Bench top shelves? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: paulca
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2020, 01:33:52 pm
content: So my new "man cave" has a desk I bought for the electronics lab. It's 180cm x 105cm, but it's already full of junk and by the time I added the 3D printer, PSUs, Sig Gen, Microscope there is only a little puddle of free room. So I figured shelves would be a wise ideal. But... I don't want to have to screw them up to the wall in case I later choose to move the bench.What do you guys think of these? I'm thinking about plopping them down on the desk, maybe clamping them to it, or screwing them down with some drilled steal bands so they don't topple on top of me.https://www.amazon.co.uk/SONGMICS-Bookcase-Shelves-Standing-Bookshelf/dp/B07C2LPJG2/I was looking also at the wire mesh "cube shelves", but there appear to be different brands and some are rubbish.

author: Nominal Animal
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2020, 06:40:18 am
content: Engineered wood?I suspect that means some variant of particle board, which I hate.Do you have access to laminated pine panels (300mm wide) or glulam or 12-18mm plywood? That's what I'd use.Looking at .co.uk web sites, a 1220mm×2440mm sheet of 18mm plywood costs about £25-£35. For three shelves, 1m by 1m in size, you'd need five strips, or about 1220mm×1600 of the sheet, plus five 300mm×350mm for the separators, so you'd still have at least 1220mm×440mm left, enough for a middle level backing.In other words, a single full sheet is enough to make a similar shelf unit; you can even make it a bit wider (up to 1220mm, or 1.2m wide).18mm thick plywood, even in Spruce (Baltic Birch is the Good Stuff), is amazingly strong stuff. Twenty years ago, I made a TV stand for a 28" old CRT TV that weighed a lot, so I used 18mm spruce plywood, and through mortises for the vertical pieces (i.e., rectangular holes in the horizontal pieces, with vertical sides and back through those), and the 100cm by 40cm by 40cm box was sturdy enough for a 100kg guy to jump on; probably strong enough to park a car on top.Edging the edges to hide the plywood structure, if you want, you can do with thin strips of wood. Glue the strips on, then drill 5mm holes about 30mm deep, and glue in some dowels, say every 25cm or so. That will hold even if a heavy scope happens to rest on the edging, and won't cost much.I didn't paint the plywood TV box at all, just oiled it. I like the look.If you want, I can draw up a cutlist for a full plywood sheet to make a 122cm by 96cm, 30cm deep three-shelf bookcase. All I used with mine was a jigsaw, drill, a chisel (to clean up the mortises), wood glue, and wood oil (Ikea Skydd/Stockaryd/Behandla).(Actually, if I were you, I'd first measure your devices and things you'd like to put on it. Maybe you want two high shelves, with upper one less deep than the lower one; or maybe split so that left side has two shelves, and the right side three. Maybe you know the shelves' heights already. I'd have a good think at it first, then do some drawings, maybe even a cardboard test, to see what works.)

author: paulca
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2020, 07:44:10 am
content: Quote from: Nominal Animal on January 29, 2020, 06:40:18 amI'm sure I could fine the materials. The trouble is I haven't done wood work for around 30 years. I also don't even own a saw! I'd probably needs a saw, some form of square edge to saw off, sanding blocks etc. and ... well... some practice and therefore skill to pull it off. It's highly likely to be crocked and messy on the first attempt. Plus buying all the right tools outright would be expensive.So only really viable if I am to consider adding wood work to my skills list for future projects.

author: Nominal Animal
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2020, 08:36:35 am
content: True.I did use 20 UKP (25 €) el-cheapo jigsaw and a 15 UKP (20 €) drill, though. If you use a strip of wood as a guide, you can make the longer cuts pretty straight. I finessed the fits using a 16mm chisel (4 €), and only used a couple of sheets of cheap 180/240 grit sandpaper for "finishing".The difficulty with ready made shelving units is that they are either made from paper (or particle board, which will bend under heavy objects), or cost a LOT.I looked at shelvingsystem's shelving wizard; a 30cm deep 104cm wide 98cm tall four-shelf unit made from solid pine would cost 163 UKP (with free delivery), almost three times the shelving unit you linked to.

author: Nominal Animal
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2020, 08:46:15 am
content: One possible option might be theIkea Ivarsystem. Three 30×124cm side units, six 83×30cm shelves, and two pairs of cross braces would cost you 3×9+6×8+2×2=79 pounds, for a 160×124×30cm shelving unit (with each shelf rated at 35 kg).

author: HobGoblyn
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 29, 2020, 09:11:23 am
content: I got a pine shelf from B&Q and 6 adjustable legs. Much more sturdy than the sort of thin chipboard used in those types of bookcases.https://www.diy.com/search?term=pine+boardhttps://www.diy.com/search?term=200+mm+furniture+legMy friend recommended getting the pine shelves, he’s done the same thing but also added another shelf on top of the first.I’ve attached a pic of mine

author: beanflying
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2020, 09:20:32 am
content: As a material I like the Concreting Formply it is 'reasonable' quality (lack of voids and higher layers) with a shiny plastic film covering. Best of all it is CHEAPThe Film cleans well and is fairly tough for regular use. 17mm generally and if you go to a decent local supplier a lot of them will have a table saw and rip it to width FREE. Then buy a hand saw and lop it to length or even buy a cheap jigsaw for some curves.Buy some full width shelf brackets and adapt vertically to suit. Cheap and custom.Not sure what it is called in the UK as a quick search only got me Aussie hits. I did mine a couple of years ago and they are handling this load with no dipping. A bit more sanding would have taken care of the saw marks better but CBF at the time and since.

author: nfmax
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2020, 09:44:26 am
content: Quote from: HobGoblyn on January 29, 2020, 09:11:23 amAnother vote for pine shelving, no sawing involved, just light sanding and varnish. I was lucky to find a ready made shelf 40cm deep and 175cm long, 2cm thick and with a rounded front edge, from B&Q. Never seen them since, though, as the range they stock changes all the time. I fixed mine by grafting risers onto the back of the bench frame, and using metal shelf brackets, so the shelf overhangs the back of the bench by just over 10cm. But the adjustable furniture legs would work too.

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2020, 10:06:04 am
content: This and go a couple of tiers, if you need more desk space get shelves behind the desk.

author: paulca
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2020, 02:24:12 pm
content: Quote from: HobGoblyn on January 29, 2020, 09:11:23 amThis looks like the best solution so far, thanks.I note they sell the pine board in 2 meter lengths, my desk is 180cm wide, but the 3D printer needs room at the end. So I could cut the pine boards down or... friend in work pointed out I can buy shelving boards in the local building suppliers and they provide 2 cuts per board for free. So I buy pine board cut to size from there and the adjustable legs in B&Q.Kinda realising the just make the whole "how to move the desk to decorate" thing much harder. I'm already suffering that if I want to decorate the room it will take a days work to break everything down and move it enough to paint behind it.EDIT: Doh! They also sell them in 1.2m x 30cm lengths. Perfect. I can probably get away with 4 legs per board and can still use drilled plastic or steal band to secure the rear of them to stop them toppling if I bump the desk or pull something off it.https://www.diy.com/departments/square-edge-clear-pine-furniture-board-l-1-2m-w-300mm-t-18mm/3663602877530_BQ.prd