Creating the Floating Shelf Bracket
I cut and prep the 1/2″ round tube for the Floating Shelf Bracket. I drill out my shelf holes to 9/16″, so I have a little bit of wiggle room. I go over some of the complications with my design, and I show how I plan to weld the shelf brackets. I tap threads in the round tube and use my diy transfer screws to mark hole locations. I pull out the Vevor Magnetic Drill Press and use an annular cutter to drill my 1/2″ holes in the flat bar. I lay out all the pieces that will form the Floating Shelf and show how the bracket will be assembled.
Transcript:
Cutting the Floating Shelf Components
Hello internet, we are back for part 2 of my DIY Floating Shelf Build! We left off after drilling out the shelf, and now we’re going to get to work on the bracket.
I cut some 1/2″ round tube that I’ll insert into the shelf holes. I’m using a Benchmark Abrasives Stripping Wheel to polish the tip up… for insertion… and at first I tried chasing it around the table, then, I remembered I knew a better way… This isn’t exactly OSHA approved, but I do have my safety gloves and Face Shield on!
Just look at it! Just look at it!
My website is now up at michaelroachwv.com, and hit that like or subscribe button for good luck tomorrow!
Design Complications & Transferring Marks
The round tube was fitting a little “too tight”, so I broke out a Silver & Deming Bit and drilled them out to 9/16ths. I initially planned on just using a friction fit, but I decided it would be a lot easier to just add a screw from the bottom.
I ran into a bit of a snag with marking the round tube locations on the flat bar. Because I want the shelf to sit flat against the flat bar, I won’t be able to do a fillet weld… that is, unless I feel like cutting out a relief in the shelf. Instead, I decided to drill out the flat bar and weld it from the back, or, wall side of the bracket.
Marking the Shelf Bracket Holes
To mark holes like these, I would usually just put the pins in and give them a love tap, but I had already drilled the holes too deep before I got to this point. So, I decided to tap temporary threads and use my makeshift transfer screws.
You can buy transfer screws that have a hex shaft for easy removal… but so far they’re still sitting in my Amazon cart. These are my DIY version I made using my cordless drill and a disc sander. This lets me find the center of the hole, and I’ll be using it to line up the mag drill.
I removed the round tube from the shelf and center punched the transferred marks. I pulled out the mag drill because it will drill a beautiful, round, half inch hole. I’m using an annular cutter in the Vevor Magnetic Drill Press. I’ve got videos showing how I made the Mag Drill Stand, and I’ll link them up in the description.
Magnetic Drill Press Basics
An annular cutter is basically a cross between a hole saw and an end mill. It cuts the perimeter of the hole, like a hole saw, but with teeth that are similar to an end mill. I’m no machinist, but that’s the easiest way I’ve found to explain this tool to people.
As the cutter drills into the metal, it depresses a pin with a spring behind it. At the end of the hole, the spring pushes the slug, or inside of the hole, out.
In this scenario, I’m just using tap magic and manually lubricating the annular cutter.
The pin also allows coolant to run from a tank to the cutter. When the pin is depressed, coolant can flow. When the pin is at rest, it plugs the line so fluid doesn’t continue leaking out.
Drilling Holes in the Floating Shelf Bracket
Here I am drilling the second 1/2 inch hole… it’s just like the first one, but the whole video clip is sped up. Sorry, we-we need more watch-time. We’re trying to get monetized and hopefully one day we’ll get a *bleep*
I cleaned up the holes with my angle grinder, and now, hopefully, everything is starting to make sense.
That’s it for part two! I was recently inspired by a comment on part 1 of the floating shelf build, so I decided to make this a three-part series… that’s not really accurate, it’s just my excuse for editing way too much and putting way too much time into the videos and *surprised* Oh hey-hey guys! I’ll catch you in the next one.
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