Shelf Bracket For Panelled Walls

Abstract

A wooden construction is disclosed comprising a bracket supported by a single screw in a grooved vertical standard. The groove prevents the bracket from twisting on the screw. Screw holes are provided at intervals in the bottom of the groove so that the bracket may be shifted up or down on the standard. Portions of the groove not occupied by the bracket are filled by a filler strip. The back side of the standard has a central tongue to fit between the edges of two adjacent wall panels whereby the standard also serves as a molding strip to cover the joint between the panels.

Parent Case Text

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Ser. No. 758,824, filed Sept. 10, 1968, on "Adjustable Shelf Bracket" now abandoned.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an improved construction for an adjustable shelf bracket made of wood.

Wood construction, although more attractive and desirable for many purposes, has become largely supplanted by metal construction because of the decreasing cost of metal fabrication and the increasing cost of wood fabrication. For this reason, shelf brackets are usually made of metal. A need exists for wooden shelf brackets to harmonize with wooden wall panelling and wood cabinets.

Objects of the invention are, therefore, to provide an improved adjustable shelf bracket of wooden construction, to provide an economical form of wooden construction which is competitive in price with metal, to provide a wooden shelf bracket and supporting standard which can be made in quantity by pantograph type wood carving machines, to provide a standard for a shelf bracket which may be used as a molding strip to cover a vertical joint between adjacent wall panels and to provide a wooden shelf bracket which is attractive in appearance, sturdy and solid, readily adjustable and which requires but a single screw for mounting it on the standard.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present construction involves simply two vertical standards, two horizontal brackets and two wood screws. The face side of each standard is provided with a vertical groove to fit the base end of the bracket and prevent the bracket from twisting on its single supporting screw. The groove is provided with screw holes at intervals for vertical adjustment of the bracket and a filler strip is provided to fill portions of the groove not occupied by the bracket. The back of the standard has a tongue to fit between adjacent wall panels whereby the standard may serve as a molding strip to cover the joint between the panels.

The wood shaping operations on the parts may be performed on a number of pieces simultaneously by a pantograph type wood carving machine whereby the cost of the bracket and the standard may be made competitive with low cost metal equipment. The wood parts are more attractive for use in the home, office and other purposes than are metal parts, since the wood may be finished to harmonize with wood panelling, cabinets and furnishings in the room.

The invention will be better understood and still other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment illustrated on the accompanying drawing. Various changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts and certain features may be used without others. All such modifications within the scope of the appended claims are included in the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing shelves supported on adjustable shelf brackets embodying the principles of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of one of the standards and brackets with parts broken away;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As shown in FIG. 1, the present construction comprises a pair of vertical standards 10 and pairs of horizontal brackets 11 to support the shelves 12. The face side of each standard 10 is provided with a vertical groove 13 of rectangular cross section. The groove 13 has a flat bottom surface 15 and flat side surfaces 16 perpendicular to the surface 15. Groove 13 is of a width to receive the thickness of bracket 11, the base end of the bracket being seated in the groove.

Inclined screw holes 17 are drilled at intervals in the groove bottom surface 15 and a larger inclined screw hole 18 is drilled in bracket 11 to receive screw 20. The outer end of hole 18 is counterbored at 21 in the top surface of the bracket to receive the head of the screw. Counterbore 21 forms a shoulder 22 under the screw head whereby the base end 23 of the bracket is clamped firmly against groove bottom surface 15.

Standards 10 may be made with a flat and tongueless back side for mounting in a bookcase, cabinet or on a wall surface as desired. Such mounting may be accomplished by additional screws 24 in horizontal screw holes 25 in the bottom of groove 13 or by other suitable means. Bracket 11 may be raised or lowered by merely shifting screw 20 to an appropriate one of the holes 17. The inner end 23 of the bracket seats against groove bottom surface 15 and the lateral groove surfaces 16 hold the bracket in stable position and prevent it from twisting on the screw without the necessity of a second screw. Counterbore 21 emerges through the top surface of the bracket and serves to countersink the head of the screw. Shelf 12 may be screwed to bracket 11, left unattached or secured by other suitable means.

In the present embodiment, the back side of standard 10 is provided with a longitudinal tongue 30 to fit between adjacent edges of wall panels 31 whereby the standard 10 serves as a molding strip to cover the vertical joint between the panels. The screws 23 then secure the standard 10 directly to wall stud 32. After standard 10 has been mounted and brackets 11 adjusted to desired position, filler strips 35 are inserted in exposed portions of the groove 13. These filler strips cover the heads of screws 24 and the screw holes 17 and impart a neat and trim appearance to the structure. The filler strips are preferably secured in place by a suitable adhesive. Shelf brackets are seldom changed in position after initial adjustment but readjustment presents no problem as the filler strips 35 may be readily pried out of grooves 13 to permit shifting the brackets up or down when desired.

The shaping operations on the standards and brackets may be performed simultaneously on a plurality of pieces by machines having a gang of cutters to effect an economy over the conventional woodworking method of making one piece at a time. Holes 17 may be drilled by a machine which spaces the holes accurately so that any number of the brackets 11 may be aligned horizontally on their respective standards without measuring or drilling any holes when the brackets are installed or adjusted by the user. This arrangement provides the same convenience of adjustability found in factory built metal shelving.

Claims

I claim:

1. A wooden shelf bracket construction having a single screw height adjustment comprising a longitudinally grooved vertical standard having inclined vertically spaced screw holes in the bottom of the groove, a shelf bracket having a thickness to fit in said groove, the base end of said bracket being seated in said groove, said bracket having a single inclined screw hole therein with an upper end emergent through the top surface of the bracket and a lower end emergent through said base end, a screw extending through said bracket screw hole and having threaded engagement with one of said screw holes in said standard, a filler strip in portions of said groove not occupied by said bracket, horizontal screw holes in the bottom of said groove receiving screws to secure the standard to a wall stud, a longitudinal tongue on the opposite side of said standard from said groove, and a pair of wall panels having adjacent vertical edges abutting opposite sides of said tongue, said standard forming a molding strip covering the joint between said panels.

2. A construction as defined in claim 1, said bracket screw hole having a counterbore in its upper end to receive the head of said screw.