How do I prepare shelves to fit into an adjustable bookshelf? (feddit.online)

submitted 14 hours ago by Binzy_Boi@feddit.online to c/diy@beehaw.org

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Me challenging myself to purely purchase second-hand goods has once again hit a bump in the road with my recent purchase of a bookshelf at the thrift shop.

The bookshelf itself is fine, it looks nice, it was cheap at $25 CAD, and doesn't seem to have any damage to it. However, what wasn't advertised was the fact that the three shelving pieces taped together that rested on top of the shelve in the middle, uhhh, didn't have the holes drilled in yet that would allow for me to attach them to the rest of the unit.

Everything is perfectly fine save for that, so I don't want to toss the bookshelf entirely. If I wanted to prepare the shelving pieces myself to hang them into the adjustable holes, how would I do so? What tools would I need? Since I've never done anything like this before, would this be a good starter project, or should I have someone more experienced do it for me?

Thanks for any help in advance.

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[-] Vodulas@beehaw.org 5 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

If there are holes in the case itself, you just need some shelf pins. If there are no holes, get a shelf pin jig and it should be quite easy to do.

Edit: An example of shelf pins. Should be able to find them at your local hardware store.

https://www.amazon.com/Support-Bookshelf-Shelves-Cabinet-Furniture/dp/B094NPL7TW

[-] Binzy_Boi@feddit.online 3 points 13 hours ago

Thanks for this, just one question though.

The single shelve that's already installed I see has has some wide screws in the bottom. I'm not a handyman by any means (hoping that can change), but I have put together IKEA furniture before and they seem to resemble these pieces I'm familiar with where you screw them in on the bottom to help hold the pieces connecting them to the frame in place.

With this said, would the shelf pins still be fine? Just want to ensure everything will be properly sturdy is all.

[-] Vodulas@beehaw.org 5 points 13 hours ago

If I am imagining it correctly, it should be just fine! This is a pretty common design. The middle shelf provides the stability and the other shelves provide adjustability.

[-] Binzy_Boi@feddit.online 3 points 13 hours ago

Perfect than! Thanks a million. I asked on another comment about stability of the other shelves being on the pins rather than directly attached, but I should be good to go once that's sorted.

[-] Vodulas@beehaw.org 2 points 13 hours ago

No problem! If you want for sure confirmation, feel free to reply with a pic of the whole unit, but I am very confident based on your description it is good as is.

[-] mantra@lemmy.zip 4 points 14 hours ago

You probably don't need to add holes to the shelves. There are pegs that go into the adjustable holes that are flattened on one side, and the shelf just rests on them. Should be able to get a set of universal ones from the hardware store for pretty cheap if the originals are missing.

[-] Binzy_Boi@feddit.online 1 points 13 hours ago

I appreciate this, thanks a bunch. Only question though is what if any risks I should consider in not having the shelves directly attached to the frame.

I don't have kids, so no worries there for furniture tipping, though just want to know if there would be other scenarios at all where the shelve might slide out and fall from the frame. Planning on eventually getting some pet bunnies, so if there's any risks of the shelve sliding out and/or falling over, wanna make sure I prevent that from occurring to begin with.

[-] les@beehaw.org 3 points 13 hours ago

Why don't you add a photo link?

[-] Tolookah@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 14 hours ago

Sometimes the shelves sit on top of the little adjustable nubs. Would that be acceptable?

[-] Binzy_Boi@feddit.online 2 points 13 hours ago

Seems it should! Thanks for pointing it out!

this post was submitted on 17 Oct 2024

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