Will this corner shelf design work?

[Anthony Whitesell]

Corners in houses stink. What do you do with the them? I have one that really needs a corner shelf.

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Will this shelf shape work. The plan is to use brass pilasters with the snap top in clips for shelf supports, With one 3/4" from each 45 deg corner and two along the right side (one 3/4" from the short side, and the other 1/2-3/4 of the way to the 90 deg corner).

The overall dimensions are 24" on the long sides, and 12" on the short side.

None of the corner shelf units I have seen have a shelf of this shape. Will this shelf stay put if the load is only on the front edge?

[Lee Schierer]

Is this the type of shelf you are contemplating?
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If so you will probably want to have supports below the shelf as you described and at least one back in the corner above the shelf holding it down to prevent rotation if something heavy is place on the outside unsupported edge.

[Anthony Whitesell]

It will be a freestanding unit with four sides and six pilasters (two on each of the long edges and one each one the shorter edges, biased toward the angled side).

[Jamie Buxton]

So the shelf is just sitting there from gravity, right? If so, the shelf will likely stay put with nothing sitting on the shelf. But if you put load just along the front edge, there will be some load at which the shelf overturns. You need to have some fastening scheme near the rear that holds the shelf down, as well as up.

[Richard Coers]

Having a hard time understanding your design. I've never made one that is a square box sitting in the corner. I never take a hard point on the cabinet into an inside corner of the wall. If drywall is used, the inside corner of the wall is never a tight corner and the cabinet will not mount in properly. I always go across the corner at a 45 degree angle and make the front of the cabinet parallel to that back angle. Only have a 3 point shelf support. One on each side support and one in the back.

[andy bessette]

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The pictured image is entirely inadequate to convey your idea.

[Anthony Whitesell]

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This is what it would look like in full.

Each shelf will be supported by six pilasters (two on each of the long edges and one each one the shorter edges, biased toward the angled side).

[Anthony Whitesell]

So the shelf is just sitting there from gravity, right? If so, the shelf will likely stay put with nothing sitting on the shelf. But if you put load just along the front edge, there will be some load at which the shelf overturns. You need to have some fastening scheme near the rear that holds the shelf down, as well as up.
But will it? That is the question. I don't see the moment of torque that would cause it to flip.

[Anthony Whitesell]

Is this the type of shelf you are contemplating?
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If so you will probably want to have supports below the shelf as you described and at least one back in the corner above the shelf holding it down to prevent rotation if something heavy is place on the outside unsupported edge.

No. There is no place to mount the pilasters for the short edges.

[andy bessette]

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This image tells the whole story. But why would you want to hide many of the items on the shelf and make them difficult to access?

[Anthony Whitesell]

In what way? What do you propose?

[lowell holmes]

I would make 1x4 shelf supports and mount the shelves on them. You could rout a decorative edge on the supports.
See this link. It might be a good opportunity to add to your shop.

https://www.harborfreight.com/1-horsepower-wood-shaper-95668.html

[andy bessette]

In what way? What do you propose?

Observe the size of the shelf and the relatively tiny opening you have provided. Also look at successful corner cabinet designs and emulate their properties.

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[Anthony Whitesell]

Observe the size of the shelf and the relatively tiny opening you have provided. Also look at successful corner cabinet designs and emulate their properties.

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I was not able to find any relevant or successful designs for my space. That is how this design came about. The one you have pictured is not next to anything, therefore not equivalent to my space. This works in that space and for that situation, but that is not my situation. Place items 12-14" deep is directly against it on both sides. How do you reach the shelf?

Redesigning the piece is not the question. The question is how prone will the shelf be as drawn to tipping up in the back with pressure at the front edge? Half of me says no problem, the other half says big problem.

[Anthony Whitesell]

I would make 1x4 shelf supports and mount the shelves on them. You could rout a decorative edge on the supports.
See this link. It might be a good opportunity to add to your shop.

https://www.harborfreight.com/1-horsepower-wood-shaper-95668.html

What do you mean by 1x4 shelf supports?

[liam c murphy]

In the past, I built several stand alone corner cabinets. I built them so that the face frames had “mitered returns”. The shape of the shelves, and the cabinet itself ended up very similar to the shapes that you posted. Your shape is closer to being a square and mine is closer to being a triangle. Both shapes have the same number of sides and the angles should be the same. I found that shelves that are close to being triangles will tip. I use dados in these cabinets to overcome the problem. The simplest solution is to place supports under the legs of the right triangle in your drawing. Nail or screw the supports to studs. Nail or screw through the top of your shelf into the supports.
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[Anthony Whitesell]

In the past, I built several stand alone corner cabinets. I built them so that the face frames had “mitered returns”. The shape of the shelves, and the cabinet itself ended up very similar to the shapes that you posted. Your shape is closer to being a square and mine is closer to being a triangle. Both shapes have the same number of sides and the angles should be the same. I found that shelves that are close to being triangles will tip. I use dados in these cabinets to overcome the problem. The simplest solution is to place supports under the legs of the right triangle in your drawing. Nail or screw the supports to studs. Nail or screw through the top of your shelf into the supports.
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If the shelves are nailed in place, how will the pilasters work? Dados have the same problem, how do you adjust the height of the shelves?

I'm still trying to grasp why the shelves would tip? Where were the shelf supports placed (how far back from the front edge)?

[Wayne Lomman]

This corner unit design is a common and successful solution. It's often used for corner pantries. A variation is to cut L shaped shelves instead. You lose a bit of space but gain accessibility. It's a decision that can only be made in the context of the job as a whole. Anthony has already done that bit so on to the question.

Your location for the pilasters is going to work - two near the front corners, two near the widest points and two near the back. It's logical. It won't tip. If in doubt, cut your first shelf and set it on 6 short blocks of scrap and lean on it. It will prove the point.

Another way to do this is using cleats as Lowell suggested. It's the way I prefer to do it but it depends on what the surrounding structure is and whether the look is acceptable. Cheers

[liam c murphy]

If the shelves are nailed in place, how will the pilasters work? Dados have the same problem, how do you adjust the height of the shelves?

I'm still trying to grasp why the shelves would tip? Where were the shelf supports placed (how far back from the front edge)?

The shelves in my pictures are fixed in the dados. I’m not 100% sure what you have in mind for the pillasters. You might very well prevent the shelf from tipping by using them. I had something else in mind.

[Matt Day]

I think you need to give us some more information. Maybe a couple pictures of where it will be going? What you drew looks like a corner cabinet in a kitchen. Seems like there’s more going on with this corner shelf than we are grasping. And why the use of “pilasters”? Why not simple shelf supports or a dado or screws?

[Gary Ragatz]

Anthony,

I'm assuming this is the type of pilaster you're planning to use? If so, with the placement you describe, I don't see any reason why the shelf would tip. But as Wayne suggested earlier, it should be pretty easy to do a mock-up to test that.
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[Anthony Whitesell]

I think you need to give us some more information. Maybe a couple pictures of where it will be going? What you drew looks like a corner cabinet in a kitchen. Seems like there’s more going on with this corner shelf than we are grasping. And why the use of “pilasters”? Why not simple shelf supports or a dado or screws?

That's all there is. In a corner immediately adjacent to other cabinets and items. Not sure how this has a bearing on if the shelf will tip or not. Y'all are adding more to it.

What I don't know, and no one knows, is how far apart to space the shelves. I use the pilasters for flexibility on placing the shelves. It's cheap money and easy to include to gain a lot of adjustment.

[Lee Schierer]

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This is what it would look like in full.

Each shelf will be supported by six pilasters (two on each of the long edges and one each one the shorter edges, biased toward the angled side).




If you modify your design to something like this where the top shelf and bottom are attached to the shelves with pocket holes & screws, the intermediate shelves can be made adjustable. This drawing is made to your dimensions other than over all height.
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[Gary Ragatz]

Anthony,

Here's a drawing of a commercial kitchen cabinet that seems to be more-or-less what you're thinking of (perhaps minus the door and face frame). Pretty sure this cabinet has adjustable shelf supports in the same spots you're planning, modified for the fact that they've flattened out the back corner (but that shouldn't affect whether it will tip or not).

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