what might work best or has worked for folks who have done something similar successfully. Here's a few pictures of the beam and a board I'll be using if that helps any.
Thanks,
B.
For the upright I'm using an old beam from a structure that was built by my fraternal Great Grandfather and am going to use some t&g heart pine flooring or wall boards from an old home that my maternal great great Grandmothers family lived in. The beam is 4 1/8"W x 3"D x 82 3/4"L, the depth or thickness does vary a bit towards what will be the top, but the width appears to be fairly consistent. I'll get some more measurements while cleaning it up some. The heart pine boards will be 22"L x 10"D x 11/16" thick. My plan is to rip the groove off the boards and leave the tongue on. Then cut notches in the beam to mount probably 4 shelves into. Was planning on making the notches about 1.5", or half, of the beams thickness. Is that too much or not enough for adequate support? I had planned to drill holes in the notches and screw from the back to secure them to the beam. The I thought I could also drill and screw from the front into the stud to mount the beam, but that would mean I couldn't screw the shelves from the backside... :icon_scra Maybe I could leave the top and bottom shelf unattached from the back and use those two notches to attach to the stud. Think the weight of books will keep those shelves in place? I haven't decided if I'll use a router to make the notches or maybe cut them with a hand saw and clean out with a chisel..... If I use a router I'll have to make a jig to make the cuts since the face of the beam isn't level enough to use for reference, so hand cutting might be easier...
Anyway, I'd welcome any suggestions on what might work best or has worked for folks who have done something similar successfully. Here's a few pictures of the beam and a board I'll be using if that helps any.
Thanks,
B.
