You could probably build a platform with legs or supports on each side to span your current desk. No need to attach anything to the wall, a bonus if you are renting.
A crude platform could be built out of 2x4's with a layer of plywood on top.
If you want something more attractive, you could use 3/4" birch plywood, with 1x4's glued and nailed to the front and back edges. Sand, stain, and poly and it'll look like a piece of furniture.
Of course, you may want to consider replacing those large, heavy CRT's with flatscreen LCD's. Then you could put up just about any shelf to hold them.
Okay, new approach. What if I cut and threaded some 1/2 or maybe 3/4 or 1" pipe and put together a kind of mini-scaffold? It would seem to be very sturdy and not take up much space. I could fit piece of plywood to be the shelf and it wouldn't have to be connected to the wall or ceiling. And I could construct it pretty much without having to move the current desk. I wonder how much weight those pipe would hold? I guess it all depends on the spacing of the supports. Maybe there is some kind of foot, I mean the kind that rests on the floor, that could be screwed into a fitting. I'm not sure what would be the best way to interface with the vinyl floor. Thanks again, : -)
Go to your local home store and look for something like this:
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The shelves are adjustable in 1" increments and the uprights have feet to protect the floor. Menards has cheap versions of these in sets, and also the individual pieces if you want to customize. They are quick to assemble and very strong.
2x3 posts, plywood, and either 2x4s with a notch for the plywood or build-up rails of 1x boards are going to be easier to work with, cheaper, and just as effective as anything you're going to make out of pipe or more exotic materials. It doesn't really matter that the surface is plywood, since it's going to be covered with monitors and other assorted junk, anyway, so don't bother with expensive furniture plywood, just use 1/2" BX and paint it.
DONT use sheetrock screws to hold the shelves to the posts, use bolts.
I try/tend to re-purpose furniture for another cause. Some ends up in the garage. One computer work station in the garage is a kitchen table and it turns out the church pew (solid wood) makes a nice platform for the monitor. Fits nicely on the table and it would hold two more monitors.
-- Oren
"Well, it doesn't happen all the time, but when it happens, it happens constantly."
The best would be aircraft cable up to the ceiling to support the front edge of the shelf.
Barring that, you'd want substantial diagonal braces above or below the shelf. That much weight 3' out from the wall is going to put a lot of torque onto the supports.
Yup, but it's worse than that. Most of the weight in a CRT is at the front of the unit. That's where all the thick glass is (and the supporting frame).
Personally, I'd forget any kind of cantelever design for 3 large CRT's. Take even more care if there will be children around and/or you live in an earthquake zone.
It wouldn't be sturdy nor cheap. Buy a couple of cheap file cabinets or buy/build a couple of saw-horses and throw the door on top. Trust me, a solid-core door will take all you can throw at it, and look a lot better than plywood.
Straight down? A *lot*. Twist it and you have a long lever to pull the screws out' not much. If you're going to make a complete frame out of threaded pipe, consider the twisties. I'ts not going to work.
A door in top of an MDF box or 2-drawer filing cabinet on a scrap of carpet really is the way to go.
Here's something that might be fun and functional...
You may need to read the Construction Instructions all the way through before this makes sense. You may also want to beef up all materials...we're just going for a design idea here.
Materials required:
- 2 each 1 x 4 hardwood stock, the same length as your shelf. These are Cleats # 1 and # 2. - 1 each 2 x "whatever width is required for your monitors" hardwood stock. This is your shelf. - Aircraft cable or similar material - something strong enough to support the weight of the monitors and that will not stretch. - Some type of anchoring device for the ends of the cable - this will be explained later. - Maybe some metal bushings - also explained later. - 3/8" x 4" lag bolts (I'm not sure how many)
Construction Instructions:
Attach Cleat # 1 to the wall, lagged into the studs, to support the back edge of the hardwood shelf. Make sure your cleat is long enough to hit studs at each end. Lag all interior studs also.
Drill 4 holes about 2 - 3 inches in from the front edge of your shelf -
1 near each end and the other 2 spaced so they will end up between your monitors like so:
Hole Monitor Hole Monitor Hole Monitor Hole
Rout a channel on the back of Cleat # 2 just large enough for the cable but not enough to weaken the wood. Optionally (or maybe preferably) rout the channel in the wall instead of the wood. - Keep reading!
Drill 4 holes in the center of Cleat # 2 at the same locations as the holes in your shelf.
Starting under the left hand side of shelf, thread the cable up though the hole in the shelf and into a hole near the end of Cleat # 2. Position the cable in the routed channel in the back of the Cleat # 2 and run it out the 2nd hole in the cleat and down through the 2nd hole in the shelf. Run it under the shelf to the 3rd hole, thread it up through and into the 3rd hole in Cleat # 2. Position the cable in the routed channel in the back of the Cleat # 2 and run it out the 4th hole in the cleat and down through the 4th hole in the shelf.
Position Cleat # 2 high enough on the wall so that the cables are at a
45-degree angle and then lag the cleat into the studs. You may want to use 2 lag bolts at each stud. Anchor the ends of the cable under the shelf in a secure manner.
Can you picture this? Cleat # 1 supports the back of the shelf. Simple enough. The cables are threaded through the shelf and Cleat # 2 to support the front of the shelf. Assuming the anchors at the ends of the cable are secure, the cable would have to pull though the wood and/or the lags would have to pull out of the studs before the shelf could drop. The cable would also help to prevent the shelf from sagging. You may want to consider metal bushings in all the holes to prevent the cables from damaging the wood.
Feel free to c> I need a shelf to hold 3 CRT monitors above my existing desk. It needs to
In many ways, plywood is a better option than solid wood. The cross plys of the plywood help reduce warping and make it stronger than solid wood of the same size.
A lot of furniture and cabinetry is built with plywood. As long as you cover the edges with banding or solid wood strips, there's no real indication it is plywood.
Of course, if you wanted to build a fine quality piece of furniture, you could joint solid boards and glue up a 3 foot wide panel, but I was under the impression the original poster just wanted something quick and easy.
Another option would be to build a torsion panel with an internal structure and a thin plywood skin on each side. Essentially the way a hollow core door is built. They're light, but very strong.
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