Pantry shelves question

[scwoodworker]

I am building 7' 6" long by 11" wide with a 3/4" cherry front edge.
They will have a cleat along wall and on each end.
Question is now much support do you think I need on outside?
One or two vertical supports?
Thanks,
Steve

[Splinter Puller]

How tall is the total shelving? I ask because I'd lean towards what is visually pleasing over what is the structural minimum.

[Phil S.]

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

[scwoodworker]

6' tall and 6 shelves

[scwoodworker]

It is maple ply from lowes just under 3/4"

[scwoodworker]

Phil
The sagulaor does not factor in wall cleat does it?
Steve

[Splinter Puller]

three uprights 1'-10.5" o.c. is more appealing then 2 uprights with 30" o.c. in my opinion. 22.5" o.c. still gives a decently wide space to put and pull items on the shelves. This give you the option of building the shelves as two equally sized units as there would be a center support for both the overall module and each individual unit.

[scwoodworker]

Thanks so much for the help
Steve

[DogwoodTales]

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?

[scwoodworker]

Will use rabbit, 1" will be vertical creating a lip for shelf
Will use 2 vertical supports to be on safe side
Did not mention taper on one end of shelf to acomidate door.
For this reason more support will be needed.
Thanks for everyone's help.
Steve