A tiring if not exhausting day. Started by finalising the Tree Of Keys remaster, breaking apart the tracks, deleting most of the former album and preparing for the release. There is much more to do.
From 10:30 the rest of the day was filled with woodwork, I needed to take advantage of today's dry weather. Things went according to plan, but I'm worried that the plans were flawed. First, here are Deb's shelves.
You can see the little 'tabs' on the edges of the shelves. These enter the slots, but leave the rest of the shelves out, as seen. These will be in the recess of the alcove, this 'frame' fits over the front. This went to plan and seems to be on track.
When making the bigger shelves however, I became aware just how long and shallow they are. 1 metre is a big stretch for 6mm MDF, and I'm worried that the shelves will sag alarmingly. I simply didn't consider this. It's possible that tension will hold the shelves in place like a suspension bridge. Here's the assembled CD shelves:
The shelves are slotted into 6x6mm grooves. The whole thing was incredibly difficult to clamp and took a lot of time and frustration. Ideally, I'd need about 3 sash-clamps capable of over a metre stretch, but perhaps these band clamps are the most efficient way. It was not easy to get everything to hold in place when only glue is stopping it all collapsing. The other shelf unit is larger, and so will be more difficult. After today's experience, I plan on fitting the shelves first, band-clamping horizontally, as the slots make those easier.
There are many ways to address potential shelf sag, apart from making a whole new set of shelves with 12mm MDF. I could support each one above or below, at the back perhaps to emulate a back-board. I could add a central support (or other verticals), or brackets fitted to wall; though all of these will impinge upon the area usable for objects. The first option could at least be made to look pretty. I could cheat further and fix the middle of the shelves to the wall with a hidden dowel or bolt. This has appeal for its elegance and invisibility. When these first set of shelves are set I can test them to see what is required.
