scavenged portable hanging shelves

I really like hanging around behind grocery stores, drugstores, seeing what they are throwing out (or very carelessly storing ... I'm not sure which it is sometimes) and I always see these wire shelf pieces that wouldn't normally work without their proprietary system in the store, and wonder how they can be hacked, also I needed some shelves to hang in my sunny windows for all my seedlings and figured the shelves would block the least amount of light.

I could see these being useful out in the garden, camping, anywhere you cant drill into a wall but the ceiling would be OK, great for inside closets too.

Step 1 Get yer shelves

Try going behind walgreens and target and such, keep an eye out and you'll see em. I like to affect a casual "mmm hm hmmmm oh look shelves in the trash? I guess I'll just take these . . . " attitude, you dont want to get caught looking like you know are doing something wrong just in case someone has a problem with you taking them (in all likely-hood I don't really think the store wanted these since some were bent, or they think no-one will take them because they wouldn't be useful w/out the proprietary supports) I feel this is a gray area to worth investigation. I might not investigate this at a smaller family establishment, or at least then I would ask first.

Comments

[Ora]

If you added a third rope in the middle of the shelves, it might get rid of the sagging problem.

[HAL 9000]

Yes, just one in the back center will provide good support and be out of your way, it wont block off any of the front of the shelves.

[jessehawks]

if only one is added in the middle it causes the shelves to tip though because of all the weight wanting to slope down and after adding the middle rope to the front, since the shelves are only wire and a rope could easily be passed through I put a single rope through the center of the shelves and it worked. I do like the idea of only adding one other rope though makes the middle a little less cluttered looking

[HAL 9000]

seems to me that it would tip and bend less than it is now

[thenear1send]

I always thought those things would make cool trellis for ivy, or beans, and stuff.. Never thought of making shelves though, interesting idea!

[gowithflo]

hey why not trellis and shelf at the same time! that would be best! thanks for the idea.

[Wolfix]

That's a great idea! I love salvage-and-hack furniture. Looks like it could use another 2 centre ropes to keep those shelves from sagging.

[Speeddemonec]

Great, I though I was the only one who liked to salvage useable things for free to use for multiple purposes, but on instructables, it is common practice, encouraged! Now I will feel a tad bit less uh, embarrassed retrieving things from behind stores..

[conceptualstratagem]

Whoa, This is definitely a worthwhile activity. I've always been into scavenging old product displays and shelving. Why do stores waste so much money on such things and then leave them out to get rusty? At best the found object is still usable and if not it will suffice as a material.

[joeflagstaff]

A clove hitch works well, and is very adjustable.

Clove hitch

[Eye Poker]

A Clove Hitch or a Turkey Net.... Elroy Jetson 1962