Ok, so I went with the L-griders attached to the studs in the wall, and use 3 legs from my old layout to support the front L-girders. I did have to buy long bolts for the t-nuts so that I could level the benchweork, but $12 later (box of deck 3" screws and some 2" bolts) I'm ready to design the new shelf layout. I'm posting some pictures (I hope) to show the results. While I had to drastically downsize (a room room to a corner of the family room), I have room to grow and add some temporary extensions sections that could easily be stored under the existing layout when not in use.
The pics:
https://flic.kr/p/HZVmw4
https://flic.kr/p/22TZrFj
Thanks for the all the suggestions.
https://flic.kr/p/HZVmzR
https://flic.kr/p/22TZrNd
My last layout was done with the back L-girder attached to the wall as you propose. Worked fine. Like others suggested I too used 2x2 diagonal braces attached to the L-girder in front and to the wall near the floor. I'm a big fan of the rolling stool and not having legs near the front of the benchwork made rolling around easier.
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
Good luck! Let us know how it goes
On YouTube at It's My Railroad
I plan to mount everything to studs with 3" deck screws, so I don't see any problems with them pulling out of the wall.
I'm hoping to start construction this week. I'll keep you updated.
Thanks!
jmnienabI had also considered that -- buying 3 brackets to attach supports for the front girder. Would this eliminate my need for legs along the front girder, or would I still need the legs to support the weight of the benchwork?
I believe they would;unless you used solid oak or maple for the Ls. Provided the brackets are mounted to the stud.
In my years of home repair, I've never seen a bracket fail, they pulled out of the wall.
Or as Dave said; a 2X2, or an old leg ran at an angle back to the wall will support more then youwill ever load on it
You can put one L against the wall and just screw it to the wall or studs.
Then put a 2x4 about 6" to a foot above the floor on the wall and run knee braces from the 2x4 to the front L. No legs required.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Why not put a 2x4 stud screwed to the wall horizontally and then rest your angle of the layout on top of the stud. You can use some small 1x3's on the side frame of the angle screwed to the angle so it is flush with the stud......you don't need many. Then with just one screw on every one screwed to the stud. That way You can remove the layout from the stud intact, by just removing the one screw from each splice, leaving the horizontal stud intact on the wall. Then You can put ajustable legs for the front and use gussets at the top of the legs for any fore/aft sway. On Your legs....use T-Nuts inserted into the bottom of the legs after drilling a hole for a bolt that can be adjusted into the T-nut for the uneven floor. I made a layout in a basement exactly that way...worked flawlessly for yrs. Mine was open grid....1x3's with 1/2 ply and 1/2'' Homasote on top of the ply.
Tee nuts:
https://www.homedepot.com/b/Hardware-Fasteners-Nuts-Tee-Nuts/N-5yc1vZc2a4
Good Luck!
Frank
gregc doctorwayne Greg, I think that what he's planning to do is move the rear girder right to the wall-end of the joists, and fasten it to the wall studs. The front joist, parallel to the one fastened to the wall, can be either right at the front edge of the joists, or set back whatever amount seems appropriate. The legs would be directly below the front girder. yes. exactly what i did. One mounted to the wall, one supported by legs. I needed no cross bracing because it's an L shaped layout and the one L-girder was screwed into the other. A 2x2 leg at that point the point i tried to make it the front one can be set back so the the legs are out of the way.
doctorwayne Greg, I think that what he's planning to do is move the rear girder right to the wall-end of the joists, and fasten it to the wall studs. The front joist, parallel to the one fastened to the wall, can be either right at the front edge of the joists, or set back whatever amount seems appropriate. The legs would be directly below the front girder.
yes. exactly what i did. One mounted to the wall, one supported by legs. I needed no cross bracing because it's an L shaped layout and the one L-girder was screwed into the other. A 2x2 leg at that point
the point i tried to make it the front one can be set back so the the legs are out of the way.
I see what you mean. The joists can overhang the front girder while the legs are out of the way. Since I working an inside corner, I hoped that the girders attached to the studs on adjacent walls would eliminat the need for a leg there, requiring then only 2 legs at the open ends of the L.
The legs for my old layout were constructed from 1"x2"s and 1"x3"s with a length of 2"x2" glued to one end to hold the t-nut and leveling bolts. I have A LOT of these laying around and couple probably cannibalize a few to create additional supports for the front girder, if needed.
UNCLEBUTCH unless I misread the post,your still dealing with the floor issue. Why not use shelf brackets to support the front rail? Even the cheap wallyworld kind will work, or you could use the old legs and build your own.
unless I misread the post,your still dealing with the floor issue.
Why not use shelf brackets to support the front rail? Even the cheap wallyworld kind will work, or you could use the old legs and build your own.
I had also considered that -- buying 3 brackets to attach supports for the front girder. Would this eliminate my need for legs along the front girder, or would I still need the legs to support the weight of the benchwork?
doctorwayneGreg, I think that what he's planning to do is move the rear girder right to the wall-end of the joists, and fasten it to the wall studs. The front joist, parallel to the one fastened to the wall, can be either right at the front edge of the joists, or set back whatever amount seems appropriate. The legs would be directly below the front girder.
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
gregc...If you're going to use an L-girder in front, don't you need one in back to rest the joist on and be able to screw upward into it? but the front L-girder doesn't need be at the very front of the layout, it can be set back and the joist cantilevered
Greg, I think that what he's planning to do is move the rear girder right to the wall-end of the joists, and fasten it to the wall studs. The front joist, parallel to the one fastened to the wall, can be either right at the front edge of the joists, or set back whatever amount seems appropriate. The legs would be directly below the front girder.
This is similar to my layout, although mine is open grid rather than L-girder.
Wayne
jmnienabIs there any problem with my simply mounting one L-girder directly into the wall studs and then supporting the parallel L-girder on legs mounted to the front of the layout?
this is what I did on my layout. If you're going to use an L-girder in front, don't you need one in back to rest the joist on and be able to screw upward into it?
but the front L-girder doesn't need be at the very front of the layout, it can be set back and the joist cantilevered
My layout runs down (3) walls in a spare bedroom. The deepest parts are 24". I have these brackets I bought at Lowes which are 8" and have a metal brace between the horizontal and vertical members. They are spaced about 32" - 48", and screwed into the studs of the walls. I do not have any legs at all and the layout is pretty sturdy. The frame is 1"X3" with 1/2" plywood screwed to the top.
It seems to work fine in my case. Hope this helps...
Benchwork Question: About a year ago I deconstructed my HO scale layout which was a round-the-walls 18'x12'. My original benchwork was free-standing 2'x8' and 2'x6' tables using L-Girder construction. I made sure to preserve all of these members for a future layout, and it looks like I'm about ready to start construction. The location for my new layout is 1) much smaller and 2) has a SEVERLY unlevel floor. Even though the legs for my previous layout had adjustable feet, the descrepencies in my floor would make freestanding tables impractical. So I was thinking about a shelf layout. Searching the web, I found dozens of examples of people using metal shelving brackets to support their framework, but I want to use the salvaged components from my previous layout and avoid any unneccessary additional expenses (I know brackets aren't that much, but I'd prefer to recycle what I have). So here's my question: My layout will be an 8'x8' L-shaped switching layout along the wall. Is there any problem with my simply mounting one L-girder directly into the wall studs and then supporting the parallel L-girder on legs mounted to the front of the layout? Most of the examples I saw had angle brackets every 16" or so to support open grid benchwork -- I'm thinking mounting one girder to the studs and the second to the legs, as I did when it was a free standing table, should be more than enough to support the weight a few 24" 1x3 joists and a sheet of 2'x8' 1/2" sheet of plywood and 1"of foam. Would this work or would I still need all of the additional angle bracing coming off the wall to support this setup? Ideally I'd like the option to add some free-standing extensions to this corner layout that could be detached and stored when not in use... but that's for later. Thoughts? What am I missing?
As always, thanks for the input!