Will this clothes rack design work?

Re: Will this clothes rack design work?

AZ in Colorado Springs

You could add some angled pieces in the corners to help resist racking. Say, with 4" legs. You could cut an arc on the hypotenuse of each wedge instead of straight lines, to mimic the hourglass shaped sides.

Re: Will this clothes rack design work?

Don Stephan

Not a mechanical engineer, but I would expect it to rack significantly, until eventually the joints fail. Most of the weight of the clothes will be at the top, and the sides will be long lever arms.

Re: Will this clothes rack design work?

Yonak

Don, if you were to put a back on the base area and the upper shelf area, it would likely be stable enough for clothing.

Re: Will this clothes rack design work?

Bruce, a MN Galoot

I’ve used full sliding dovetails on a couple cabinets. They make for a very rigid construction. Use liquid hide glue to put them together, and the parts slide like they’ve been greased. Anything else, not so much.

Does this come apart for storage?

Kneale Brownson

There are many folding racks for clothes drying on the market for the amount you will have into materials for your design.

What's the purpose of the rack?

Dick Coers

For drying or just sitting stuff on it? That's a lot of work for one closet rod.

Re: Will this clothes rack design work?

John McGaw

Tough one. With "normal" joints I'd say that racking will be a major problem. I did make a free-standing no-back bookshelf that has been dead stable and unracked for at least 15 years but it was made with multiple through wedged mortise and tenon joints (six on each shelf) and each shelf has a 1" lip at the back at which I guess constitutes 5 very short backs. This is not the sort of joint you want to tackle unless you really need to since glueup is a total nightmare with so many things going on at the same time.

Re: Does this come apart for storage?

Don Goodwin

This is for clothes storage, not drying. Her apartment does not have closets, just a wardrobe. She is a residence hall director at a university. Her "apartment" appears to be 3 dorm rooms with openings cut between them (bedroom, living room, kitchen) and came furnished with a wardrobe and a dresser. It is an old building.

Re: Will this clothes rack design work?

Don Goodwin

Thanks, I like the ideas of short sections of backing below the top shelf and between the floor and the bottom shelf. I also like the idea of short brackets under the shelves.

Re: Will this clothes rack design work?

Don Goodwin

I've never used hide glue. Sounds like a good excuse to try it. thanks.

LIQUID hide glue

Re: Will this clothes rack design work?

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

1. Don't drill pole hole through the side so as to have a clean side appearance.

2. Select lumber for sides to have an attractive grain pattern, ideally 3 or 4 boards with "vees" nearly centered.

3. If finishing natural use a water based acrylic. It won't yellow. Oil based finished will yield an ever darkening yellow that I don't find attractive.

3. Your proposed construction is sufficiently robust and atrtactive. You won't have a happy time dovetailing ash. It is hard and I don't fined ring porous woods to be easy to scribe. But it will come out ok.

4. You could set a back into a rebate below the bottom shelf. Make this shelf high enough to accommodate shoes beneath. Arc it slightly so its center is off a possibly humpy floor.

5. Pegs below the rod will be a useful addition. It is more handy to hang some things in use off a peg than a hanger.

6. Post a PIC of finished product.

Overkill

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

Don't clutter up your design with corner blocks and a partial back in the top. A 20"+ long, well made half blind will be so stiff this thing would work without the shelf.

Agree with the liquid hide glue on both joints.

Re: Will this clothes rack design work?

Don Goodwin

Bill, thank you for your suggestions. They make a lot of sense for this project.