Image: This is The Monstrosity. It was thusly named by my wife.

What was "big and ugly" is now even better!

My hobby bench was in a seriously sad state. I can't believe I don't have a picture. I can only guess I was too embarrassed to let anyone see it.

The hobby bench shares the room in my house that is my office five days a week. It sits behind me as I sit at my work desk, and was little more than a plastic folding table. I was OK with that until I added a new ham radio and power supply. Those two items were the proverbial straws that broke the camel's back. Something had to be done.

I contemplated this for quite a while, running through several scenarios in my mind. In the end the only satisfactory solution was to use a method similar to The Monstrosity or perhaps extend The Monstrosity over to the wall where the hobby bench was. That is the plan I settled on. But first, a little background.

The Monstrosity was born out of a need to arrange an array of displays and computers without putting ANY holes in the wall. It is wonderful in spite of mixed reviews related to decor from the spousal unit.

The Appendage is attached to The Monstrosity at two points using Simpson Strong-tie post caps for 4x4" posts. This is a great solution for transitioning from 4x4's to 2x4's. One small piece of 1/2" fence slat wood brings it all into dimensional alignment. (2 x 1.5 + 0.5 = 3.5, which is what a 4x4 actually is.)

I'm especially pleased with the cantilevered shelves. The shelves are cut from 3/4" plywood, and are held in place by four aluminum angle brackets that I salvaged from our back porch screen when we were having that replaced. My fastener of choice is a lath screw from Home Depot.

All in all this project turned out really well. The shelves are quite strong and do not give at all under every load I've placed on them. The power supply weighs a bit over 20 lbs, and the shelf it's on doesn't even move. I'm happy!

The Project Gallery:

The Monstrosity was big and ugly. Now it's even better because of The Appendage.

Together, they make a Thing That Works!.