[Shop-talk] Levels

[Chris Kantarjiev]

> I had thought of some of the pre-fab kits, but a buddy of mine gave me
> three pieces of particle board shelving 2' wide by 8' long. 

What I've done for rough-and-ready shelves, especially when I'm
after either a complex layout or precise fit in a space (like a
storage locker) is build a frame out of notched 2x4s.

The uprights get notched on the outside edge to hold long horizontals
front and back; those are the main weight bearing members. The uprights
are spaced apart by shorter pieces. It all screws together with 3"
Grabbers; plywood or particle board for the shelves, screwed down, make
these things very stable.

I've spanned 10' or more with this technique. I've also built up
complex models out in the open, made a few pencil marks at the
joints for identification, then disassembled and transported to
the place where it needed to fit tightly...

It's a bunch of work. I usually use the pre-fab kits if I can.