Ceiling mounted wooden shelf

[Flybye]

I've been looking at those ceiling mounted shelves in Home Depot, but for the price they want those things I'd end up paying $800 for the storage I'd like. So I started thinking about making a wooden shelf but had a few questions on the mounting.

For the vertical beams I was thinking 2x4s that attach directly to the truss. Should I use 1 L that is attached to the 2x4 and truss, should I use 2 Ls one on each side of the 2x4, or should I just screw a horizontal 2x4 directly to the truss (something like 1 screw per foot or so) and attach the vertical 2x4 directly to the horizontal 2x4 with Ls?

For the base of the shelf I was thinking just spaced out 1x3s.

Maybe there is just no right or wrong way of doing it so long as I have bunch of screws holding down wood to truss?

This pic pretty much shows about the amount of space that I have in my 2 car garage, and the general idea:

 

[jkwilson]

Unless your trusses are specially designed for weight hanging from the bottom chord, be very careful hanging anything from them. The chord can fail with no warning with just a little weight on it.

 

[Flybye]

So I've been doing a little more reading on what you mentioned. Seems a regular truss is not designed for it unless you have a specific load bearing chord, but it is okay for light to medium loads.

I won't be dangling engines off of it or anything. Just empty coolers, Holiday stuff, beach stuff, and empty boxes.

 

[nolimits76]

Unistrut....

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61616

 

[shooting4life]

Unistrut....

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61616

I was going to say the same thing. I am going to do strut for a 2 foot shelf later this year.

 

[Flybye]

Thanks guy. I hadn't really looked for those struts. Will do so next time I'm at HD.