Bonus Room Shelf Layout

[ocalicreek]

The idea of the floating shelf, was to reduce as much as possible, the appearance of the shelf support. I have a feeling that something as deep as 18" will be too much for the support to hold, and that's assuming that all the work on the layout will be done on a solid work bench, and there won't be any heavy structure too far from the wall.
In most cases the actual shelf is particle board, which can be purchased in various depths. One floating shelf support could be refitted with a deeper shelf, to test the strength/stability of the final shelf size.
The farther the shelf extends from the wall, the greater the leverage force exerted on the support......it's a "mechanical advantage-with a long enough lever I could move the world" thing, combined with our old friend "gravity".
You may need some form of support running from the outer edge of the deeper shelves, to a distance equal to or greater than the depth of the shelf on the wall below. Or, finding an adjustable track system that looks "more decorative". Or, suspending the outer edge of the shelf, from the ceiling.

I am, of course, assuming that a row of scantily clad statues with their arms raised to the proper height to hold the shelves where you want them, is.........uhmmm...."out of the question?"

If you've ever seen the art deco style statues at Hoover Dam, then you may be on to something... 8-) :o

But seriously, thanks for the reply. The benchwork will be, most likely, basic 1x3 butt-joint grid (not L girder). You are spot-on with the floating shelf concept. The layout would appear to just extend from the wall. One section would extend out to 24", so conventional diy floating shelf techniques are out of play. But I may be able to find a more decorative, nicer-looking, (e.g. family approved) track system or something similar. It could be as simple as painting whatever supports to match the current wall color.

Thanks for the good thoughts.

Galen