Curved shelving

Hey guys,

I just finished fitting out a warehouse apartment. To hide a column in the entrance I decided to build a storage cupboard and build around the column to hide it. So far so good. I listened to advice to make the cupboard curved, as this will make it a feature in the entrance. And it does look good, however, I now have an empty cupboard with no shelving. I want to use melamine particleboard. The problem is cutting it and getting a smooth nice radius cut. I tried a Jigsaw but it was rough. The size of the shelves will be 1200 wide x 1200 deep curved on one side. Yeh, pretty big shelves. Any suggestions on how best to cut it?

jigsaw followed by a router with a custom made jig

Go to a cabinetmaker with a CNC router. It will take them all of 5 minutes to design and cut it. You will have to iron on the edgeband though.

Cheers guys.

BTW, anyone know cabinet makers in Melb with a CNC Router?

i think in all honesty that noone with a $150,000 to $300.000

i think in all honesty that noone with a $150,000 to $300.000 DOLLAR

dont you hate that when you push the wrong buttons several times (apparently) what i was leading to was that someone with a massive investment in the machine will pretty much look at your curved shelves with a fair deal of distain,i think that the suggestion of the jigsaw and themplte sounds the best you can expect

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Originally Posted by arms

what i was leading to was that someone with a massive investment in the machine will pretty much look at your curved shelves with a fair deal of distain

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Maybe, if it was a massive shop it would be quite a hassle to get through the secretary, manager, foreman then CNC operator.

In the last 3 years many small kitchen companies, (say 1-4 employees) started to embrace low cost CNC manufacturing technology. When I was manufacturing kitchens I had a Multicam flat bed CNC Router (picked it up for $70,000 second hand). I would make anything and everything with it. Signs, lettering, flat pack sub woofer speaker boxes for 'doof-doof cars (big earner :)) even electric guitarbodys. Once the word got around I was inundated with weird and wonderful jobs. (and making very good money :))

Any time the machine sits idle it is not making money therefore small jobs like curved shelves would be snapped up by savvy CNC owners. ;)

JJC, you could ring Multicam or Tekcel (Australian CNC router manufacturers) and ask them if there are any joinery shops near your suburb that has one of their machines.

Good luck.

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Originally Posted by JJC

Hey guys,

I just finished fitting out a warehouse apartment. To hide a column in the entrance I decided to build a storage cupboard and build around the column to hide it. So far so good. I listened to advice to make the cupboard curved, as this will make it a feature in the entrance. And it does look good, however, I now have an empty cupboard with no shelving. I want to use melamine particleboard. The problem is cutting it and getting a smooth nice radius cut. I tried a Jigsaw but it was rough. The size of the shelves will be 1200 wide x 1200 deep curved on one side. Yeh, pretty big shelves. Any suggestions on how best to cut it?

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It is very easy to do. Just attach your router to one end of a rectangular piece of mdf/ply, plunge a bit through it to make a hole. Fit say a 3mm bit to the router and then drill a hole at the other end of the mdf that is the radius of your desired circle away from the bit. Nail/screw the board to the melamine through that hole and you can now make a perfect circular cut. You better do it in a series of cuts or you might break a small bit (experience talking here)
BTW there is also a formula for working out what radius you need for just part of a large circular arc, I'll dig it out if you need it.
Cheers
Michael

JJC

If you cannot find a CNC shop, you can do it yourself using a router and a 10mm square batten.

Working on the bottom of the bottom shelf mark where you want each edge and the centre of the curve to be. Next mark back from those points the radius of the router baseplate plus the batten thickness. Put bending screws into each of those three marks. Bend the batten around those three screws and clamp it in place. Route around the curve.

Use bottom shelf as the template for other shelves,

The screws are in the bottom of the bottom shelf so that the holes are invisible in the finished cupboard. A longer batten is easier to ben than a short one. Yuu can save some routing by roughly jigsawing the outline first.

Cheers

Graeme

Thanks for the suggestions.

One more question.

What will be the best way to support the shelf, esp on the curved side?

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Originally Posted by JJC

Thanks for the suggestions.

One more question.

What will be the best way to support the shelf, esp on the curved side?

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Hi mate - I feel the best way to support your HUGE shelves will be to use flexible plywood as a front brace underneath - alternatively, you could use metal angle and slot one side and bend to suit. I would like to see pics of the cabinet first, then ascertain the most appropriate material and solution. Very nice idea though, a curved cabinet. I will post on that I love when I find it.

have fun

:)

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Originally Posted by JJC

What will be the best way to support the shelf, esp on the curved side?

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A friend made a pair of bookcases with glassed doors - looked lovely but the shelves were too wide and drooped in the middle.

He bought some 8mm threaded stainless steel rod from a disposals recycler and put it through the front middle of each shelf. A nut and washer below each shelf. Its invisible when the doors are closed and not obtrusive when they are open.

Quick, cheap and effective.

Cheers

Graeme