How to Make and Install Hungarian Shelves

Step 3 Cut off mortices on sticks and shelves

The whole set is assembled like pieces in a puzzle without glue or screws.

In the sticks make a mortice for every shelf.
In the shelves make a mortice for every stick.

In our case this means 6 mortices in each stick and 4 mortices in each shelf.

As a rule, in sticks make a mortice 2/3 deep of the side of the stick and in shelves make a mortice 1/3 deep of the side of the stick. (In the example this means 4 cm in sticks and 2 cm in shelves because the side of the stick is 6 cm).

Comments

[triumphman]

a dovetail joint would be nice , but not easily applied to the shelves.

[noeleonoel]

Wouldn't it make more sense to drill and screw from the back of the vertical rails through each mortice? This may even eliminate the need to wedge. Would make it harder to install though as you would have to lift the shelf weight as well as the vertical rails when attaching it to the wall. Also would require that the to wall screws be visible.

[juliofo]

Hi noeleonoel,
I am sorry but it is not a good idea. The whole desing is based on structural simplicity. And puting screws to hold the selves to the sticks would destroy this simplicity. Furthermore, mortices + wedges is much much stronger than screws.

[Hatredman]

If you are installing it in a narrow corridor (my house is small, the only space I have for a library is the corridor leading to the kitchen) you can't assemble the whole thing first and then hang it on the wall.

But yes, eliminating the need to wedge would be desirable. Wedging is rocket science for a clumsy dude like me.

[juliofo]

Hi Hatredman,
Unfortunately the desing does not allow to eliminate the need of mortices (which is the most dificult part of this construction). And the wedges are there because of the mortices. In a platonic world wedges wouldn't be needed at all because mortices and surfaces would be perfect (a.k.a platonic). Wedges are introduced because we all are human and then imperfect (as our constructions are), and wedges is a very efficient way (after Archimedes) of filling up gaps; (as when we put a folded paper under a table leg).

On the other hand I do not give credit to your statement of not being able to deal with wedges because "wedges are the solution to us, the clumsy ones".

Try again and post photos, please.

[guidos]

For newbies like me:  The instructions for cutting mortise (and tenon) found elsewhere on the internets did not look like this joint to me.  The closest to this that I could find was the Halved joint.

[gidgetcrush]

I just found directions on how to make a Halved joint. Thanks, Guidos for supplying the name of the joint so I could google it! http://www.ehow.com/how_2331206_cut-crosshalving-joint.html

[canis]

i think that with as many screws as you have holding the thing on the wall, you could get away with countersinking the screws inside the joins. The final product would be seamless, with no visible means of support. Magic shelves! You might experience a slight loss of strength overall, but I rather doubt it. Then again, I'm not a physicist.

[juliofo]

You are rigth. Actually there is an inconsistence in between drawings 4 and 5. The 4th suggets screwing out of the mortises while the 5th suggests exactly the opposite. When i construct it i usually prefer to hide the screws. The loss of strength that you mention is not important for me either. thanks for your comment.

[canis]

Thanks! Great instructable BTW

[Lovemongre]

Not that the terminology matters much, but these are definitely not mortise and tenon joints.  These are easiest cut with a dado set for a table saw or a router fitted with a straight cutting bit.  While they can be cut by hand, having either of these tools will to the job in about one tenth the time on a large set of shelves.  Economy of scale is an important concept in woodworking.

[klee27x]

There would be alot of warping. Put it on the wall first, keeps it str8. Try it, you'll see. :)

[timatron]

I've been thinking through these plans in my head for the last week, and that is exactly what I was planning to do. I mean why not? You also get to make sure everything fits perfectly before you put it up. Ideas?