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I have several shelves in the garage that I built years ago and they make use of pilasters. They are supporting a good deal of weight and I've never had a problem. I got these surplus and they are commercial ones out of an office complex. They are quite heavy duty and I think I could sit on a shelf and never have to worry about exceeding there capacity to hold.

That brings us to today.

I have a project that I'm planning and I'm in the details phase. I want to make a shelving system that can hold large/heavy books. It will be on the order of 26" wide shelves so the weight will be limited to how many books you can get it that distance.

I stopped at the Menard's and got a sample pilaster so I have a sample in hand. The company they use is KV which seems to be a standard place to get these. The style is PK255 which means it is 5/8" wide and goes in a 3/16" deep channel for flush mounting. The metal is listed as 22ga, they call this heavy duty but it is pretty thin compared to my shop hardware.

Now what they don't tell you is what kind of a load these will hold. Makes sense I guess in that they don't have your details. Now there will be 4 verticals so the load is distributed but not evenly if say all the heavier books reside on one side rather then a uniform placement.

They also let you have the option of nails, staples or screws. While nail and screws are really the only options I would pick I really think it will come down to screws. I think the load bearing capacity would be better with screws. Of course they sell the nails but they don't specify the screw size, I'm guess #6?? and as long as I can determined by the wall thickness, in my case more then likely 5/8" as nothing is mounted on the other side.

Anyway at this point it would seem that a 3 foot section (vertical) would be about all that I need between fixed shelves. The distance is greater but you don't need them full length.

That is the back story.

Given "a" typical stack of books based on a few that I measured that were about 1" thick and the 26" width that is about 52 pounds per shelf. The three shelves would then have a load of about 156 pounds.

I don't think that is a problem but given my nature I have to wonder. So how about it you pilaster experts??????

Ed

Gosh Ed, It seems your definition of pilaster is different than mine. When I think of a pilaster, it is a hollow column used to look like a full column against a wall, or a hollow column of bricks/blocks used at the end of a wall. Mostly decorative - not weight bearing.

Can you show us a picture of what you need?

I am thinking that any hollow column of wood will be able to support many pounds. Seems the limiting weight factor to a book shelf would be the shelf itself.

We use to call them just "standards" but some one decided we have to use the proper name to find them. So I'm using the name they are now called if you want to look them up and find them right away.

https://www.knapeandvogt.com/sites/defa ... 1014_2.pdf

So welcome to 2016.

Ed

Just because it is a newly used term, doesn't mean it is correct. For example I'll never call my wife a babe or a doll or a anchor or ...
All terms that came along after we were married.

If one is to google pilaster he will find lots of definitions but no shelf standards.

Rockler and others still use the term standards. Maybe they are also stuck in the past? https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=c ... +standards

Any way, I would recommend the heaviest standard I could find that comes with a heavy duty brackets, or whatever they're called.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pilaster

Merriam‑Webster

Full Definition of pilaster. : an upright architectural member that is rectangular in plan and is structurally a pier but architecturally treated as a column and that usually projects a third of its width or less from the wall.

Everett

OK just for the sake of argument this is the definition of standard:

stand·ard
ˈstandərd/
noun
plural noun: standards

1.
a level of quality or attainment.
"their restaurant offers a high standard of service"
synonyms: quality, level, grade, caliber, merit, excellence
"the standard of her work"
a required or agreed level of quality or attainment.
"half of the beaches fail to comply with EPA standards"
synonyms: guideline, norm, yardstick, benchmark, measure, criterion, guide, touchstone, model, pattern, example, exemplar
"a safety standard"
2.
an idea or thing used as a measure, norm, or model in comparative evaluations.
"the wages are low by today's standards"

So what does that prove? Not much.

Now go to amazon and type in pilaster and there you have them, standards well not so much.

I figured the Menard's store sold these but looking up standards got me no where. I finally tried pilaster and there they were. Now maybe this is a Canadian thing as the maker I believe is in Canada.

I have sense attempted find some idea of the load these can take but nothing. There is an ANSI standard for such hardware but the spec costs $$ so no help there.

I think I'll go with my gut feeling and say they will work. If I'm wrong then how bad can it be, a few books fall.....

Ed

Since the load is entirely vertical(assuming the shelves remain upright), I do not think it matters. Now safely retaining those shelf supports is a possible gotcha. As long as the slots do not tear out it is all good.

I'm sorry I don't have pictures, but of all the bookcases I've used these pilasters/standards. I have purchase all of mine at Lowe's and they are 8 feet in length. They are very strong. On all my shelves of 12" deep, my shelves are no longer than 30". Each set of shelves are loaded with reference books and about 10 years old. Time to unload the books and flip over the shelf boards. Shelf boards are solid pine.

reible wrote: Given "a" typical stack of books based on a few that I measured that were about 1" thick and the 26" width that is about 52 pounds per shelf. The three shelves would then have a load of about 156 pounds.

I don't think that is a problem but given my nature I have to wonder. So how about it you pilaster experts??????

Ed

I agree there shouldn't be a problem, 56 lb per shelf supported by 4 clips = average of 13 lb per clip.
And I am a pilaster expert. I eats the pie and the evidence lasters around my waist.

Like you guys I didn't find anything on this style with a load rating.

I did however find a load rating on Heavy Duty Shelf Standards that states they support 330 lbs with 4pcs.

It stands to reason if one uses three standards on each side, (6 per shelf) that would go up.

The casework has to be strong enough not to laterally load them and pull out sideways.

Here is a PDF