Using angle irons for a shelf

Question

I am wanting to build some shelves in my house and was thinkning about using these angle irons. Will these angle irons work well for the shelves? I plan on them being thick shelves for my tools that will hold about 50lbs on each.

Answer 1

You are asking about brackets like this:

They will work for light loads (though you'll want to turn it upside down before you use it, so the short screws go up into the shelf, not down into it).
But for heavier loads they might be a little bouncy, might bend, or might even collapse.

For heavy shelving, you want brackets more like this:

The triangular support transfers much of the shelf's weight into the wall, which will make the shelf feel very solid and sturdy. The only potential point of failure will the be the wall screws, which will need to be driven into studs, not drywall anchors.