# Bird's beak shelving supports?



## Hopdevil (Dec 13, 2009)

Greetings,

My wife showed me this picture out of her Martha Stewart magazine. http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/marthas-50-top-kitchen-tips#slide_2
I have never seen this type of shelf support. It is kind of interesting. Anyone know how is it typically made?

Just curious…..


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## mtnwild (Sep 28, 2008)

Those are interesting. Though they look like dust, dirt collectors. I'm thinking, turn it over and the shelves will still stay in place.

As far as making? I don't know, someone will. My best guess would be a router jig setup.


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## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

That looks neat. I think you could do that with a table saw and make two passes with different angles for each notch.


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## ocwoodworker (Mar 5, 2010)

How funny, I was thinking the same thing before I read the previous post. THOSE LOOK LIKE DUST COLLECTORS. Wow. And the sanding involved wow.


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## mtnwild (Sep 28, 2008)

Looked again and I'll bet those are cut from stock, glued in place and painted. Not cut like that, built like that.


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## FatherHooligan (Mar 27, 2008)

Yea they would be a dusting nightmare, but they look neat.


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## Hopdevil (Dec 13, 2009)

There must be a different name for them. She calls them Bird's Beak, but if you Google that term, it only points to that article.

The interesting twist and head scratcher is if it is indeed an 'old carpentry style' (Which I believe), then we need to think in old style methods. hmmm…

Jack, I wondered that too, but I'm having a hard time visualizing the process without seeing a LOT of sanding, filling and prep to give it the clean sharp lines.


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## Gregn (Mar 26, 2010)

I agree with them being collectors of dust and grime. They could be cut with a dado blade on the table saw or the radial arm saw. Thinking of old style ways, I would imagine that they had a hand plane with an angled blade may have been used at one time. Just my guess.


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## oldworld124 (Mar 2, 2008)

I think a CNC router would make this very easy to do. It can be run as a climb cut operation with no tear out.


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## PBthecat (Jan 18, 2010)

I'd use a stacked dado on a RAS


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## jusfine (May 22, 2010)

The shelves sure don't look like they are bearing on much, I would think a shelf loaded too much might bow and crash down.

Wouldn't be my choice.


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## mpmitche (Apr 2, 2010)

I'm sure that if these are old technology there is an elegant answer to how they are made. Anyone figure out what it is because I'd kinda like to take a stab at it with hand tools only?


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## GVnana (Dec 16, 2012)

Found this: "Bird's Mouth Shelf Supports." Doesn't have the obvious geometric pattern, but I find it more elegant.
http://www.stephanwoodworking.com/BirdsMouthShelfSupports.htm


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## GVnana (Dec 16, 2012)

Here's another good photographic reference (German):
http://www.die-zahnleiste.de/bilder.html


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Crazy labor to make those perfect like that. She
can afford it.

There is an old way of doing it sort of like that
but it's more like two sets of saw teeth on each
wall of the cabinet and you put a board with a
matching end in it.


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## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

She can afford it because she has stolen your money. That is the reason she had to live in the big house. Reackon she learned about those there??


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## renners (Apr 9, 2010)

I think Loren's suggestion makes more sense, better looking and easier to do too IMO.
It makes me wonder whether that adjustment feature would take away attention from the cabinet as a whole.










This is the kind of thing Loren suggested.


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## runswithscissors (Nov 8, 2012)

Since each notch is an acute angle, I don't see how a router bit or dado cut cut them. Possibly a big dovetail bit on a shaper with a tilting arbor. But that seems highly unlikely. I agree that they must have been built up, which wouldn't be hard to do. But they are too busy looking for my taste.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

I think Norm made these on a cabinet show he did a few years ago.


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

I feel like I have seen them made like on the Stephan Woodworking website, not Martha's way. Carpenters working on her Bedford home probably needed to pad some hours.


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## GVnana (Dec 16, 2012)

I can see this orientation for lightweight pull out shelving, but kitchen cabinets? I think not.


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