I want to install a STRONG shelf on my garage wall about a foot
above the floor. The shelf will be on the wall between the garage
and the house.

I plan to attach a 2 by 4 to the wall with lag bolts into the bottom
plate of the wall. The back of shelf will sit on the 2 by 4
attached to the wall and the front will sit on another 2 by 4
supported by 2 by 4 legs.

(The garage floor is about a foot below the finished floor of the
house which is above the crawlspace. I live in an frost-free area
so I do not have a basement. The bottom foot of the wall in the
garage is concrete.)

I want to attach 2 by 4 cross pieces to the front and back 2 by 4's
with joist hangers about every 16 inches. I plan to attach the legs
to the front 2 by 4 with upside-down joist hangers. I will use
drywall screws to fasten the joist hangers to the 2 by 4's. I will
use the largest particle board shelf I can find at Home Depot or
Lowes as the top of the shelf. I think I have seen some that are 8
feet by 16 inches by about 0.75 inches thick.

Does what I have described sound like a good plan? Can you think of
anything I could change that would make the shelf easier to make, or
less expensive? Thank you in advance for any help.
--
When I am in the kitchen, I often kick one of my cat's balls.
After I kick it, he will sometimes play with it for a few
seconds to several minutes. His favorite are the ones that
rattle. He'll play with any ball that makes noise.

On Wednesday, July 3, 2013 11:48:29 AM UTC-4, Daniel Prince wrote:
I want to install a STRONG shelf on my garage wall about a foot

above the floor. The shelf will be on the wall between the garage

and the house.


Can you use 16 inches instead of 12? Just stack two concrete blocks. Put the shelf on top of them. Stronger and cheaper.

On 7/3/2013 10:48 AM, Daniel Prince wrote:
I want to install a STRONG shelf on my garage wall about a foot
above the floor. The shelf will be on the wall between the garage
and the house.

I plan to attach a 2 by 4 to the wall with lag bolts into the bottom
plate of the wall. The back of shelf will sit on the 2 by 4
attached to the wall and the front will sit on another 2 by 4
supported by 2 by 4 legs.
....

Does what I have described sound like a good plan? Can you think of
anything I could change that would make the shelf easier to make, or
less expensive? Thank you in advance for any help.

Just how strong is "STRONG"? How much weight and of what type
(concentrated vs distributed) load?

I'd be _very_ surprised if you put enough on it that simply nailing up a
frame w/ 16d commons thru the outer rims before mounting to wall
wouldn't be sufficient. I'd probably just notch the legs and nail them
as well and dispense w/ the hangers.

Also, if you really are talking of supporting a lot of weight, 3/4 CDX
ply is much more suitable than particle board (albeit that's a cost
boost, not decrease).

--

Does what I have described sound like a good plan? Can you think of
anything I could change that would make the shelf easier to make, or
less expensive? Thank you in advance for any help.

Purpose of "shelf"? What kind of load do you expect, and what dimensions?
Sounds more like you're building a bench...

I'd build the basic frame on a flat floor to make sure the frame ends up being flat. Don't use drywall screws, they're brittle and will snap under load.
Consider bracing the lower portion of the legs to prevent the legs from shifting/weakening under load. Or just use concrete block as another post suggested.

"TimR" wrote in message
...

On Wednesday, July 3, 2013 11:48:29 AM UTC-4, Daniel Prince wrote:
I want to install a STRONG shelf on my garage wall about a foot

above the floor. The shelf will be on the wall between the garage

and the house.


Can you use 16 inches instead of 12? Just stack two concrete blocks. Put
the shelf on top of them. Stronger and cheaper.


They make 4 inch wide blocks also. stick them together with a few dabs of
caulking. WW

Here's one guy's solution, I'd do it a little different but you'll
get the idea, partial board for strong shelves? No way.... they will
sag even when braced.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MfzU-WhV1A

On Wed, 03 Jul 2013 08:48:29 -0700, Daniel Prince
wrote:



I will
use the largest particle board shelf I can find at Home Depot or
Lowes as the top of the shelf. I think I have seen some that are 8
feet by 16 inches by about 0.75 inches thick.

Does what I have described sound like a good plan? Can you think of
anything I could change that would make the shelf easier to make, or
less expensive?


Depending on the use, particle board may be ideal, or if you have
concentrated weight, it will have dips in it. The stuff is cheap, but
very flexible compared to other materials.

Here's one guy's solution, I'd do it a little different but you'll
get the idea, partial board for strong shelves? No way.... they will
sag even when braced.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MfzU-WhV1A

Daniel Prince wrote:

Here's one guy's solution, I'd do it a little different but you'll
get the idea, partial board for strong shelves? No way.... they will
sag even when braced.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MfzU-WhV1A

On Wed, 3 Jul 2013 11:22:22 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

Does what I have described sound like a good plan? Can you think of
anything I could change that would make the shelf easier to make, or
less expensive? Thank you in advance for any help.

Purpose of "shelf"? What kind of load do you expect, and what dimensions?
Sounds more like you're building a bench...

I'd build the basic frame on a flat floor to make sure the frame ends up being flat. Don't use drywall screws, they're brittle and will snap under load.
Consider bracing the lower portion of the legs to prevent the legs from shifting/weakening under load. Or just use concrete block as another post suggested.

Unless I knew what's it for, it's hard to say.
A single shelf a foot off the floor? Why even attach it to the wall?
I'd call it a platform, because it's too low down to call it a
workbench. But maybe it is a bench, like for an audience.
If the floor is dry and is flat enough, one thing nobody mentioned is
what I'll just call "floor shelf."
Whatever color you want the shelf to be, just paint the floor that
color in whatever size shelf you want. So nobody misunderstands
your intent, paint or decal "SHELF" around the border.
The real beauty of the floor shelf is when something falls off the
shelf to the floor, it doesn't have far to go.