wrote in message
oups.com...
I want to install an over-the-range microwave, but I will be removing
the upper cabinet completely and just putting a shelf above the
microwave.

The problem I have is that the microwave mounts to a rear plate and
then swings up and is designed to be attached to an upper cabinet with
2 bolts. Anyone have a good way to do this without the upper cabinet?
There is a stud right in the middle behind it.

It's going to have to be braced well so the micro doesn't sag or come
tumbling down. That lone stud, the shelf assembly, and the fasteners going
into it are going to have to bear not just weight, but significant torque.
Attach the shelf to a back board that is large enough to go all the way to
the bottom of the oven, and brace the shelf strongly to the board at the
ends. (Use braces with a triangular shape, not just right angles having a
stiffening groove.) The assembly should be strong enough that you can set
the microwave on the shelf and not have it bend or pull apart. Bolt the
back board in several places along its height to the stud (pre-drill holes
and center them carefully, so as not to split the stud), check the strength
by temporarily setting the microwave or something equally heavy on the
shelf, then attach the microwave's rear plate to the board as you would to a
wall and affix the microwave to the shelf as you would to the bottom of a
cabinet.