A Simple Din Rail Mount for a Wire Shelf

Intro: A Simple Din Rail Mount for a Wire Shelf

In our house, we love wire shelves. They last forever, are easy to move, can be reconfigured for a number of different tasks, and can be used almost anywhere. We use them in the kitchen, basement, attic, laundry room, and garage. We also do a simple modification that increases their utility. We do this by adding a din rail mount and din rail to them,

This allows us to store tools and other useful accessories as part of the rack while making them readily available and easy to find. We will give several examples of customizations to different shelves throughout the house. This is meant to provide you with ideas for creating your own.

The original use for the din rail mounts was to control light for a grow station we use in the early spring for seedlings. The shelves have plenty of space for seed trays, and the shelf above gives a great place to hang a fluorescent light fixture. The din rail was used to mount timers for the lights. As time went on, they were replaced by an Arduino that monitored temperature, humidity, and light exposure. Relays controlled the lights; all mounted on the din rail.

It became natural to have a few simple tools in a container attached to the din rail.

Next, we added tool storage for a wire shelf that housed some of our printers. It held the hex wrenches and other tools for printer maintenance. Then came the idea for attaching mounts for tape next to the shelf storing paint in the garage. That led to the shipping station, shipping tape, and scissors storage. Soon, most of the selves were hosting a din rail for storage.

A quick search of 3d print libraries will turn up dozens, if not hundreds, of models you can use.

STEP 1: Print the Din Rail Mount

The files for the Din Rail mount for 1in wire shelves can be found here: PrintablesThingiverse

The mount can be printed with minimal support. The back does not require support. The front will need some for the top of the din rail bracket. It is essential not to have any support material fill the tubes on the bottom of the bracket.

We have had excellent results printing the bracket in PLA.

STEP 2: A Word About Din Rail

There are a lot of types of DIN rail. The one we use for projects like this is IEC/EN 60715 – 35 × 15. Specifically ASI PR006-1M Heavy Duty DIN Rail. It is 15mm deep. It is made of steel, not aluminum. This makes it rigid and able to span over two feet without torquing.

This project cannot be done using the 7.5mm aluminum version of din rail because it is not rigid enough to span long distances.

The DIN rail can be cut with a hacksaw or a bandsaw with a metal blade.

STEP 3: Mount the Mount to Wire Shelf

The brackets clip onto the tubes on the wire shelf. The bottom of the bracket has a slight ridge that will line up with the indents on the shelf tube. The brackets can be lined up with each other by counting the indents to determine the distance from one of the shelves. A carpenter's level can be used to check the level of the bracket's placement.

STEP 4: What Are the Tubes on the Bracket For?

In most cases where light material will be attached to the din rail, the zip ties are unnecessary. If heavy items such as power supplies, cans of liquid, or things that place a lot of downforce on the din rail are used, extra support is provided by zip ties. Each bracket has two tubes that can be used to place zip ties to ensure a firm connection for the bracket.

STEP 5: Cut the Din Rail to Size and Mount to Bracket

Place the din rail across the two brackets. Flush the end of the din rail with the outside edge of one of the brackets. Use the outer edge of the other bracket as a guide to scribe a cut line on the din rail.

Cut the din rail at the cut line.

Replace the din rail into the brackets and use screws and bolts to secure the din rail to the bracket.

STEP 6: Attach Your Use Mounts

There are a large number of mounts available for all your holding needs. They can be found by searching your favorite 3d model repository or commercial shop.

Here are links to some of our designs:

Master list PrintablesThingiverse