I’ve been fearing benchwork for a real long time now. My lack of funds and carpentry skills as a teenager have not helped with the process. However, I wanted to know the cheapest way to do this. My layout is around the walls, 2’ deep all around. I was just going to use 2x4 braces attached to 2x4 legs every 8 feet -ish. On top I was just going to use 2x4’ sheets of lauan. I was also thinking about using metal, as shown in MRR this month with L-girder, but using those as my braces. Any help would be appreciated with this!
Get ‘How to Build Model Railroad Benchwork’ by Linn Westcott. You can build everything you need from 1x2s and 1x3s, including the braces. You don’t even need legs at all for that depth, so you won’t kick them, storage and cleaning are easier. He has good diagrams showing how to build it, and you’ll have a solid, flexible (as in easy to adapt) base.
Of course, that’s just my suggestion.
You can relax your standards a lot without losing anything. Old-style 2x4 construction is really unnecessary for a 2-foot wide shelf layout. I would use 2x3’s for the legs and 1x4’s for the outer frame, with 1x3’s as the cross members. 1x2’s will suffice for any additional cross-members, or as mounting points against the wall.
Once upon a time, people built 2x4 frames with 3/4 inch plywood bases. Sure, you could walk on these things, or hold a sock-hop on them, and they would be fine the next morning. But you don’t need to walk on a 2-foot shelf layout, so go easy on yourself and your Home Depot credit card and move to much lighter materials. 2-inch foam makes a great base, and doesn’t need any plywood or luan underneath it. It comes 2 feet wide, so you can just build your frame and drop it in.
Jesus was a carpenter, which, I suppose, is why I use his name so much when I do benchwork. I know how you feel, but it’s really not all that bad.
Go to thread, SHELF SUPPORT BRACKETS, currently on page 3 of these forums, then go to the reply by csmith9474, follow the link. Looks like a way to go. A long level would do if you don’t have a lazer level. I’m going to use 2" foam board (it comes in 2x8 sheets, so would fit right into your plan) for the base, some folks put the foam on plywood, others just make a frame for it, some just attach it to the brackets. Plenty of threads talking about similar situations.
Good luck,
There is not a lot to fear. You don;t have to be millimeter precise in your carpentry to have soldi benchwork.
First, skip the luan. It’s too thin. 5/8" plywood, or 1/4" plywood and foam, or just foam (what I used). Second, 2x4’s for legs and braces is overkill.
How big a layotu are you planning to build? I built (so far) an 8x12, made up of 4 identical 2x8 sections arranged like a big donut. The only power tool I used was a cordless drill/driver to drilla nd drive the screws that hold it together. Use screws, not nails. Yellow glue to back it up but not required - I did glue mine as well as screw it. I used 1x4’s for the framework, with crosspieces on 16" centers. These I cut all with a hand saw - I bought a cheap plastic Stanley miter box to make square cuts. 1x4 pine is soft and saws easily - I built everyting in one weekend. In the section of Home Depot where they have the drill bits and saw blades you will find a clamp that hold two boards in a perfect 90 degree angle. I made do with 1 - it will go faster if you have 4 so you can clamp up all 4 corners and once. Drill pilot holes, 2 per connection point, and drive in some deck screws.
I couldn’t find 2x2’s at the local big box store, so I went with 2x3’s for legs - probably overkill. I used 1x2’s for the diagonal braces.
On top of this framework, I spread yellow glue along the top edges and put dow a 2" thick pieces of extruded foam (my Home Depot had pink, the blue is the same stuff) and stacked books on top to weight it til the glue dried. The foam sheets are also 2x8, so they fit perfectly.
Big tip - measure twice, cut once. With the miter box you can be sure you cut on your lines. One more tool, a small square so you can draw straight lines to mark cuts - although not really required with the miter box since it will force a right angle cut if you use that slot.
There are a few pctures of just the benchwork on my we
Depending on the constraints you place in front of yourself, benchwork can be tedious and expensive, but it can be relatively cheap and fun.
First, I agree that less is quite possibly more in benchwork. Most of us err on the side of caution and build a small house framing project to house 150 lbs of wire, track, and scenery. (My hand is up.) For my second layout, I was wiser and used 1X4, much of it ripped down the middle with my bench saw…best Cdn$125 I ever spent.
If you have the inclination, L-girders using split 1X4 is fast and really cheap. Just select every single length of the stuff yourself. It is also light, very sturdy, and will do a good job of supporting your 150 lbs of stuff. If you can afford 1" foam for a top layer, that should be supported nicely on 16" centres. 30" centres for the 2" stuff, but way more cost. If you can live with 3/8" plywood, decent grade of it, you can still get away with 24" centres and it will be light. In fact, a few of those metal L-brackets may be just the ticket.
The lastest section of my layout is supported by plywood brackets mounted to the wall. I rested the 2" foam top right on the brackets. Granted these may be a tad more carpentry intensive then you are looking for.
The older section uses conventional open grid sections, constructed from 1x4’s. The legs are 2x2’s (actually 2x4’s ripped in half) with 1x2 braces.
This is probably a little overkill for most of you, but at one point I was a cabinetmaker. I mass produced the sections and legs, using jigs (really big jigs that I could assemble an entire section in), a power miter saw, and a screw gun. I did the same thing with the brackets, although, I used an air nailer, instead of a screw gun. Once I had all the pieces cut, it took 10 minutes to construct each assembly.
Is all that necessary? Of course not. I have built benchwork with a hand saw and drill, but power tools and jigs make it much easier.
Nick
Thank you all for your help so far. I think I should have mentioned that my around the walls layout can’t be attached to the walls, because right behind the wood paneling is a cinder block basement wall, so I cant use shelf brackets. I think I’m just gonna do basic 1x2’s on 18" centers. It doesn’t need to be able to have somebody stand on it, I just want to get the layout up. Thanks!