It it makes you feel good. I don't think it will add much.
It's all about the attachments and joinery/ hardware. The wood is not stressed, the joints are.
Tight cuts, lag bolts clamping components well, orientation of fasteners perpendicular to the forces pulling on it. Nails nailed vertically will pull out, as will undersized screws relying on a thread pitch that is too small.
Since the original shelf was across a 12' wide bay, might it have been just as easy to put legs on each side and run 2x6 's across the span? From a cost standpoint four 12' 2x6 on 12" centers plus a header and legs on each side may have cost less in materials than a shelf with perimeter and ladder construction plus the materials to suspend it.
I think the engineering of this got taken to the far edge of what I'll ever actually put on the shelf... but I appreciate the overkill replies. I like the rod idea as it's less clunky then 2x4 wood, and the install is easy. I can poke through the ceiling basically anywhere, lay a board down in the attic, and bolt it in place, and have minimal obstruction to loading/unloading the shelf.
The ceiling support really was looking for a little extra safety, whlie avoiding any legs, more so than trying to satisfy a specific or maximum load per square foot. I have some bins of VW shtuff and when it's accumulated, the weight starts to add up.
Good points all around though.
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