Alcove shelfing - Strengthening

[LittleEars]

I am building some alcove shelving. It's for the bedroom, so won't carry any real weight... just the GFs makeup etc.

The shelving will be about 120cm long. I will be using a 12mm ply sheet, a 9mm ply sheet, and the rest is pine.

I would like to construct them in the layout above. The idea being I can join together the top board (12mm) with a piece of pine (25x68mm) and add a pine piece front (11mm thick). I can then take this, and join it to the pieces attached to the walls, and finally add 9mm ply below.

I have seen videos on youtube of this style of construction, but the thicknesses are a little bigger. The best of these utilise pocket holes to give it strength. Never used them before, but after buying all my timber, and a pocket hole jig (minimum 12mm), I am concerned a pocket hole approach may not be best suited for this size build.

Can anyone please offer a suggestion on the best way to hold this together? I could just wood glue it, and clamp it, but I would like to do the best job I can... so keen to know other people's opinions.

Thank you!

 

[Dibs-h]

Are you going to paint the finished item afterwards? Assuming you are - if it were me, I'd glue and screw (countersink the heads) and fill the screwheads prior to painting. Except for the front piece - I'd pin that (and glue).

 

[LittleEars]

Yeah I will be painting the main piece before I build it.

 

[LittleEars]

Are you going to paint the finished item afterwards? Assuming you are - if it were me, I'd glue and screw (countersink the heads) and fill the screwheads prior to painting. Except for the front piece - I'd pin that (and glue).

Thanks

 

[eribaMotters]

When you glue and pin the front on it will be a devils job to get a perfect joint. Over time it will show, so in jobs like this I have a 1 to 2 mm 45 degrees chamfer on the meeting edges and make a feature of it.

Colin

 

[LittleEars]

When you glue and pin the front on it will be a devils job to get a perfect joint. Over time it will show, so in jobs like this I have a 1 to 2 mm 45 degrees chamfer on the meeting edges and make a feature of it.

Colin

Makes sense. That's for the tip!