Perhaps you are considering building a model railroad, or maybe adding an upper deck to an existing layout. One option to consider is the use of common Metal Shelf Brackets, available at most so-called “big-box” stores for about $5-10 bucks per pilaster (upright) and about $3.50-10 bucks for the brackets, depending on what size you want / need. It is quite probable that the same pilasters and brackets are available elsewhere online, ebay perhaps, for less money. In my case I already had them laying around so the cost wasn’t a huge factor. If you do use the brackets, I recommend the ones with the dual-channel (two sets of vertical slots) for two reasons: (1) because they’re stronger; and (2) because they have more lateral stability. Reason #2 isn’t as important if you’re planning on adding any horizontal support. But it is very important if you are not.
In my case I purchased the six-foot pilasters (uprights) and used a saw with a metal-cutting blade to chop them into three 21-1/2 inch segments. (One segment is slightly longer, if this matters to you, just cut off the extra hole). At $10 bucks a pilaster, that works out to about $3.33 per upright, which seems reasonable to me. If you’re going to support TWO decks however, you’ll of course want to use them full-length which will incur greater cost.
The only thing I would change is the use of Drywall screws. These screws are notoriously weak. I have popped the heads right off when tightening them down. Instead I would use a plated screw with a Robertson head. The screws will be stronger and you won’t need gloves while driving them as the bit will not slip out of the screw. [2c]
I/m double-decking, and using the dual channel “standards” as a replacement for angle brackets I made out of 1x4 wood. I’m using the 48" size because it allows me to have my upper deck around 57" (I’m tall, and with this method I can even adjust later) and the lower about 38". I have enough left going down towards (but not to) the floor to mound another shelf for storage. Not going all the way saves $ on the length of the bracket, and who needs a shelf 2" off the floor?
I was planning on putting a 1x2 edge-wise on top of the actual bracket and using the supplied screw holes because mine comes out level as it is, and it looks like yours do too, or are pretty darn close. I also have 1" wide shim stock if necessary.
My actual benchwork is 24" hollow core doors and one 36" door in a bay window.
Some of the new lower “visible staging” and branch level will be 16-18" deep to clear a TV, desk and workbench.
BTW, There are at least two vendors. Closet Maid and one called Knape & Vogt. The Knape &Vogt is about 2/3 the cost of the other and virtually identical. Locally the 48" standard is about $6 and 12" and 14" brackets are $5 and $7 respectively. I did try pricing on-line and even at the quantity i needed for my 15’x19’ layout, the shipping ate up the savings and it was a wash versus going to Lowes.
I got my doors “scratch and dent” at lowes for $8 each, and I’m getting a few more for the lower level, from “Broke and Poor” for $5-10 each.
I figure an average of $40-45 per two level section isn’t too bad. It looks great, even during construction. It’s portable. It’s adjustable, and it’s QUICK.
Great minds think alike! [:P] I started using metal shelf brackets about a year ago when I started my upper level portion of my layout. They work fantastic and I extended them up so that I can attach my backdrop when I’m ready to do so. I attached my benchwork butt joint construction a little differently than yours. I used a small furring strip laid at the very end (and across) all the brackets. There’s a small pre-drilled hole already there in the bracket and I just used a 1/2 inch drywall screw to secure the strip to the bracket. Once that is in, I lift the butt joint section of the benchwork up onto the brackets and insert 1 1/4 inch screws through the furring strip into the cross members of the benchwork from below. Nice and secure now. Your method looks great too, though.
I’m about two years into a double-deck HO layout using John Sterling shelf components. In my case, I’m doing it directly onto the basement cinderblock wall. I used the 6’ long cross piece “hangers” on the top and used concrete screws and a hammer drill to put it in place. Once that is level and in place, the uprights can hang there and get moved to the proper position and then they are similarly screwed in place. If the top hanger is level, all the uprights will be level so you really don’t need to do more with the level etc.
BTW I used the longest uprights which are about 6’ IIRC. Top to bottom I have a shelf where the lights for the upper level are attached (and which can be used as high level storage), then the two levels of the layout, and then a lower level a few inches off the floor for more storage. The lower level will eventually be hidden by a drape or covering of some kind.
I found some pre-cut garden stakes that are made from 1" x 3" pieces cut to about 12" lengths. I screw those onto the top of all the brackets. The brackets have two holes in the bottom of the bracket, I made a little template to mark each 1" x 3" so I can drill pilot holes for the wood screws.
Then I use 16" by 36" shelf pieces laid directly on top of them, with the uprights and brackets at 18" spacing. That way, the shelf pieces joint is always at a bracket, and I can run a couple of screws from below to hold the shelf in place. I find no other bracing necessary.
For a fascia I attached 1" by 2" pieces (longer garden stakes) below the front edge of the shelf (since the 1x3s are about 12" they leave an inch or two on the back so you can attach them to the upright, and an inch or so in front clear too) and then added the fascia surface to that.
A great thing about the shelf-benchwork is you can change the height of sections as you build along, so you can have one sect
I have heard that about drywall screws, but have not experienced it myself. If anything the opposite- I have to be careful to set the torque on the drill to about 15-16 so that I don’t put the screw straight through the wood. Similar thing when putting up the shelf pilasters- I have to be careful not to run the screw all the way through the hole. I have some pilasters that I’ve had to go back and fix with washers because of that. But, I will say that I’ve had a nasty smashed finger or two when the screwdriver bit jumped off the head of the screw and into my finger holding something up. Screwing my finger to the wall is definitely not part of the project plan! Wear sturdy gloves when working. I found out the hard way-- OUCH!!! [:)]
Are the Robertson heads the square ones, like you use for concrete board?
Depends on the hardness of the wood. For most benchwork we use pine (which is soft). I’ve put drywall screws into hardwood like oak or maple and when I’ve tried to remove the screws I ripped the heads off. If you’re using pine 1x4s or 1x3s you’re more than fine with drywall screws.
Well, necessity was the mother of invention in this case, that and hindsight-- you know, the 20-20 part. After constructing a really nice deck made completely out of wood, I let go the cribbing and wondered “now how will I support the middle???” It didn’t sag much, but it was more than I wanted. I also used 1x4 and a 1x3 together in an “L-girder” type configuration. I was originally going to use the el-cheapo screw-into-the-wall type brackets but discovered they really didn’t have enough strength for the job, even in tandem, and distributed along the wall. So I tried a pair of the dual-channel metal shelf brackets and was pleasantly surprised to discover that just two of them were easily capable of supporting the whole structure (approx 20 foot span) in the middle with NO sag and nearly no vibration.
The ends were attached to the walls, so that was additional bracing of course. But the big thing that bugged me was when I tested it out with some 2-inch pink foam on each deck how little room there was inbetween to work and how much it blocked the view. Even though I knew it conceptually as I was building it, when I saw it for real, and how much the metal brackets holding up the top deck encroached into the air-space of the bottom deck-- I knew I wasn’t happy.
So a day or two of head-scratching and suddenly it was totally obvious what the solution should be… i.e., what I wrote up. And I was able to lose about 1-1/2 inches from the height of the wooden portion of the upper deck benchwork. And regained nearly the total area underneath except for just a tiny little triangle that’s not even noticeable. Probably the backdrop will cover it or nearly so. Whichever, it definitely won’t be an issue.
Yeah, I look at the oak and maple and drool. But the big-box mafia has it so expensive I can’t even begin to consider it. When I was a kid lumber was dirt cheap. Not so anymore. At least not around here-- Northern VA / D.C. metro area. Its all I can do to afford their cheap-- insert epithet here-- pine stock at outrageous prices.
Actually I prefer the pine. Plenty strong for what we’re doing and if you’re fussy about the wood you select you can find it relatively straight (I use the term relatively very loosely).
In regards to hand injuries, yes I find the Phillips head driver bits to inflict more damage than the square head will if it ever pops out of the screw head. Of course, since a Robertson screw is self centering and easlily driven one handed, there’s no reason to have that other hand in the way in the first place. No sense ruining a perfectly good pair of gloves either. ;o)
In my shop Drywall screws are used for Drywall/Sheetrock. All other Phillips head screws typically are tossed in the scrap metal bin to be recycled and made into something useful. Really the only thing worse than a Phillips screw is a flat blade screw, precisely what inspired Robertson to make his screw.
I don’t mind the pine generically, but when I started this I had hoped I could build the lower deck out of a sturdier wood, at least the essential elements of it. But when I priced it-- Whooo! Forget that!
Heh, I encountered them for the first time not too long ago. I picked up a box to use and thought to myself “Gee, I wonder if anybody else knows about this !?!?”
I was first introduced to the best method of fastening two things together back in the '50’s, (That’s the 1950’s, NOT the 1850’s) when I started as a Fitters Helper with the Gas Company up here in Toronto, Canada. It was in widespread use in the Gas Industry at that time and had been for some time. She who must be obeyed just piped up and said that even she knew about Robertson Screws way back then.
In my humble opinion, they should outlaw straight bladed and Phillips screws for most applications.
Thanks for the great how to article. At the moment I’m sitting in my partially furnished eventual retirement home drooling. I will have a 9 x 15 around the room shelf layout, single level in HO. This could definitely be my solution. I have a couple of questions. I have two places where I must be able to lift approximately 3 foot sections out occasionally (an electrical panel and the entrance to the room). Do you think I could double up the uprights next to each other so that I have one for the permanent section and one for the lift out? Also do you have a photo of a section where you have the railroad base and fascia in place? I’m thinking of making mine with 1/4 inch plywood and 2 inch foam glued on top.
To the other contributors to the thread, one of the great things about John’s article is the use of all of the photos. It would be great if you could post photos of your alternatives. To me at least, the picture is worth a thousand words when it comes to construction.
A most excellent presentation! The attached wooden cantilevers are a nice touch because you can then attach anything you want plus it has to make the bracket more secure.
CR&T benchwork construction will not be attached to the walls, but; will be using shelf bracket arrangements for the upper level & staging sub-level – with more traditional L-Girder & Cookie-Cutter benchwork for the lower level and helix which will serve as anchors for the shelf brackts to either side of the helix.
Don Spiro wrote a detailed 4-part series in 2005 Railroad Model Craftsman (Sept. - Oct. - Nov. - Dec) for the shelf bracket system, using box-grid on the brackets, varying shelf heights for rivers, and how to produce forced-perspective scenery on that narrow shelf layout. There was a nice 9-page July 2009 RMC, “Shallow-relief structures,” as a follow-up.
Yes, that was the principle benefit that I saw with it too. Plus its very strong in relation to its height profile which makes it pretty much perfect for the upper deck where you’re fighting for every quarter-inch you can get.
Agreed this is a great presentation. I haven’t used it for a shelf railroad, but I’ve put up plenty of those shelf things up around the house. I’ve had enough of the single-slot brackets bend that I wouldn’t recommend them for anything.
I might make the uprights go several inches below the bracket, I like to have a margin to minimize chance of distortion on the channel.
Great set of levels shown in the pix. Wonderful tools. But for a long straight stretch, I would consider setting the ends first and using a chalk line to mark the in-betweens. (If you don’t trust a laser or string level for the distance, the old clear tubing and water trick might be the best way to mark distant ends.
This shelf-bracket concept, sans the wood, was my first idea for building a layout. I’m not the first person to think of it of course, but it seemed like a really good solution to me. I built a “test layout” using the shelf brackets, 1/4 inch masonite sheets, and 2 inch pink foam to try out the concepts. It turned out to be really easy. The biggest thing to mention is to make sure to do a good job hanging the pilasters as they are not infinitely adjustable. The slots are about 1/2 or an inch apart (I’m guessing, I haven’t measured them). Whatever it is, that’s your level of adjustment and its enough to cause problems if the standards are not installed level (between them) with each other.
I built the test layout on 24 inch centers, like the current one I’m building-- same room, same studs. I have heard other people say they just lay the pink foam directly onto the standards, but I didn’t like that. It didn’t exactly sag but I
Perhaps you are considering building a model railroad, or maybe adding an upper deck to an existing layout. One option to consider is the use of common Metal Shelf Brackets, available at most so-called “big-box” stores for about $5-10 bucks per pilaster (upright) and about $3.50-10 bucks for the brackets, depending on what size you want / need. It is quite probable that the same pilasters and brackets are available elsewhere online, ebay perhaps, for less money. In my case I already had them laying around so the cost wasn’t a huge factor. If you do use the brackets, I recommend the ones with the dual-channel (two sets of vertical slots) for two reasons: (1) because they’re stronger; and (2) because they have more lateral stability. Reason #2 isn’t as important if you’re planning on adding any horizontal support. But it is very important if you are not.