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How tall is the total shelving? I ask because I'd lean towards what is visually pleasing over what is the structural minimum.
WoodNET... the new safespace
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Steve-
I don't see enough info here to give you a straight answer, but the
Sagulator will help you come up with one. For a cherry plank, 90" X 11" X 3/4" and a 30#/ft. load, you'll get a 3/4" deflection. If the shelf is plywood with just a cherry edge the numbers will be different, but with the Sagulator you can plug in your own numbers and come up with an idea of how much deflection you'll get. Then you need to determine how much you can live with.
Phil
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So 78" wide by 11" deep by 72" tall?
I'm thinking that two supports (a spacing of 24" from the ends, leaving a spacing of 30" in the middle) would look visually pleasing enough for a pantry and provide more than adequate support for typical use.
Besides, how exposed to the common area for viewing will this be?
Are you positioning the hardwood edging perpendicular to the plywood edge, say 1.5 " wide? (with the plywood glued into a rabbet in the hardwood)
That would provide better support than just a 3/4 edging.
In doing that you might be able to forego supports altogether, or maybe just one.
I have shelving like this in a closet that's about 6ft wide with no center supports.
It doesn't hold as much weight as a pantry might, but still holds a lot and my kids have climbed it (to get at things they are not supposed to, of course) and nothing has sagged or collapsed.
I can definitely appreciate an open shelf system, but have you considered making 2 or 3 units with adjustable shelving to accommodate the various sizes one would keep in a pantry?
Ray