Kee Klamp Shelf

This is a shelf I built using Kee Klamps and 1-3/8" top rail fence post.

I purchased the Kee Klamps from Simplified Building Concepts, you can also get them from Grainger and McMaster-CARR prices are about the same anywhere you go (read: expensive) but Simplified Building seemed to have a better selection. The Kee Klamps are awesome and I could come up with a ton of things to build with them, but there a bit cost prohibitive to build with. All in all though they work quite well. I couldn't find the weight bearing specifications of the Kee Klamps but I was able to stand on the middle shelf (~160lbs) without failure. This was an expensive project mostly due to the use of the Kee Klamps, but they sure are cool.
Kee Klamps Parts List:

4 x Type 20-6 Side out Elbow (1")

8 x Type MH50-6 Male Single Horizontal Swivel Socket Member (1") (one for each corner of the top and middle shelf)

4 x Type 61-6 Flange (1")

~$131.34 (includes shipping to my house)

Other Parts:

Pre-cut 24"x24" plywood from Home Depot (for shelves)

4"x2" for the bottom shelf bracing

1"x1" for top and middle shelf bracing

1-3/8" top rail fence post from Home Depot

2" Casters (need to be able to pull it out to get the network equipment behind it)
Miscellaneous nuts, bolts and screws

Finish of your choosing (I used clear polyurethane)

~$120.00

see it here too

Step 1 Bottom and Casters

It's probably best to build the base first since it's.. the base and will affect the placment and size of the other shelves.

I used 4"x2" for the bottom shelf, I could have gotten away with 2"x4" but I wanted to be sure that I had sufficient room for the casters and the flange bolts; plus it gives it a nice solid base. They were attached to the plywood with wood crews - 9 on each board.

I used 2"x4" casters from Home Depot, I don't plan on putting much weight on it but the casters support something like 120lbs. make sure you get casters that will hold what you plan to put on them. The casters were attached with bolts to the 4"x2".

Comments

[kkarn]

This may be a dumb question but I have to ask what is the diff between a 4x2 and a 2x4?

[tomasina]

like the idea and i will use the desk idea with an old door as the table top....(i have seen similar...........even thought i only saw the leg!) is the pic of the fan also in black & white? i like good black & white.......it is easier for me to see detail thank you

[mada]

The pic of the fan is in black and white. The table (rather desk) is not an old door - it was made using 2x4s and chip board.

[kretzlord]

Nice shelves, and fantastic pictures. The black and white is a nice touch.

[mada]

Thanks

[Wyle_E]

Kee Klamps rock. As you will find from the manufacturer's site, they are astonishingly strong when properly applied. Just take a deep breath and hold onto something before you read the price list. Another pricey but hard-to-beat structural system is Unistrut, which is based on steel channels with the edges curled over to hold a special grooved nut. There are hundreds of items in the catalog, and you could just about build a house out of it if you were rich enough and wanted to flaunt your geekdom.

[mada]

Kee Klamps are spendy but as far as my experience - worth it. My uncle likes Unistrut and it's (from what I've seen) not that expensive and you can get (not nearly all of the fittings though) it at your local Home Depot or other hardware store (Unistrut is a brand so it may be under a different name). My uncle has a friend who built a full on stage using Unistrut. We have used it as a light mount, garage door mount, and a few other things, really neat stuff.

[FreshPineSent]

OMG you name your computers too?? I thought I was the only one.

[mada]

Well you have to give them a host name and things like win-svr-01 or nix-svr-01 just seem so cold and thoughtless. Plus it's fun to see people's reactions when you talk about them, my uncle and I will be talking and I'll say "just copy them over to Lucy" which he knows is my the FTP server... you get some strange looks. Good times.

[KeeSafety]

(removed by author or community request)

[mada]

thnaks

[trebuchet03]

Nice work :) I really like the B&W photos :D