Thread: Sagging Cabinet

One of two things

1. Support front and back there in the middle. Should be able to do that discreetly.

2. strengthen the shelf with cross pieces front and back. Might make the shelf look thicker of course!

How close is the front upright to the shelf? You can use one of these at the rear and also one at the front if the upright is close enough.

58C8AAF6-45F5-473B-8E5A-B4EB2C47EFBC.jpeg
You could use one at the rear and a support brace along the entire front of the shelf if the upright is too far away for the shelf support.

Shelf supports in the middle of the back.

That looks like an IKEA cabinet so that back will probably be a 3mm white faced MDF so I suspect it wouldn't handle a shelf support pin.

May have to find a way to fix a strip of 16mm Melamine along the back board to support the back of the shelf.

Turn the shelf over

Originally Posted by Atomic_Sheep

Hi,

How do you build a cabinet that doesn't do this?

https://spacethatworks.files.wordpre...oopy-shelf.jpg

use the sagulator The Sagulator – WoodBin to calculate the maximum load a shelf like that can support without a noticeable sag. (the quick answer is not much.)

then for additional load you will need to add a center support front and back and/or stiffen the shelf by adding a batten under the front and back edge of the shelf

If I understand your question correctly, you are wanting to build a cabinet where the shelf does not sag, rather than repair one that already sags. Is that correct? If it is then the short answer is not to use chipboard or MDF for the shelf. They have very little ability to hold weight. Almost all solid timber, especially long-fibred timber, will hold substantial weight without sagging. That is especially true if you follow some of the advice above and support the shelf in the middle or along its length in some manner. Of course, the thickness of the shelf also makes a difference. For a long span, in some situations, you can use a thicker timber but chamfer the front edge (or another treatment) to make it look thinner.

Run an upright at the back the same as the front, notch out the shelf to house the upright and use a shelf support if the shelf is to be adjustable or fix the shelf via a screw from the back of the upright though this method will still need some kind of shelf support.

Originally Posted by Atomic_Sheep

Hi,

How do you build a cabinet that doesn't do this?

https://spacethatworks.files.wordpre...oopy-shelf.jpg

Add a couple of battens, front and rear, underneath the shelf. If they are 50 mm of so back from the edge then they will not be highly visible.

But chipboard is not designed to carry a lot of weight!


Cheers

Graeme

Ive read that putting a solid timber front edge on adds a bit of strength too


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