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Posted: 1/11/2015 6:35:36 PM EDT
| The top shelf in my safe that spans the entire width is sagging a bit. I put two dowel rods fore and aft to support it but would like to use a metal shelf support so it's out of the way. Anybody do anything like this? Or is it a bad idea to screw to the carpet lined walls(sheetrock?) |
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3/4" plywood then is your best bet. It will last a very long time. You can go to any home improvement store and usually get a 4x4 sheet to cut down to size.
If you know anyone that works on houses, they may even have some subfloor pieces left over they will give you. WallyWorld or any fabric store for felt to cover it cheap with just simple contact cement. You can go 1/2" but it will sag much quicker if you have a lot of weight on it. ETA: let me restate this point everyone is making again. PLYWOOD. Don't get chipboard or that crap particleboard they use for shelving units. |
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Any chance you could show us a picture of that?? Quoted:
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I reinforced the front and back edges of my sagging shelf with Aluminum angle stock from Loew's. Problem solved. Any chance you could show us a picture of that?? I'll try to shoot one tonight. It's not pretty, but it gets the job done. 
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What they said. Beat me too it. Quoted:
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I reinforced the front and back edges of my sagging shelf with Aluminum angle stock from Lowe's. Problem solved. What he said ^^^ What they said. Beat me too it. Plywood is OK but I've used it enough where I'm not thrilled with it's strength alone for shelving. |
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What size is your shelf?
Let's say you have a 12 inch deep x 28 inch wide shelf. You could just take 2 or 3 pieces of flat metal bar and screw them into the bottom of the shelf. Either across, or front/back...even staggering them. If you have a 1in thick shelf, and get some steel that's about 1/8in, pre-drill the holes in the plate and use a 1in wood screw. Should give it support across the center. |
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Get some uni-strut or "c" channel. The "c" channel will sit on top of the shelf clips and span between both sides of the safe. Set your shelf on top of the "c" channels. That C channel is a very good idea. If your gun safe is one of the few models with an inner steel wall like my Amsec BF or a Fort Knox with the optional inner steel liner then all the better because the screws to the shelf tracking goes into the steel and not sheetrock insulation. With the screws in the sheetrock fire cladding your weight on the shelf will still cause you problems even with the C channel. |
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C-channel is a great idea if you can get it to span the shelf and sit on the stops, but if you have a drawer under the shelf that won't work.
Home depot sells "mending plates" in different sizes. Lengths from 4 to 12 inches, about 1.5 inches wide, and in multiple shapes/sizes. You could use something like a T or flat bar, in galvanized steel. They come pre-drilled with multiple holes (I think for a #8 screw). 
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This is the correct solution. Quoted:
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Take it out. Carefully peel off the carpet liner. Cut a piece of plywood to replace that crap particle board and re cover with the carpet you pulled off This is the correct solution. That seems like a lot of work.... Home Depot sells mending plates in all sizes. Looking at some specs online I see that a LOT of entry-level safes are about 27 inches wide on the interior. I know for a fact Home Depot has a 12 gauge strip in 27 inch length -- I bet just screwing one at the front and back of your shelf where it sits on the tabs is enough to keep it from sagging. I've seen the plates in all sorts of lengths, and I've seen them as thick as 8 gauge. |
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