Rustic Shelves and Brackets
To fill in a section of wall in our kitchen, my wife found a set of brackets from a company called Cascade Iron Co. After several weeks of intermittent work, they look pretty good!
![IMG_4824](https://i2.wp.com/nathandarnell.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/IMG_4824.jpeg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1)
![beautiful-reclaimed-wood-kitchen-cabinet-design-white-modern-stained-wood-kitchen-cabinet-with-brown-ceramic-top-3-tier-rustic-wall-kitchen-shelf-2-clear-glass-jar-white-ceramic-jar-varnished-wooden-k](https://i0.wp.com/nathandarnell.com/wp-content/uploads/beautiful-reclaimed-wood-kitchen-cabinet-design-white-modern-stained-wood-kitchen-cabinet-with-brown-ceramic-top-3-tier-rustic-wall-kitchen-shelf-2-clear-glass-jar-white-ceramic-jar-varnished-wooden-k.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1)
Purchase List
- 6/4 Walnut 7″ x 9′ to make 3 sets of shelves (with a little left over for a 4th)
- 1″ x 1/4″ x 6′ for 3 sets of brackets
- 12 1/4″ x 2″ lag bolts for the wall
- 12 1/4″ x 3/4″ lag bolts for the shelves
Brackets
Not wanting to pay for something that I think I can make, I purchased some 1″ x 1/4″ flat bar from Home Depot and a 6/4 piece of walnut from MacBeath Hardwood.
For the first set I used an oxyacetylene torch to heat each bend and make the bend with a bench vise:
![bentShelveBrackets](https://i0.wp.com/nathandarnell.com/wp-content/uploads/bentShelveBrackets.jpg?resize=225%2C300&ssl=1)
Then I used a plasma torch to get the starter holes in the right spot:
And finally drilled those holes out a little larger than the lags (no photos, but I think you can figure it out). I found that making them a little lose was better so I could fine tune them on the wall.
For the next four sets I didn’t have access to the Acetylene torch so I used a MAP PRO/Oxygen setup. It achieved the same thing, but slower and I used three of the small Oxygen bottles getting it done.
To mount them, I used 1/4″ x 2″ lag bolts for the wall and 1/4″ x 3/4″ lag bolts for the shelves. All holes were predrilled to avoid splitting.
Walnut Shelves
For the shelves, the website shows a construction grade 2×6, but the Walnut seemed fancier and worth the cost. The 6/4 piece I found was about 7″ wide and 9′ long: just enough to make three shelves. I wanted it to be somewhat “rustic” looking and keep some of the rough edge it came with:
![IMG_20160517_202636 (1)](https://i1.wp.com/nathandarnell.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_20160517_202636-1.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
The board had one fairly straight edge, so I ripped it to just oversize on the table saw using that edge and then flipped it and made it all the way square. I wanted mostly sharp edges and only sanded the top three exposed edges and the flat surfaces down to 80 grit:
![IMG_20160523_184922](https://i0.wp.com/nathandarnell.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_20160523_184922.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
![IMG_20160523_185519](https://i1.wp.com/nathandarnell.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_20160523_185519.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
I then used some wipe on polyurethane and followed the directions: wipe it on, let it dry for a few hours, lightly sand with 320 grit, remove the dust, and repeat. Four coats looks pretty good without covering the character of the wood too much.
![IMG_20160523_205155](https://i1.wp.com/nathandarnell.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_20160523_205155.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
Mounting the Shelves
Putting the shelves up required some thought: the top of the tile was level so I measured up 3/4″, placed the first set of brackets to mark the holes, predrilled, and screwed them in.
![IMG_20160601_221518](https://i1.wp.com/nathandarnell.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_20160601_221518-1.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
I repeated for the next two sets of brackets:
![IMG_20160604_150307](https://i2.wp.com/nathandarnell.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_20160604_150307-1.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
![FA1D1895-F339-40E9-A12A-78999CA245F1](https://i0.wp.com/nathandarnell.com/wp-content/uploads/FA1D1895-F339-40E9-A12A-78999CA245F1-1.jpg?resize=225%2C300&ssl=1)
![blankKitchenWall](https://i1.wp.com/nathandarnell.com/wp-content/uploads/blankKitchenWall.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
![IMG_20160605_112031](https://i2.wp.com/nathandarnell.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_20160605_112031.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
![IMG_20160606_071228](https://i2.wp.com/nathandarnell.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_20160606_071228.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
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