Breaking! Engineering help needed (1 Viewer)

[RetroMcBananaFace]

I've got this shelf that holds all my CDs but the shelves are starting to warp in the middle from all the weight.

It's one of those deals with the little pegs on each side that hold the shelves up, but otherwise it is pretty heavy, solid wood and I'd hate to toss it out. Wondering what I can do to shore up the warps in the middle and (hopefully) straighten them out.

I was thinking maybe a threaded rod with the biggest diameter washers I could find, drill a hole through the center of each shelf and use the nuts to level out the middle. I could gradually move the nuts up as the shelf (again hopefully) flattened out.

A friend suggested I get some square dowls, cut them the length of each shelf and screw them down on each shelf and that would flatten them out a little faster.

What's the better way to go here?

 

[lades]

Turn the bookcase upside down.

 

[saintmdterps]

Lighten the load, send your CD's to me.

 

[Saints#34]

Whats a CD?

 

[mjcouvi]

Is it really solid wood? Not some sort of laminated composite type of thing? You could put vertical braces up through the middle. Vertical bracing seems like the surest/easiest way to straighten it out. Or you could get some heavy duty corner braces and put them under the middle of each shelf. Something like this: Shop Stanley-National Hardware 8-in Zinc plated Corner Brace at Lowes.com -- not sure if this particular one would be strong enough, but you get the idea.

Or you could turn each shelf upside down if they're just on pegs (you wouldn't need to turn the whole bookcase upside down).

For what it's worth, though, in the pics you can hardly tell it's warped.

 

[mjcouvi]

Something like this would probably be just right Amazon product ASIN B01GA8B6BMView: https://www.amazon.com/Alise-J5201-2P-Stainless-Fastener-150X105mm/dp/B01GA8B6BM/ref=pd_sim_60_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01GA8B6BM&pd_rd_r=11f868ac-722c-11e8-89f8-0558fd75e055&pd_rd_w=sBGx9&pd_rd_wg=6KyVq&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=7967298517161621930&pf_rd_r=4J27JJKR1EEKEEDXZ0TR&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=4J27JJKR1EEKEEDXZ0TR

 

[Bill]

That shelving is probably made of pressboard with a wood veneer finish. At times these manufactured boards only have a veneer on the top and front edge of the board (the areas that are seen). But occasionally the removable shelves will have the finish on all sides. In those cases the boards could simply be flipped to put the bow on the top. It would eventually level out and then return to the state it is now after some time (if the weight remains the same).

But mjcouvi has the right idea to install some 'L' brackets under each sagging board vertically down the center of your shelving case. If you purchase 5 of these brackets, one for each sagging horizontal board (excluding the bottom of course), you can attach these to the back panel where they will support the shelves in the middle. You will need to ensure that the top of each bracket is on a horizontal plane that is level with the top of the pegs that you intend to use so that these middle supports are at the same height as the pegs. And since they are merely supports for the shelves, you shouldn't even have to put screws on the top side of the brackets; just screw on the vertical leg that attaches to the back panel.

'L' brackets come in many styles and sizes and it may be possible to find a type that can be installed without even being noticeable once the items are put on the shelves. I'd be interested in seeing what you come up with and how it looks when completed.

 

[mjcouvi]

If it's not solid wood (it does seem unlikely that solid wood would warp from the weight of CDs), you could replace it with inexpensive solid wood. An 8 ft 1X6 or 1X8 at Lowe's is around $10-12. You'd probably need two of those and they'll usually cut it for you in the store. You'd obviously have to stain it or paint it though and it'd be hard to get it to match exactly.

 

[Bill]

That shelving is probably made of pressboard with a wood veneer finish. At times these manufactured boards only have a veneer on the top and front edge of the board (the areas that are seen). But occasionally the removable shelves will have the finish on all sides. In those cases the boards could simply be flipped to put the bow on the top. It would eventually level out and then return to the state it is now after some time (if the weight remains the same).

But mjcouvi has the right idea to install some 'L' brackets under each sagging board vertically down the center of your shelving case. If you purchase 5 of these brackets, one for each sagging horizontal board (excluding the bottom of course), you can attach these to the back panel where they will support the shelves in the middle. You will need to ensure that the top of each bracket is on a horizontal plane that is level with the top of the pegs that you intend to use so that these middle supports are at the same height as the pegs. And since they are merely supports for the shelves, you shouldn't even have to put screws on the top side of the brackets; just screw on the vertical leg that attaches to the back panel.

'L' brackets come in many styles and sizes and it may be possible to find a type that can be installed without even being noticeable once the items are put on the shelves. I'd be interested in seeing what you come up with and how it looks when completed.

An edit to this modification is to make sure that the back panel is a solid piece of wood. In many of these shelving kits the open space in the back is merely a stiff cardboard panel with a woodgrain finish that is attached with finishing nails around the perimeter of the unit. If so, the above description will not be possible unless you add a real wood back to the case over that existing cardboard panel.

 

[billinms]

 

[Lunchbox]

I have the same shelf with the same issue. Now, I'm sure you want a permanent fix, but I did what was suggested above... I removed the CDs from each shelf, turned each shelf over (so that the shelf "bows up" in the middle) and replaced the CDs. Conceivably, you're looking at having to do this once every year or so, but it beats spending money on something new...

 

[Saint_Ward]

Bill and mjcouvi have the right idea.

Either a center board member to take the load. An L bracket int he middle, coming out at you to handle the load (or like 2 or 3 evenly dispersed). Or, remove the backing (likely close to card board / thin particle board) and actually nail in some real ply wood or something back there. I think that option might take a bit of effort.

Also, you could just replace the shelves with real wood boards and try to stain them or paint to match.

I think your OP idea is just a bit complicated and won't exactly work in the long run.

 

[Saint_Ward]

Also, look at this link. Lots of ideas.

How to Build Shelves that Don't Sag: Free DIY Tutorial

 

[Saint_Ward]

 

[RetroMcBananaFace]

The whole thing (including the back) is made of veneered 3/4-inch MDF and has carpentry joints where the back/sides/top and bottom shelves meet.

If the 3 middle shelves had been attached to the back they wouldn't warp, but you also wouldn't be able to move them up and down. Aside from the shelves warping it's pretty rock solid and worth saving.

I got some L brackets, seems like a good way to go. Eventually I'd like to have floor to ceiling shelves built into the wall but that may be a few years down the road.