Woodshop Report: Brackets

We looked at various sources for shelving corbels - VanDykes, Woodworkers Supply and many others online. But we really did not see anything that caught our eye. Either they had too much elaborate carving or they looked pedestrian. Many corbels were very Victorian looking too, which does not match the character of our house. So we decided to design and make our own.



We chose quartersawn white oak because the figure of the grain is good and the rest of our casing and mouldings are oak. The stock is twelve quarter thick (1-3/4”) which we bought locally at WoodWorld here in Chicago. The inset panel has a beaded profile to mirror the cabinets and wainscotting in the kitchen. A measured drawing is available for anyone who would like to reproduce our design. We are constructing two shelves, each having four corbels. Total time to make eight brackets was 21 hours.

Next step we will sand smooth all pieces, stain then glue and screw them together. The inset panel is not glued and floats to accomodate movement of wood throughout the changing seasons. Then will make the shelves. We sourced heavy-duty mounting brackets for attaching them to the wall from Woodworkers Supply via mail order. The mounting brackets will allow each corbel to be removed during painting of wall. Check back soon to see how we attach brackets to the wall and see the finished project with shelving attached.