Light plastic modular shelves for benchwork

I think cost would be a major drawback.  Have you seen the price?

It would making wiring a real pain.

The biggest problem I see is a lack of framing around the plywood top. What is going to prevent it from warping, sagging, and such?

With a frame, I think using those shelves as supports would work, but as others have pointed out, would probably be rather costly.

What everyone has said I concur with.  Two other points come to my mind.  The rigidity of those shelves is questionable.  Also, with the forest of shelving supporting the table top, getting under the layout would be a pain.  

This video was obviously produced by and for those who can't build.

DennisB posted:

I think cost would be a major drawback.  Have you seen the price?

Certainly, DennisB, cost vs. ease of assembly is a factor which could be offset for some people by additional considerations such as the ensuing shortening of time spent getting the layout up and functioning, the lack of needing to cut wood legs,  and braces for framing along with having the tools necessary for such cutting, etc. I guess it's dependent on your priorities. However, I'm more interested in the technical pro and cons, the main one be possible wiring issues as I'd mentioned in my original post.

Btw, Millcity,  regarding your comment, "This video was obviously produced by and for those who can't build," that comment might describe more model railroading folks than you imagine, and not only could this method appeal to those lacking such building skills but also to folks who have no physical location to do such building such as apartment dwellers. (Of course for those folks, there's also prefab solutions such as Mianne bench work but such systems are considerably more costly than purchasing plastic shelving units.)

C.W. Burfle, would warping be a major factor if the wood deck was fastened to a shelving unit positioned close to each corner, and what if, instead of using plywood sheets for the platform deck, you substituted thick sheets of foam insulation instead and fastened it with velcro strips to the storage shelves rather than screwed down plywood as demonstrated in the video?  Could/would that method substantially quiet the use of Fastrack on a layout constructed with shelving units?

I have done this for temporary layouts. Forget about access underneath; there isn't any. They are adequately sturdy once you get the weight of the plywood on them, but I wouldn't go less than 3/4 plywood or maybe 1/2 MDF just to get the necessary weight.

If you watch the video, they have put just about as much shelving under the plywood as they possibly can, except for the edges, there is almost no unsupported plywood. The shelves are not free, but it is a product that is often heavily discounted at dollar-store type places, unless you insist on a name brand.

Throw some green felt over it and you have a fine basis for a kid's layout, or a temporary setup. If you need some wiring, use flat cable and fish it under the felt. When you are done with it, you still have lots of usable shelving to use around the house. But I concur, it is not a method I would use for a permanent setup.

OGAUGEGUY,  I only brought up cost as something to be considered along with any other technical issues.  Instead of  "cost would be,"  I should have said "cost could be a major drawback."

PCLPROF,  as far as discounted shelving at dollar type places, I would want to make sure one would be comparing apples to apples. 

What do these cost?  A quality brand version.  I can see both sides of the coin on them.

DennisB posted:

OGAUGEGUY,  I only brought up cost as something to be considered along with any other technical issues.  Instead of  "cost would be,"  I should have said "cost could be a major drawback."

PCLPROF,  as far as discounted shelving at dollar type places, I would want to make sure one would be comparing apples to apples. 

DennisB, I'm glad you did bring up cost. Taking into account all possible aspects is definitely worthwhile when considering this type of build. Thank you. 

The plastic shelves look convenient but give a low table height and not the best lateral stability. And as mentioned, a plywood top may warp without framing. Wood construction suits my purposes better.

Kunde posted:

It would making wiring a real pain.

Would wiring be that bad? I guess it all depends on how much one has to wire. I've never done it yet so I'm asking. As for the sagging/warping issue. Couldn't one run say 3 stringers or "joists"  down the  length between the plywood and bench tops? Maybe like 1x6s or so for rigidity.  I guess it also depends what a person envisions for their layout. I plan a large tubular layout concentrating on just old fashioned postwar accessories. Not lots of realistic mountains, scenery, different elevations, etc. 

Again, does anyone know what these cost?

Holy cats!!!  I just looked these Rubbermaid shelves up. $510 regular,  $280 "special".  EACH!!!!!!    

I think I too will go with wood also.  Too bad, I was kinda liking it.