shelving: spacing of rails?

rout 2 (rout) v. rout·ed, rout·ing, routs v.intr.

1. To dig with the snout; root.
2. To poke around; rummage. v.tr.
3. To expose to view as if by digging; uncover.

1. To drive or force out as if by digging; eject: rout out an informant.
2. Archaic To dig up with the snout.

that's where the woodworking term comes from. Not from route!

It is in fact from root, as in dig up by the roots etc etc.

(Sorry for the double posts: some glitch between send and server.)

Surprised at all the talk of chipboard types, and no talk of proper wood, which, with a decent grain, is less sag prone and looks better too. You don't see many chipboard scaffolding planks do you?

Thanks I never knew that. I thought it was a generic name for contiboard. I hadn't realised the two were different.

My local timber merchant does sell it (which is strange because he only sells pine, pine, and pine). Spamlet posted about using real wood along the grain. I wonder whether strips of wood in blockboard would have the same effect?

Its probably not bad - comparable to solid (soft) wood of a similar size.

One slight criticism of the product is that on the more expensive rails available elsewhere (e.g. B&Q) the screw hole is countersunk so that you can fit the screw flush with the rail. On these silver line rails the screw stands proud of the rail so it means you cannot put a bracket directly over the screw. OTOH the B&Q rails are three times the price so it is probably worth the inconvenience. Or has anyone here found a clever way around this; perhaps I am doing something wrong? It wouldn't be the first time ;)

TIA

On mine the hole is quite large, so I found if you use a 10 gauge countersunk screw, then they sit flush enough to get a bracket over anyway. (this assumes the design is not different from when I last ordered a couple of years back).

You want something like an inch thickness of an unsupported board for every 3 feet span. Get around the cost of rails by adding strengtheners to the front and back of the board. (Glue and nail 2 x 1 along the front and back edge, for example.)

The number of rails needed to spread the load on the wall is another point altogether. A "patress" might be used. In plasterboard walls the contructor will be told to add ply between the studwork for hanging radiators and etc.

You can strengthen a wall with the same idea. Most prefab garages are built to a cheapo speck and are likely to require reinforcing for a lot of heavy weigth.

It all depends what you want to put on it and how much you don't want to support the outer edges of the shelves with props.

Use a countersinking drill?