View Larger Image Recycle warehouse throw-away pallets into strong, cheap studio shelving!

April 18, 2008

Tip of the Week: A Simple Shelving Solution for the Pottery Studio

by Leo Rosik | Read Comments (0)

As any busy potter or ceramic artist knows, shelf space in the studio can be a scarce commodity – especially in a busy community pottery studio or cooperative. But store-bought shelving units are usually either low in quality or high in price. In this week’s Tip of the Week, ceramic artist Leo Rosik, shares how resourceful artists can make great, durable shelving from wood pallets discarded by warehouses. And it keeps those pallets out of the landfill. Brilliant! Thanks Leo! -Jennifer Harnetty, editor

A more detailed version of this article, including step-by-step images and instruction on how to build pallet shelving, can be found in the May/June 2008 issue of Pottery Making Illustrated.

One thing that potters never seem to have enough of is shelf space. While store-bought units are generally flimsy or expensive, inexpensive strong high-capacity shelving can be built quite easily from common, cheap (often free) wood pallets. One can often obtain many pallets of the same dimensions just by offering to haul them away. When you do find pallets stacked by dumpsters or loading docks, their location usually implies they’re being discarded, so all you need to do is ask. And if there is a charge, it’s minimal.

Many Sizes
Pallets come in a variety of sizes and are usually made with two to four 2X4 frame members with slats nailed to the top (and oftentimes the bottom) that don’t extend past the edges of the frame. A common pallet size is approximately 37 inches square with 6 to 8 slats on both the top and bottom. The three dimensional “thickness” of the pallet as a shelf, as opposed to a single board, adds greatly to the strength of the unit. The slatted nature of the pallet allows for airflow up and down through the shelves, not just over the shelf, making them especially well suited for drying ware or molds. Note: Pallets larger than 40X54 inches should not be used in the manner described here, but can be cut to give more desirable dimensions.

One of the shortcomings of commercial shelving is the lack of shelf depth. With pallets as your shelves, you can have as much depth as you have room for or need. The 30-inch square or 30X34-inch pallet provides a 30-inch shelf depth and are ideal for lining a wall. The 37-inch square and larger sizes work well as units out in the middle of a room where the shelf can be accessed from more than one side. In both cases, multiple units with the same shelf spacing placed side by side or in a row offers an extremely versatile storage solution.

Shelf Spacing
You can also choose whatever kind of shelf spacing (vertical distance between shelves) you need for the kind of work you do (i.e. if you do plates or tiles you can have many closely spaced shelves, for sculpture, space the shelves out more). I usually make the first shelf spacing from the bottom quite large, 18-24 inches (for larger, heavier items), then a couple of 12-16-inch shelves, two or three shelves that are narrower at approximately shoulder level, then one or two taller shelves on top. When planning shelf spacing, be sure to take the thickness of the pallets into consideration.

Have a tip of your own that you'd like to share? Ceramic Arts Daily is the perfect place for you to share your tip with fellow potters. E-mail your tip today!