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For those of you with workshops, nothing is more handy for organizing than building quick shelves. It uses up dead wall space and gets items off of your worksurfaces. Well, I just found out that Lee Valley is having a sale--which unfortunately ends today--where they're selling 36 freaking brackets (12 3"x4", 12 5"x6", 12 6"x8") for just $9.70!
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A: 3x4 - B: 5x6 - C: 6x8
Enter a caption (optional)At 27 cents a bracket these are way cheaper than what they're going for at my local hardware store, and while I admittedly live in expensive Manhattan, the Lee Valley brackets are still about half the price of what I see on Amazon.
As for why they're so cheap, Lee Valley claims that:
Because stamped-steel shelf brackets are bulky and low-cost, it seems that market pricing is based more on the cost of storing and handling than on the price from the manufacturer. By selling the brackets in compact packages, we can offer them at half the average retail prices in other hardware stores.
I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I was born in NYC and figured I’d die there, but a few years ago I abandoned New York to live on a farm in the countryside with my wife. We have six dogs.
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Today Only: Ridiculously Inexpensive Shelf Brackets!
The problem is that these brackets, in whatever size, are awful. Lots of variation due to bending, unclear which screws to use, and since the three holes aren't vertically aligned, it can be tough to find a stud. These are terrible — the equivalent to wire hangers. Yes, they work, but even in a garage they look like crap.
I own every size of these brackets, and they work great. At the price point, the bending doesn't bother me and is easy to rectify: Use a level to mark the locations of the bottom-most screws first, plumb them up by eye, put in the top screws, and when you then screw them into the shelves I find the shelves even out the differences. I use 1/2" plywood for the shelves in my shop, and if they're out of level by a millimeter, it doesn't seem to affect the boxes I put on them.
As for the offset screw holes, it's like what, 1/2", 3/4" from side to side? You telling me you can't nail the stud within that margin? How are you using your stud finder, are you marking each side of the stud?
As for aesthetics: Why are you buying inexpensive brackets like these if you're going for good looks? Pony up the cash and buy what you want.
Lastly, "unclear which screws to use"? Assuming you're mounting into sheetrock, account for the thickness of the bracket, then select a screw length that will go through your 1/2" or 5/8" sheetrock and still penetrate the stud with leftover.