Attaching Shelf

Not sure what you're asking

Ellis Walentine

Are you talking about this shelf unit, or are you planning to make one like it? It would be good to see a photo of the whole piece to get some context.

Ellis

Re: Attaching Shelf

William Duffield

I don't see any shelf in your attached photograph. All I see is a part of a chair and a part of a natural edge bowl.

Re: Attaching Shelf

Stuart Johnson

Sorry for the misunderstanding. The bottom shelf is what I'm wondering about. I hesitated showing the whole table because I don't know who to credit.

Re: Attaching Shelf

Wiley Horne

Hi Stuart,

I would suggest letting the shelf essentially float. The short rail behind it is a structural member tied fast to the legs (various ways to do this). The shelf could be tongued into this rail to add front/back rigidity, but need not be glued or otherwise fixed tightly. It would slide in the rail.

Similarly, the lap joint between the shelf and leg could float. Leave, say,1/16” gap where the hidden faces of shelf and leg meet. Again, the join could be tight enough to add a little side/side rigidity, but not glued. The small gap between meeting faces would allow enough play for wood movement.

$0.02.

Wiley

Re: Attaching Shelf

paul in AZ

I built something like that in cherry for a TV stand. That shelf isn't very wide and isn't going to move all that much.

I attached an elongated block to the inside of the end rail, cut the notch for the legs with a hair of expansion space and sat the shelf on the block so it sits flush with the rail. That little gap at the inside of each leg is barely noticeable.

I also attached the shelf with a single screw at it's mid portion -just because.

Re: Attaching Shelf

Barry Irby

Nice table. I would attach the shelf securely to the front rail and loosely to the rear tail. I would probably put one screw near the center of the rear rail and depend on the rail to bend to accommodate seasonal movement of the shelf or use table top clips. I probably would leave an 1/8" clearance inside the rear legs. If the cross section of the legs allows I would cut mortises or slots in the legs to tuck the shelf into to cover the movement.

Re: Attaching Shelf

Chad P**rson

I have made at least 8 similar bookcases. I attached the bottom shelf to the front and back rail with z clip table top fasteners from Rockler. They have worked very well.

Re: Attaching Shelf

AZ in Colorado Springs

I built a table similar to that for my daughter. I put a ledge all the way around the inside of the stretchers and cut the shelf 1/16" shorter than the cavity and 1/8" narrower. It's not attached. It just sits in there. The top of the shelf is 1/4" below the top of the stretchers.

Late to the party

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

I think the shelf in the PIC is veneered plywood. I don't see any opportunity of the construction shown to enable seasonal movement of the shelf, hence the plywood guess.