Building a moveable shelf

[hh76]

Decided to build a shelf that could be swung out of the way when not in use. Everything seemed pretty simple in my head, but because I don't have any experience building moveable things, I'm have second thoughts.

The shelf will be approximately 24" square, and will need to hold a max of 50lbs. It will attach directly to this hinge, that will be mounted on a floor stand.

Questions:

1. Am I trying to reinvent the wheel? should I just go out an buy something that will work? Any suggestions on a inexpensive source?

2. Are there standard sizes of bushings that fit correctly with standard tubing? The ones I looked at have an OD of 1", and it seems like you could get steel tubing in just about any size. I picked 1/8 wall tube with an ID of 1.01". Would that give a nice tight fit? Is this something that would require some time on a lathe to give a tight fit?

3. Is brass the right material? Would nylon or something else be cheaper, and hold the required weight without wearing out quickly?

Any advise is appreciated.

 

[phill u7c]

Hi HH76,

The first thing I see, or rather don't see is a central bush to pass through your brass bush, It would need to be 10thou longer then your assembles bushes so that when you tighten the bolt it don't lock the brass bushes up, otherwise looks good.

 

[JamieK]

I would think the whole tubing/bushing/etc. is a little overkill. Just buy a couple of heavy duty hinges from the hardware store. 50 lbs would be no problem for them. Unless your going to be moving it several times a day, there really isn't a need for a bushing anyway.

 

[bad_idea]

I agree the bushing setup is overkill. A simple hinge readily available at Home Depot would handle 50 lbs.

That being said, what you have sketched up looks a lot like the door hinges from my 79 Camaro I owned years ago. The doors on that car weighed 100+ lbs a piece. I would suggest you hit up some scrap yards and find some older cars. The old cars had the hinges bolted in. Should be able to pick up a set fairly cheap, and easy to yank off the car.

 

[sberry]

Agreed, couple common door hinges if possible. There are cases I build special but not usually unless I have to. This is a quick version though, weld up stock and cut pieces in chop or band saw.