Julian Bradfield wrote:
I'm thinking of putting up some cable-suspended shelves. I know where
to get cable and shelf retainers, but I don't know what to use for the
shelves, since they have to be quite wide: total width 164cm, and it's
only possible (read easy) to put cables at the ends. Worse, their
intended use is books, of a fairly heavy kind - say 20-30kg/shelf, for
luck.

What material can make shelves 160cm long, 20cm deep, with an SWL of
100kg, with end support only?

Followup: are the shelf retainers (from Flints) up to that load,
without being so tight as to damage the cable (I was thinking 3mm
cable)?


Just did exactly this myself. Very easy indeed and look great.

Used conti for the shelves (110cm length, set of 6).

I was putting them in an alcove and used 3 points of suspension -
middle (at the back) and the sides (at the front) in a triangle - stops
them bending and keeps it clean, simple and cheap. Nice and easy to
level too. Steel stranded cable takes huge amounts of weight (I think
3mm takes about 500kg so 1500kg for 3 cables). Flints only had 3mm but
I'd have gone for 2mm.

Used the tooth-shaped things at flints to double the cable in a loop at
the top to suspend them (3 per cable they advised). Mine are not
attached at the bottom (i.e. hanging free) which was probably a mistake.
You will need really heavy duty hooks at the top to take the weight. I
used some Ikea metal bathroom pegs but they are looking a bit precarious.

Flints have some really nice widgets for gripping the cable under the
shelves but they are v. expensive if you are doing a lot of shelves
(about 10 quid a shelf). I used the metal bits out of terminal block
which work and look fine but is probably not a great long-term solution
as I think they could damage (and weaken) the cable (since it runs
straight through - the proper ones push the cable against a bend).

You'll need something proper to cut the cable or get it cut to length in
the shop - b+q bolt cutters left the strands loose and fell apart on the
4th cut.

For 160 cm I might consider going with 4 cables (2 spaced along the back
rather than 1 in the middle) to help take the strain at the top.