Shelves shelves shelves (and more shelves)

Hi everyone this is my second post.
I've inserted a picture of precisely what I'm talking about so we can get everyone on the same page.

As I've gotten older I've needed less and less closet space for clothes and more and more shelves. I'm a widower with 3 cats . . . and a really good canned-foods grocery outlet close by. They of course have canned goods, but they also have extremely good beer. Don't worry, I'm actually going somewhere with this heh heh . . .

I'd like to drop a steel rivet-based shelf unit (4 shelves + 1 base-shelf) into my hall closet and turn every inch of it into storage. The closet is 30" Deep X 58" Wide + (the standard) dimensions in height. Two lovely paneled-wood sliding doors invariably hide the contents of the closet, which is why I want to turn it into a . . .

I'm determined to build this system this way as opposed to some other because these "rack systems" (as they are often called) have 3 significant features to them: First, they have a low-profile (as opposed to building shelves with two-by-fours, for example). Second, you can disassemble them and transport them to other closets/other rooms. And third (and most importantly), they are incredibly strong. Depending on the design of "beam" (that image you see to the right of the "teardrop" post, above) you use, you can quite literally place hundreds of pounds on each shelf. Beer, in other words. And canned foods, including cat food and cat litter. If you doubt one woman needs this much storage, try having 2 big tomcats and one obscenely large female cat and you'll find yourself devoting one room just to them tsk lol.

I can sum the problem up with one measurement: 58"
Oh and (lest anyone doubt it) when I say 58" I mean not one quarter of an inch wider! Try to fit a 60" rivet beam into this closet and . . . you're taking out the closet.

I can cut the (1" plywood) shelves myself, no problem -- and I've actually managed to hunt down 30" beams (forming the depth of the pantry) -- it's the 58" beams that are going to be difficult. So here's my question:

Is this the type of metalworking project that I could have done locally do you think? and more to the point -- what terms do I use to describe that I would need someone to cut steel beams down to 58" . . . and then re-attach the two rivets on each end? Is this called "forging"? Am I looking for a "foundry"? or is this type of work referred to as something else?

I just don't even know how to begin researching this and I don't want to look like a complete dork when I start calling around heh.

Thanks everyone! Great forum!

50-Sumpin'

Hi, 50.... gal!
As far as having any of the metal cut down, or rivets "welded" back in place, try finding a local welding shop or metal fab shop. Most welding shops will have the tools like "chop saws" to cut metal tube,pipe, plate...whatever, and can tack weld anything back in place, if need. Around here, most anyplace I know would do it for free,(if I didn't do it myself at work...we have one of the biggest metal lathes in the world where I work) since people are pretty friendly, and make their big money off industry etc.
Just look under "welding" in your directory, and find a place close to home, maybe even call them first. Good luck!

Machine shops also come to mind..
They may be able to drill the rivets out and reinsert them with a minimum of welding.

wienerwater said:

Hi, 50.... gal! As far as having any of the metal cut down, or rivets "welded" back in place, try finding a local welding shop or metal fab shop. Most welding shops will have the tools like "chop saws" to cut metal tube,pipe, plate...whatever, and can tack weld anything back in place, if need. Just look under "welding" in your directory, and find a place close to home, maybe even call them first. Good luck!

Click to expand...

Hi Wienerwater lol

Yup yup, I'm "forging" a plan. I found (quite a few) welding/forging shops within about 20 miles of my house on TRUELOCAL.COM and I'm going to start calling around to get an idea of how much dinero this will be. I've all but decided to rule out rivets, however, since . . . what the hell: If their cutting this metal they can drill it too. Let's get her bolted a make a real man out of her!

So long mallet; hello wrench.

50-Sumpin'