Trying something new for shelf layout — shelf without visible supports

Fri, 2021-01-15 07:46 — jimcubie1@gmail.com

I am trying something which is new to me and I wonder if anyone else has tried it.  In the photo, the benchtop under the 2 “ foam will be scenicked.  On the top of the foam there will be scenery.  I did not want any visible supports underneath to interfere with the look of the lower backdrop.  So I am trying this.  I have routed channels in the top of the 2” foam. I will insert 1 “ electrical conduit in the channe;ls. In the next photo down you will see that I have placed vertical 2 by 4s on the back of the bench.  Through the 2 by 4s I have drilled a 9/16 hole which creates a very tight fit for 1” electrical conduit.   The conduit slips securely into the channels and supports the system.Conduit has just about has no bend in it over this distance.  I put the channels on the top, but in retrospect, I could have put them on the bottom of the foam because I am painting it anyway.  The other photo shows a bunch of track and rolling stock etc.  When I put all this up there the front bent down 0,7 cm.  I could cant the 2 by 4’s slightly in the back to get rid of this, but a slight downward cant will make it easier for the viewer to see the layout on the top of the 2” foam. Has anyone else tried this?  What was your experience?

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Most shelf layouts use some

Thu, 2021-02-11 11:54 — frwright

Most shelf layouts use some form of cantilevering, just like you.  However, most use cases allow depth of support either below (or above) the joint at the wall to help maintain the selected angle over time.  Some bookcase shelf supports start out with the outer edge elevated above level to let the load cause the limited droop to bring it back to level.

In your case, whether the selected angle is maintained over time depends on:

  • how much load you put towards the outer edge, either through working on stuff on the shelf (laying track, installing scenery, etc), or bracing or supporting your arms or yourself.
  • how tight the conduit fits into the 2x4, and how tight that hole remains over time
  • how resistant the conduit is to bending with the loads imposed

Personally, I'm pretty ham fisted and would apply a fair amount of pressure (weight) towards the outer edge, especially since I hand lay my track in place.  And I like my shelves generally from 18" to 30" deep for model railroading.  As a result, I use stronger supports than you are proposing.  But that's me.

I also keep my shelf layouts sectional or modular (around 40" maximum length) to facilitate easy removal to the workbench for construction/detailing.  But this requires 2 other considerations:

  • a support system that is independent from the section or module.  Supports can be either wall cantilever (I like the double slot standards and shelf supports), or floor supported by legs.  The frame of the section/module is independent and is very simply mounted (often just gravity and retaining pins) on the supports.
  • a method to precisely align the sections/modules each time they are rejoined.  Many of the modular layout systems have addressed this in various ways.

As for having the outer edge intentionally sloped downward, only you can know if the result is visually acceptable.  An alternative might be to have the ground slope - many layouts are built with the ground sloping upward away from the viewer - but the track remains level except for deliberate super-elevation of the track.  This would be more difficult to lay roadbed, but might give you better visuals.

hope this helps

Fred W


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