Overview

My apartment doesn't have a lot of storage space, so a few weeks ago, my good friend Jules (of the OpenSwords project) helped me to make a simple shelf for my bedroom that attaches to the wall via a French cleat. I wanted to make a decorative bracket for either end to lend it more of a completed aesthetic, and I felt like doing some modelling, so I decided to create a fully-parameterized model as an exercise.

If you visit the link below with an OnShape account, you can make a copy of the model and adjust its parameters as you wish. All its dimensions and tolerances can be adjusted to fit the shelf you want to mount the bracket to, and optional features, such as through-holes for wood screws or an additional mounting point that fits into the gap of a French cleat, can be enabled or disabled according to your preference.

The OnShape model can be found here.

The .stl and .step files uploaded to Printables are only intended as demos (unless someone happens to have made a shelf to the exact same dimensions that myself and Jules did, in which case you're welcome to use them). Please note that, as designed, these brackets are only intended to be decorative; I cannot vouch for how they'll hold up over time if placed under any significant amount of strain, even if their parameters are adjusted to provide more structural support than the demo version. Sometime in the future, I'd like to update the model's parameters to let it be used with more varied shelf geometries (and possibly integrate non-printed hardware to let it serve structural purposes), but as it stands I'm happy with this as a first iteration.

BoM/Hardware

As the bracket is purely decorative as designed, no additional hardware is required to attach them to the end of a shelf. Wood screws (#4 by default, but the sizing is variable) can additionally be used if you want a more secure attachment.

Assembly Instructions

Once it's printed, the bracket should simply mount onto the end of your shelf with a push fit.

If you wish to attach it more securely, the model file contains parameters to enable through-holes for wood screws in the top of the bracket. They are sized for #4 wood screws by default, but are parameterized and can be adjusted to accommodate whatever size of screw you have on hand.

Print Settings

Before printing, measure the dimensions of your shelf and input them into the model's parameters. I recommend also adjusting the global tolerance parameter to match your printer's tuning (the default 0.2 mm produces a snug push fit on my well-tuned MK3S+). For aesthetics, I printed the brackets for my shelf with no top or bottom layers and 33% hexagonal infill, but this is entirely up to taste.

Either a 0.4 mm or 0.6 mm nozzle should work. Larger nozzles will likely also be fine, but haven't been tested.