Question about a shelf layout

[jeep35]

I'm thinking about building a layout around to basement walls maybe 15" or 18" deep. The layout will be 48" from the floor. I need to put a shelf above the layout to hold some items. Basically I'm sharing the room with other family members and they want to put stuff on the upper shelf (trophies, sports memorabilia, etc.)
I figure 12" wide ought to be fine, but would that be wide enough to put in lighting? I plan on using flouresent tubes and I want to make sure I have even lighting. Has anybody done anythig similar.


Thanks
Jim

[dave9999]

Jim,
If you use the shop light type of fixtures, it should be plenty of space. These can be
flush mounted to the underside of the shelf. Dave

[jeep35]

Dave,
How far off of the wall would you mount the lights assuming I use a 12" shelf. I'm a bit worried about the light reaching the front of the layout. Also any suggestions about what type of tube I should look at.

Thanks
Jim

[Anonymous]

You could make the top shelf as wide as the shelf for the railroad. Then you could mount the light in the middle of the top shelf and it will reach out to the edge.

Just an idea

[jeep35]

Thanks
Jim

[dave9999]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jeep35

Dave,
How far off of the wall would you mount the lights assuming I use a 12" shelf. I'm a bit worried about the light reaching the front of the layout. Also any suggestions about what type of tube I should look at.

Thanks
Jim

Jim,
I would mount the lights so they are centered above the layout shelf. So if your
layout is 18" wide, the center of your fixture should be around 9" from the wall
to the center of the fixture or as close to this as the space will allow. This will
have your fixture close to the front of the top shelf. The good thing about flouresent lights is they cover a lot of area. Dave
Dave

[Anonymous]

I agree. I use inexpensive flouresent under shelves to light my layout too. You should be able to mount those fixtures close to the edge of the 12" shelf on top, and it should cover the 18" shelf below it.

And you can mount a simple white piece of wood/cardboard/plastic on one side of the fixture to reflect light back in a certain direction. So you can mount the light closer towards the wall, but still get a good amount of light out towards the edge (especially with a flouresent light). Some under cabinet fixtures that are available at your local home improvement store are already setup like that. The front of a shelf layout will be getting more light from room lighting anyway.

---jps

[jeep35]

Thanks for all the ideas.

Jim

[Anonymous]

I used IKEA IVAR shelving uprights, combined with 1/2 plywood laminated to 2inch foam for the track area. I then ripped 3/4 inch plywood for other shelves going around the room. At $10/each for the uprights, spaced 4 feet apart, it isnt a cheap way to make it. But with a shelf above the layout shelf, I used mini-halogin lighting for the layout area. I have 27 uprights that are the 86 inch ones.Works great for me.

[AntonioFP45]

Great input from the guys above.

One consideration: Be careful with the cheaper flourescent bulbs.

These bulbs have a higher flicker rate (though you might not notice it) that in the long run can affect human vision. It's worth spending the few extra dollars and purchasing the "higher end" flourescent bulbs. They come in a nice range of color output from blue to Daylight Corrected. Home Depot and Lowe's carry these along with the comparison charts that show the differences.

Worth checking out!