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John Sellers
 
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Default Shelving span advice?


Greetings wreck,

I need some closet shelving, and am wondering if a 22-inch span is too
long for 1x lumber (3/4-inch dressed). I'm thinking not, but wanted
your input before committing to the cuts.

I don't expect any heavy loads, just SWMBO's closet crap, etc. Shelf
spacing only 16 inches, so there's only so much she could pile on each
one, except maybe the top shelf.

Will I need to glue some edge pieces front and back? Or should I just
use plywood? Will pine/poplar sag more, so that I need consider
better wood?

These shelves will be 16 inches deep. I'm thinking of using two, or
three (maybe four?) pieces to make the panels. Also considering
installing in pieces, without glue-up. This would make the install a
bit easier. Shelves will be on cleats, in each side of the 22-inch
deep closet, behind the door trim, so getting full dimension panels in
there might be a trick without some edge gaps. I'm not going to
finish this out to furniture grade (plans are to prime and paint), but
won't make it shop quality either. (Don't infer that I'm less AR
about the shop stuff here g.)

Will piecing the shelves (no glue-up) make my span strength concern
any worse? If so, it's better to use fewer pieces per shelf, correct?
I think I'll still biscuit the edges in this case, just to keep the
joints even. Will biscuits break if edges aren't glued? Would loose
tenons or dowels be better here?

Or - am I worrying about nothing? 22-inches isn't that big a span,
right?

Thanks for any suggestions,
John Sellers