Expert: Jamie Yocono - 1/26/2007

Question
I have seen pictures of a shelf system where the shelves(appear to be 1" or more thick) are attached to twin standards screwed to the wall and have no  visible brackets showing under or above the shelf itself. I assume there is a way to get a bracket of some sort into the wood. I realize that this system would not allow heavy weight to be carried but it does give a pleasing appearance. Do you know of any commercially available system as I've described?

Thanks for your help

Carl Meyers

Answer
Hi Carl,

I feel like I've seen those shelving brackets you asked about, I just can't remember where I saw them. I'm too young for a senior moment!

I looked at a few websites where I buy hardware, came up with a few things. Then I typed "invisible shelving brackets" into Google's search engine and came up with about 200,000 results, so there is definitely something out there on the market.

Here is something interesting, Constantines is a woodworking supplier that often has obscure stuff:  http://www.constantines.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=812

Another company that really had some wonderful hardware is Doug Mockett, look at this page on their site: http://www.mockett.com/default.asp?id=55

This is interesting, and it looks like this piece of hardware is available at Home Depot. Check out this link, and scroll down a bit to about the middle of the page:
http://www.ronhazelton.com/howto/Shelving_Options_2.htm   

The above brackets are also sold at Rockler and at Lee Valley, check these pages out: http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?Offerings_ID=10228&TabSelect=Details
http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=2&p=46502&cat=3,43648,43651&ap=1

Finally, here is an article about how to build something from scratch, it sounds like what you're looking for:  http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/ah_organizing_shelves/article/0,1801,HGTV_3141_1376128,...

I don't know if any of these are the unit you're looking for, but I feel like maybe that last article might be the best suggestion. It sounds like you're familiar with woodworking, and can build something from scratch. Good luck, if you need more help, write back and I'll check out a few more suppliers. I have catalogs that are as thick as phone books, so those would be the next place to look.

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com