fastening a shadow box to a wall

DanAlberta | Posted in Wood and Materials on March 30, 2006 10:01am

My daughter has asked me to build a shadow box for her. It will be for two of her teamates Rugby jerseys, and will be hung in a local sports bar. How can I fasten it to the wall securely so it won’t fall on anyones head(readrowdy drunks) but still hide the fasteners? The box will proabably about 3’x4′ and weigh about 15-20 lbs.

Replies

douglas2cats | Mar 31, 2006 03:01am | #1
These keyhole type fasteners work pretty good for stuff like that if you can mortise them in to the back edges of the box frame.

http://hardware.hardwarestore.com/28-119-misc-hangers/2-hole-flat-keyhole-hanger--620064.aspx

If you build it he will come.

John_D | Mar 31, 2006 03:06am | #2
Do you also use a keyhole router bit, or do you just cut in a simple cavity behind this plate?My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.

douglas2cats | Mar 31, 2006 03:21am | #3
What I did was lay out the locations and screwed them down lightly then used an exacto knife to score around them. Then I removed them and used a small straight router bit in my laminate trimmer and freehand routed to the lines. I initially just routed to the thickness of the plate but found that the 2 screw heads didn't sit entirely flush with the plate so I had to remove a hair more to get the whole thing flush with the wood. Then I took a drill and put a deeper recess in the center for clearance where the head of the screws that go in the wall and slides into the bracket goes. I used them on a leash rack about 2' long & 6" tall with a top shelf and pegs for hanging leashes, umbrellas, flashlights and various other dog-walking stuff. It's probably about 20 Lbs with all the stuff hanging on it. So far it's still rock solid. I did have to play around a bit with the amount of screw head projecting out of the wall before I got a good snug fit.If you build it he will come.