Steel storage rack ideas

[sanddan]

I have a lot of small metal off cuts that I need to organize and store. This resource is very nice to have when I want to make up a shop fixture or other project. The sizes are from less than a foot long to pieces that are 4-6 feet long. Much of it is round and square tubing but it also includes flat stock, solid bar stock and sheet metal. I've seen a couple of examples of storage carts on wheels that might work for some of this material but before I settle on a design I thought I'd check in here and ask for examples of how others have solved this storage dilemma. So please show what you use for storing and organizing smaller off cuts. I'll start with a pic of one I think I saw on this site as a start to get this going.

 

[danielbuck]

I'm in the middle of working on similar project with shelving and material storage.

In the past, I've generally kept pieces 1' or less in bins. 1'-3' I kept on shelves, 3'-6' I leaned up against the wall, and longer than 6' I kept on the floor raised up a few inches on wood blocks.

I'm going to be doing pretty much that same thing again (I've moved), but I'm probably going to keep the 3-6' pieces in a fixture rather than just leaning up against the wall. Easier to keep them a bit more organized that way. And then when I have space, keep the full length pieces on 20' deep shelves, like the way you see them at metal supply shops.

 

[sberry]

I have seen a lot of racks built for 20 ft,, very little long pieces on them in the end. I cut most new in half to haul home, have a use for a lot of it when it gets here. I have seen some smaller racks here, a lot of them could be improved to hold way more. My space is a bit different but my racks are one of my huge assets. I bought 1 used I made a big one out of, a small one was a salvage. I actually have 4 indoors. Some been modifide since.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Sberry, that looks like a pretty good system for quickly picking out a piece to use without digging much for it.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

I've found that a lot of steel can be stored in tight quarters as long as the rack is made to fit the available space. Here are a couple places smaller steel likes to hide out in my shop in otherwise unoccupied spaces. The bigger pieces are on real racks. Ed.

 

[lis2323]

It’s always tough to keep short pieces organized. Here’s a few pics of what I use including a rack for sheet stock.





Longer lengths go on a wall mounted rack.




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[CAVE]

My version. Copied from somewhere, but using scraps I had and pieces from a shopping cart. Use good casters, it is easy to overload...

 

[lis2323]

I've found that a lot of steel can be stored in tight quarters as long as the rack is made to fit the available space. Here are a couple places smaller steel likes to hide out in my shop in otherwise unoccupied spaces. The bigger pieces are on real racks. Ed.

Ed, I could pitch a tent and be happy living in your outdoor steel storage area[emoji3]!


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[Oregon rock crusher]

Ed, I could pitch a tent and be happy living in your outdoor steel storage area[emoji3]!


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Ha! That's pretty funny as after my wife saw some pics of my steel racks with some unusual visitors I thought that's where I would be living for a while. Seriously though you, sberry, and several others have beautiful indoor storage that I wish I had room for. Even after I put roofs over most my outdoor racks they still sweat on temperature swings which leads to extra clean up before use. Ed. (the steampunk girls just needed an industrial back ground for portfolio pics my daughter and SIL took) Of course they're welcome back any time.

 

[lis2323]

Ha! That's pretty funny as after my wife saw some pics of my steel racks with some unusual visitors I thought that's where I would be living for a while. Seriously though you, sberry, and several others have beautiful indoor storage that I wish I had room for. Even after I put roofs over most my outdoor racks they still sweat on temperature swings which leads to extra clean up before use. Ed. (the steampunk girls just needed an industrial back ground for portfolio pics my daughter and SIL took) Of course they're welcome back any time.

[emoji481]. Awesome photos!


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[sberry]

I got an old van for some stuff. I had a steel storage room in a barn off the back door of my old shop worked well. I process stuff to some extent, whack it to make it easy to store. About 95% of the time I can find something ready to fit, I rarely do machine work. Chop saw is the tool of preference.

 

[bullnerd]

lis- is that a business or your home shop?

 

[Fix Until Broke]

It’s always tough to keep short pieces organized. Here’s a few pics of what I use including a rack for sheet stock.

..........

Longer lengths go on a wall mounted rack.

I really like the "Stadium Seating" arrangement on the middle racks - that's really clever and I bet works well.

 

[Jay1989]

24" deep x 32" long x approx 60" tall.
Made from salvaged material. Started out with 6 3.5 conduits 20 " long. Now has 21 3.5 conduits and 6 4" conduits.
The cabinet on the left is 12" deep wall mount.