Hacker help: Where to find Broder Clones?

Materials: Border Shelves

Description: I purchased some Broder Shelves and arms expecting to pick up the posts and feet at another store. After making the purchase I was told that this line was being discontinued.

So now I have the perfect shelves for my closet, but no way to mount them. Any idea where I can find posts that would be compatible with the Broder line?

Thanks

~ Scot, Texas

Double Broder DVD Shelf

Materials: Broder Shelf parts, additional wood from hardware store, wheels, ball bearings

Description: Remember this? After one year of use, the free-standing shelf took up a lot of space, standing 1,30m from the wall into the room. So I went for a more compact setup with double the shelf space. I got another shelf minus the feet and constructed a wooden base so I could mount two posts on ball bearings so that they can easily rotate.

Under the T-feet I screwed wheels with an M12-screw. As the T-feet are broader than the shelf itself, the shelves can not stand directly behind each other. One of the supports for the wooden base is a narrow DVD-shelf itself, build entirely from real wood and my first attempt at carpentry with just wooden dowels and glue. The Fixe drill template was very helpful there. I thought about using a "Benno", but decide against it because I did not want to spoil the look of real wood. Furthermore, I would have had to add some height to it anyway.

Now both shelves are standing along the wall, less than 80cm into the room as compared to the former 130cm.

~ Thomas, Koblenz, Germany

BRODER Bike Rack #2

Materials: Broder post, Extension post and Bracket center 22 3/4 "

Description: This hack is much like the other BRODER system bike rack hack, however this uses a different and better system to mount the bikes.

1. Mount the BRODER post with extension as indicated in the instructions.

2. Using a hacksaw cut two slits a slit though the � lip of the center bracket. Make sure the slits are about one each from center (2 inches between the slits)

3. Using a pair of vice grips slightly bend down the lip in the center

4. Using vice grips or any a vice bend each side of the bracket to about 30 Degrees. Be sure to not warp the center backing plate, if you do use your vice grips to make it flat again.

5. Obtain four U shaped hooks at your local hardware store ($1.50 each) they are rubber coated and threaded. Also be sure to get four few locking nuts that tightly fit on to the threads of the U hooks. The plastic in the locking nut will conform to the rough threads of the hook.

6. Place the U hook through the hole of the Center bracket and tighten with the locking nut.

7. Mount the brackets on to the post as designed

8. Hang bikes inside the U hooks.

~ Evan Brom, United States

Floating Lack Media Unit (Inspired by Taylor's Idea)

Materials: BRODER System and LACK Wall Shelves.

Description: Starting with Taylor's idea. (Thank You Taylor! :))

I made this wall system for TV, media center and/or Cd's/DVDs/books.

Use 2 Broder Wall Post 99 cm or, if the IKEA store does not have it, buy the same one with 204 cm length and cut it.

Prepare the holes for wall plug enlarging that ones in the Broder post. The frontal one will be large in order to use a screw driver.

Fix with 4 wall plug (8 mm); the traction load for each one is about 35 kg, I think that they are enough.

Check that the shelves are horizontal; mount all shelves in the way that you need.

NOTE THAT THIS HACK WILL AVOID THE PRODUCT WARRANTY.

~ Stefano, Rome, Italy

Broder Entertainment Center for Apartments

Materials: BRODER Shelving System, LACK Wall Shelves

Description: My apartment complex had strict rules of putting holes in the wall, yet I needed a way to mount my new TV. I came up with a way to create a floor-to-ceiling entertainment center without putting a single hole in the wall, ceiling, or floor.

I started with two BRODER posts with the height extension post and foot attachment on each foot. These were plumbed and then connected using two BRODER clothes rails.

Then I had a piece of plywood cut at my local home improvement store to a size that would fit in between the posts. I stained it black, and then drilled holes to use U-Bolts to mount the plywood to the clothes rails. The mount for the TV is bolted to the piece of plywood.

Here's a closeup of how the plywood mounts to the clothes rails, and the TV mount is bolted to the plywood.

I had a couple leftover LACK wall shelves from another room renovation and decided they would be perfect for long shelves across the front. I just used the regular BRODER shelf mounts and screwed them to the underside of the LACK shelves.

All the components fit on the shelf and I zip-tied the cables to run up the back of the posts and then to the TV. The basket holds the surge protector, and cable splitters. The mount is strong enough to allow me to swivel the TV in either direction for watching on the balcony or in the kitchen!

~ Taylor, Atlanta, GA

Industrial Loft Ceiling

Materials: Broder Shelves, Hex Bolts

Description: My laundry in the basement has a open unfinished ceiling. I wanted to cover some of the pipes, wiring etc. without the hassle of a drop ceiling or sheet rock. I also wanted it fairly accessible because I am always running cable or wires for my home theater systems.

I really don't know how I got the idea. I was in Ikea and saw the Broder units. I like the industrial loft look although I live in a 1950's row house. My plan was to just run a couple down the center but they seemed to fit pretty well with just the edges exposed on each side.

I used lag bolts and drilled them into the joists. Actually I used a socket wrench so they wouldn't be too tight. The shelves hang way below any live electrical wires. Wouldn't want to fry myself.

I can remove them without too much trouble if I have to get to the ceiling.

Not as flexible as drop tiles but way easier than sheet rock. Not a cheap hack however. Shelves were pretty expensive and did this 3 years ago.

~ FRANK JONES, Philadelphia

Broder "farm" for a meal a day

Materials: Broder pole and shelves

Description: It is not my hack, but I encountered this project and since it was all built with Ikea stuff I thought it might be fun for on this site. How to grow your own meals in future :D

See more about growing your own meal with the Broder system.

~ Marjolein Noyce, the Netherlands

Broder DVD shelf

Materials: Broder shelf, batten, threaded rod, clear PVC tube

Description: I need a lot of shelf space for my DVD collection and was going to go for a rather clean, "library shelf" look. When the Broder system came to my attention, I immediately fell for in. The hack is rather simple. I just screwed a piece of batten (Of course sanded down and painted just like the wooden boards) to the center of the 36.5 cm deep wooden Broder boards and the assembled the thing as usual.

To keep my DVDs from falling out, I screwed one eye screw on each side into each board and pushed a threaded rod through, which I covered with clear PVC tubing. This gives a nice effect, a bit like stainless steel and the PVC lends a good grip to them. The ends of the rods are covered with cap nuts. As my collection is sorted alphabetically, I used some magnetic letters to mark the boards.

~ Thomas, Koblenz, Germany

Broder industrial lamps

Materials: Broder shelf

Description: I was looking for a raw and industrial looking lamp for my flat.

Using a broder metal shelf, I made a nice lamp, made with coloured wires, nice bulbs and a water proof electric box.

Cheap and chic! 

~ Fabrizio, Italy

Broder turns into kitchen workbench

Title: Materials: IKEA BODER, Koskisen Koskidecor (finnish birch plywood), IKEA BREDSK�R etc

Description: Wanted to have a functional kitchen system which can grow easily on demand and has a flexible working height.

~ Bruno Schulz, Bad Kreuznach - Germany

Going industrial: BRODER-GORM shelving

Materials: BRODER poles, GORM shelves

Description:
1. Cut the GORM shelves to wanted length.

2. Paint, stain or wax the shelves to wanted color.

3. Put the system together.

Easy hack to a cool industrial look bookshelf. Why GORM shelves? Because they are cheaper and have a wine bottle rack!

Total cost around 100 dollars.

~ Akseli Virtanen, Helsinki, Finland

Laptop Desk

Materials: VIKA OLEBY Legs, BRODER Shelf

Description: I was looking for a small desk to fit into my studio corner.

This was a really easy assembly. Simply drill the OLEBY Legs into the BRODER Shelf and you have yourself a great slim desk.

See more of the laptop desk.

~ audria brumberg, Greenpoint, Brookyln

Broder display stand

Materials: Broder system and custom iron work

Description: Using a Broder "T" foot and two "L" feet. I cut the "L" feet so I could weld them onto the "T" foot. This made an "X" foot so a single Broder post can be self standing. Next I used 14 Broder Center brackets. I cut the two ends of each bracket, leaving the center with the hooks for the post. These pieces were then welded onto the scrolls I fabricated. After that it is just a lot of cleaning and painting.

~ Bill Schaffell, California

Sci-fi shoe container

Materials: Broder shelf, glulam, angle iron

Description: A place to store and show off shoes. I used Ikea Broder shelves as "hatches". Frame is made of glulam with angle irons. Hatches open so you can easily pick the right shoes. I used also 12V cold cathode lights to add exitement.

See more of the sci-fi shoe rack and the rest of the apartment.

~ Antti Hakala "drakmin", Finland

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Broder bike hack

Materials: Broder Post, Height Extension and Foot, Brackets, spare 1x2" wood pieces

Description: We needed a way to store our 2 bicycles inside. We are renting and wanted something that didn't screw into the walls or ceiling.

We liked the look of the Stolman hack, but when we got to Ikea they had replaced the painted aluminum color Stolman system with a creamy off-white color that we didn't like.

We went with the Broder instead and as a bonus this is a much cheaper system - the entire bike rack cost us about $20. You'll need: 1 x Broder long post (80.25" or 204cm), 1 x Broder height extension post and foot, and 2 x packages of Broder front facing brackets.

Two pieces of leftover 1x2" wood (1.5cm x 6cm x 40cm) were slotted with a handsaw at the width of the brackets. Mounted on top of the shorter bracket, the wood forms a V in which to rest the bicycle top tube.

The extra, longer brackets were mounted sideways to provide hanging storage for helmets and locks.

~ Mark, Philadelphia, PA

Tableformer

Materials: Lack, Broder

Description: My son finally deserved a desk. He's a Transformer fan, and I had some Lack shelves to be recycled. The structure is made of Broder rails and cantilevers, the desk itself with the shelves, silver and red, in perfect "transformer style". The height of the working surfaces can be changed following child growth.

I bonded the shelves toghether with a screw bar tightened by nuts. Note how the bar fits in an existing channel (if you ever mounted a Lack you know what it's for), so you don't have to drill much. Then I screwed the shelves to the cantilever. The result is sturdy enough, I climbed on the desk just to check. The front edge has capped nuts, and it looks pretty neat.

See more here.

~ Andy War