Newspaper Article

Choose lumber for shelves with care

Associated Press Popular Mechanics

2001

نظرة عامة

The maximum span for each shelf between supports varies with the load and the material. As a general rule, 3/4-inch particleboard 10 inches wide can handle a load of 30 pounds per linear foot with supports 24 inches apart. You can stretch this span to 32 inches for 3/4-inch plywood or solid lumber and to as much as 60 inches for 1 1/ 2-inch lumber or glued-up double 3/4-inch plywood. If the shelf is reinforced with a 3/4-by-2-inch-wide stiffener along the front edge and a 3/4-by-2-by-6-inch-long support cleat under the rear of the shelf at the middle, you can increase these spans by 50 percent.

• الناشر: Tribune Publishing Company, LLC