Looking for suggestions on a new desk/console

[KB2FCV]

I used plywood and 2X4's for my desk. I made the desk framing with 2x4's as well as the legs. I think I used 16 or 24" spacing for the 2x4's that string across.
http://www.qrz.com/db/KB2FCV

I made the upper tier with some 1x2 framing and plywood also.

Like you, I am a bit carpentry challenged. I have no idea if I built this stuff right or not but it's been holding my stuff for a few years now with no signs of any change / sagging / etc. It has held several hundred pounds of boatanchor gear with zero issues.

[K1CJS]

....Like you, I am a bit carpentry challenged. I have no idea if I built this stuff right or not but it's been holding my stuff for a few years now with no signs of any change / sagging / etc. It has held several hundred pounds of boatanchor gear with zero issues.

If it's been holding the stuff, you've built it good enough.  The main point about any sort of home made bench is that it does what is intended.  That's what is important.  Now, if your intent was to build it to professional standards, then you could worry about whether it was 'built right' or not!   

[W2WDX]

Here are two station setups I have used. The first was made to appease the wife at home, the other is more utilitarian and is in my commercial electronics restoration shop.

http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/images/W2WDX09-01.jpg
http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/images/1.1full.jpg

This is at home. Uses two solid Luan wood doors and gas plumbing pipes, caps and flanges, as you can see from the second drawing. The door was stained a pickled oak color to match the decor. The cost was under $100 all from Home Depot. I had the guys at HD cut the pipe to length and thread them. You can use the caps to adjust the height slightly to level the table.

This next one is the station at the shop. Less aesthetically pleasing but much more heavy duty and bolts together very quickly. It can support over 1200lbs. It uses commercially available workbenches from Global Industries and Uline. They are commercial packing tables.

http://vikingvintage.com/station042011a.jpg

John W2WDX

[NA0AA]

In an ideal world, every station would have at least a 30" deep aisle behind it to get to the wiring and back of equipment routing.  Heck, ideally I think would be a rack system with front mounted desk - with a plethora of shelves, panels and various pieces, you can customize to a fine turn.  Downside is that it's a rather utilitarian look.

I have two heavy duty shelves attached to my log walls, and a kitchen table under for the main gear - at this point I don't move things as much as I used to.  It's pretty well set up as I like it.

I would avoid particle board - you can get good quality engineered 3/4" planks up to about 12" wide, and I simply used two planks deep on a shelf bracket made of 1/8" steel with a top 18" deep!  With about 1.5" space between rear of shelf and wall, routing wiring is easy, making changes OK for fixed shelving.

Someone mentioned wire shelving - if you can order what you like, there's some neat options and you can put it on wheels to roll it away from wall for access.  The stuff is silly strong, but you may need to put a solid surface down on top of the wire for equipment, or use wood sleepers for the feet - that preserves the airflow advantages.  If you are in earthquake country, it's easy to anchor equipment to wire shelving - heavy duty zip ties work dandy!

The wire shelving:  I once added shelves to a kitchen by using 4 corner posts and only narrow shelves up HIGH - which gave me shelves over my old stove, straddling the stove - you could do this with a desk and the shelving could be self supporting on the floor on either side of your desk - and you can get 14" or 18" deep shelving.

Since my radio shack doubles as my "office", I have two desks, a radio operating desk and another messy desk, where I work on other projects, keep the computer, etc.  This keeps the radio desk much neater.

One thing I almost never seem to have is enough storage space.  I imagine I never will. 

LED undercounter lighting is still a bit expensive but is very nice on the eyes.

[W2RWJ]

This next one is the station at the shop. Less aesthetically pleasing but much more heavy duty and bolts together very quickly. It can support over 1200lbs. It uses commercially available workbenches from Global Industries and Uline. They are commercial packing tables.

Going to follow on WDX's advise - This is radio room one at the N2MO station.   

http://sarex.us/n2mo/temp/radio_room_one.jpg

They are cut-down commercial workbenches from the corporate scrap pile.  The hutches are  made from counter-top scrap courtesy of Craigs-List

[K1XV]

You can get some really quality professional grade workbenches at McMaster-Carr

http://www.mcmaster.com/#assembled-workbenches/=iv3xlf