| This shelf was mostly built before the
decision was made to crate these instructions so I'm going to start by
explaining how to do the assembly using the existing unit.
Our sides are 16" X 43 3/4". The shelves are 16" X 15
1/2" and the back 17" X 43 3/4".
This unit is make from 3/4 inch industrial particle
board. Any 3/4" particle board will work but industrial will have a smoother
finish surface. The back could be 1/4" masonite, luna play or fir plywood.
First assemble one of the sides and the first self.
This shelf is the top shelf and should be flush with the top of the side. In
the picture you can see a 9" spacer held in place by spring clamps. This
assures exact spacing between shelves. |
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| Use a framing square to mark where
your screws will be placed. Drill pilot holes through the sides about 1 1/2"
in from each edge and another one in the middle. It may be a good idea to
place a piece of tape around the pilot bit at 3/4" from the tip of the bit.
This will serve as a depth gage. Drilling into the shelf will only weaken
the clamping force of the grabber screw, so try to avoid this. |
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| The 2" grabber screws will need to be
counter sunk if we want a more professional and finished look to our
project. A depth gage is a good idea. |
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| We assemble our shelves using 2"
course thread grabber screws and our spacers, assuring that everything is
lined up properly as we go. We work our way down from the top until
all shelves are in place. |
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| Counter sunk grabbers hold our
shelving together. |
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| We nail the back on so that it is
flush with the top and one side. This assures that our shelving will be
square. Use a strait edge to mark the remaining shelves.
The back is applied using 1 3/8" to 1
1/2" sheet rock nails. A narrow crown staple would also do nicely if
available. |
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| Here we have added a toe kick,
recessed 3" from the front of the unit. We could also place this piece flush
with the front if desired. |
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| Now we patch and sand our screw holes
and prepare to insert our trays. |
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| Here's the finished unit, trays
inserted. Capacity is 120 # 303 cans. The
selves in this unit are 15 1/2" wide. If we had extended the shelves to
about 31", and added one more row of trays, we could have just as easily
ended up with a unit capable of accommodating 300 cans. Longer shelves would
have a tendency to sag so we never plan a unit to accommodate more than 6
trays wide.
If we had the space, we could build a unit a little
under 8' tall and 33" wide that would accommodate 540 # 303 cans. The
same unit built to work with the 30322 trays which hold 14 cans would
accommodate 756 # 303 cans.
Variations using this system are almost endless.
This same project shown in these pictures could have been built to
accommodate six trays wide and two trays high and would have had exactly the
same capacity, but fit into a totally different space.
If it were necessary to store one of these units in
the kitchen, the design could easily be adapted to include doors. A little
paint and your in business. |
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