Rockler’s I-Semble shelf blocks and slip-on brackets have been popular enough that they have added several new shelving brackets to the I-Semble product family.
The new I-Semble additions include: 1 x 4 bookcase brackets, slip-on ladder bookcase brackets, and a cross strap shelf stabilizer kit. A few months ago they also added 6″ x 13″ and 6″ x 8″ shelf blocks to their original 10″ x 13″ size.
I can build a shelving unit by hand in an afternoon for very little cost. Most people can; all you need is some framing lumber and plywood. You don’t even need a lot of tools as most home improvement supply centers and lumberyards will rough cut your wood beams and sheet goods for free or a small fee.
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But designing and building a good-looking shelving unit? That takes a bit more time, effort, and cost. You could always buy ready-to-assemble shelving units, which I sometimes do, but there’s also a middle ground where you can build mostly-DIY shelving using custom hardware and off-the-shelf shelving boards.
Despite some complaints of high pricing, I feel that Rockler I-Semble brackets are thoughtfully designed and well built. They allow for DIYers of any experience level to build custom shelving to fit their needs. Who can argue with that?
I-Semble Slip-On 1×4 Bookcase Brackets
These brackets are similar in design to Rockler’s 1″ x 10″ slip-on brackets, but sized for 1″ x 4″ (3/4″ x 3-1/2″ nominal) sized lumber.
A set of 8 can be used to make a small table.
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Or use more for a shelving unit.
The brackets can also be used in conjunction with the 1″ x 10″ brackets.
These brackets are packaged in sets of four for $16.
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I-Semble Slip-On Ladder Bookcase Brackets
These brackets are angled 10°, allowing you to construct ladder-style shelving units using 1 x 6 (3/4″ x 5-1/2″ nominal) sized lumber.
The brackets can be used to create standalone shelves or complex multi-unit bridging structures.
It looks like 1 x 8 boards are used as the shelves in the standalone unit, with a variety of board sized used in the expanded design. The wider drawing table is supported by two brackets on each side for added strength.
The ladder brackets will be sold for $16 per pair.
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I-Semble Cross Strap Shelf Stabilizer Kits
For taller or wider shelving units, cross stabilization is always a good idea. You don’t need to do this for shelving unit that have back panel support, but there’s no easy way to incorporate back panels into designs based on I-Semble brackets.
The kit is quite simple – four metal brackets that screw into your 1x wood sides and two 72″ lengths of wire rope.
Rockler advises that the stabilizer wires don’t need to extend from corner to corner, but that larger designs might be better with two stabilizer kits.
The cross stabilizer kit will set you back about $12.
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will
It looks so ugly
Ross
Agreed. I can see someone using them for shelving in a storage closet perhaps, but in that case a simple 2×2 ledger would seem like a cheaper, stronger alternative.
Stuart
Now that you mention it, they do look a bit ugly. But they could always be painted, or perhaps used with colored boards.
chrisk
Maybe market it to college students?
Stuart
Maybe. Build it up and tear it down at the end of year with the brackets fitting inside a shoebox or two – sounds reasonable.
But on-campus dorms and apartments are typically furnished, as are off-campus rentals aimed at college students.
I don’t think I’ve ever even seen shelving made from 2x4s or cinder blocks. It was always cheap wire shelving products or RTA bookcases from Walmart or Target.
Allen
Milk crates and 1x12s did it for me. Of course I had about 20 lineal feet of albums to store.
And no, not 78s.
adam
I have to wonder who the hell is buying these things. Its weird because obviously Rockler has seen enough sales to generate new products based on their I-semble concept, but from who? I would have to imagine the core group of customers at Rockler are more than capable of building their own shelving units without the aid of overpriced metal brackets. Not to mention, they are too ugly to consider using outside of industrial purposes. Now, if they licensed this stuff to Lowes under their BenchDog line, I could understand. But who goes to Rockler for shelf brackets?