Brass Shelf Rail

Brass Shelf Rail decoratively tops furniture and shelving

This brass railing is copied to match those originally seen on sideboards in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Later it was used on shelves as a plate rack, securing dishes. Used to hold books, this vintage shelf rail is handy in keeping books from toppling. Its uses are endless, this brass railing can be installed in a range of patterns to suit your needs. This vintage shelf rail is more impressive than pictured. It is solid brass, very elegant with nice proportions.

Design Brass Railing Layout to fit your application.

Guidelines for determining layout.

A sketch of how you want the brass railing to appear can be helpful in determining layout.

Vintage Shelf Rail Posts

Placement of posts is subjective, the following suggestions can be useful when determining layout.
Post should be spaced equally across front.
Typical spacing between posts, across front, is approximately 8” – 12” apart. This is a personal preference.
If vintage shelf rail will be straight, without sides, use end posts or wall mount posts, on each end, depending upon application.
If vintage shelf rail will have sides, use corner posts and end posts
Please note if using sides: side-spacing often differs from front-spacing
Shelf Rail Post-base diameter is 5/8”. These posts should be inset a minimum of 1/2” from edge.

Brass Rod

Brass Rod is available in 2 lengths: 36” and 72”
If rod is not long enough, it can be joined to another rod, within a post.
If needed, rod can be cut shorter with a hacksaw
Measure length of each straight run.
If your design is a straight rail, with no sides, it is one run.
However if it has more than once side, such as 3 sided it would then have 3 runs.
As rod is 36” or 72”, it often needs to be cut shorter or joined with a longer section to complete a run.
To calculate total amount needed: add together total number of rods, for each run. Consider that you may have leftover rod from one run to satisfy another run.