wood storage rack ideas

[vavet]

Like most of us around here, I have some lumber that is leftover from various projects that comes in handy for new projects occasionally. Right now, I have a large garbage can that I put cut-offs in and the longer pieces are on the floor under my rollaway toolbox, but held up off the floor by small wood scraps.

I started looking at various wall mounted racks like this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004DGIZMW/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Then I started looking at the big box store closet organizer pieces like this:

ClosetMaid ShelfTrack 48 in. L White Standard Support Bracket Shelf Tracks, Shelving Hardware 2804 - The Home Depot

Get the ClosetMaid ShelfTrack 48 in. Standard 2804, attractive white finish the standard has a double-notch design that provides sturdy bracket installation at The Home Depot

www.homedepot.com

The verticals can be screwed into studs and the shelf brackets could be used to hold the lumber. I could have various shelf supports at varying heights and the whole thing is easily re-arrange-able.
Not sure if the savings are significant by the time I buy everything, but it seems more versatile. Any reason that wouldn't work? I don't have so much that the capacity would be a problem.

 

[LeeG]

The downside is that you lose some space with the closemaid stuff. The ends where they attach to the verticals are 3 or so inches high. This cuts into the storage space on each shelf. The Bora rack has straight (basically 1" square tube) supports, so you can fill a shelf all the way to the next. I have the Bora and it works fine for me.

Regardless of which way you go, if you have more than 2 of the vertical pieces, it is vital that you get them exactly lined up in the horizontal plane, or you will introduce warp into your boards. A chalk line is your friend in that situation.

Lee

 

[Jackfre]

I have had horiz wood racks in the past and found them to be a complete nuisance. Reason being the piece i wanted was always on the bottom and you have to unload the rack to get at it. The other way is to tempt fate and try to pull it out without gravity winning. I now have a vertical rack. It takes less wall space as 8’ers stand on end rather than taking 8’ or horiz space. I built an angled base to tip the wood back to the wall. I try to keep the wood separated, walnut, maple, oak, cherry. I have a strap to secure it to hooks screwed into the wall. Vertical is all together safer and better, imho.

 

[nadogail]

I used 2” iron pipe for my vertical pieces and welded the horizontal pieces to them. The 2” pipes are tied to the horizontal rails of a wooden fence.

 

[jar944]

 

[Renegade1LI]

Very nice! I did similar with 4 x 4s & ridgid conduit, drilled at a slight angle pitching toward wall, very versatile.

 

[tarmy]

Nice…out here in earthquake country we usually put a strap or something like a bungee cord down the front of it to hold things up there iffin’ the ground starts to shake and rattle!

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

If you want portability and knockdown capability-

West Horizontal Storage Rack 5ft. x 3ft. x 5 1/2ft. Size | Northern Tool

Ideal for storing long items such as PVC, metal tubing, plumbing pipe, wood or plastic molding and more. 14-gauge galvanized steel supports...

www.northerntool.com

A friend of mine has one of these, and put it on casters for the mobility (small shop). And it will easily disassemble in 10mins to store away if not needed.

 

[mikedodge]

Our wood storage consists of strips of angle iron on the wall with supports made out of plywood that bolt to the angle. Its been doing its job for decades. Sort of similar in look to the Amazon one but bigger and the supports stick out further.

 

[Bowman85merc]

I contemplated the same thing and came to the same conclusion as Jackfre.
At my old job I had horizontal storage, which was nice when you didn't actually need to use any of the lumber that was on it. Very frustrating when you did.
The board in top was always an inch too short, so you had to move it, or several, to get the one you needed.

At home I went with vertical storage, it especially made sense because I have a 12'6" ceiling. One of the best decisions I've made. Super easy to use, organize, and pick what I want, no more digging and shuffling the deck. No more climbing a ladder and fumbling around with a arm full of boards trying to find the right size.

This is the only pic I have of the rack I made. Just a 2x8 with a slight angle to it. This is mostly my used lumber from when I did the concrete forms for my driveway, going to use it to build several workbenches in the garage and basement soon.

 

[vavet]

I have had horiz wood racks in the past and found them to be a complete nuisance. Reason being the piece i wanted was always on the bottom and you have to unload the rack to get at it. The other way is to tempt fate and try to pull it out without gravity winning. I now have a vertical rack. It takes less wall space as 8’ers stand on end rather than taking 8’ or horiz space. I built an angled base to tip the wood back to the wall. I try to keep the wood separated, walnut, maple, oak, cherry. I have a strap to secure it to hooks screwed into the wall. Vertical is all together safer and better, imho.

doesnt the wood warp over time leaning against a wall?

 

[duneslider]

doesnt the wood warp over time leaning against a wall?

Probably no more than it warps in every other position. I haven't found the magic no-warp wood position...

 

[engineer2]

I used some shelf brackets screwed to the wall. They were inexpensive at Menards.
After my first "lumber avalanche", I bolted scraps of conduit vertically to the end of each bracket. A bolt of sufficient length would work too.

 

[Jackfre]

I didn’t give a full description. Off the base which was angled at about 5* I put 2x4 studs covered with plywood for the wood to rest against. I have not seen any warpage. It is wood and can dance, but I’ve not seen it

 

[jives]

I did not have the wall space for either a horizontal or against-the-wall vertical storage. So I built a mobile storage rack like the one below (mine is very similar). I have sheet goods on one side, and dimensional lumber, up to 10', stored vertically on the other. Shelves hold smaller pieces. I can move it around the shop as needed to access more floor space, or get behind it. Made all from scrap lumber, but did buy good casters as it holds a lot of weight.

 

[bugnut]

I had a mobile storage rack, it eats up a lot of floor space, so it got replaced with the rubbermaid racking, allows for storage of tools underneath and totes above. I quit storing small pieces of wood and use them for firestarters.

 

[67CarGuy]

My last shop had horizontal storage: vertical pressure treated 2x4s, sitting on the floor and screwed to the joists above. Then shelf standards made out of scraps of 2x4 and plywood, attached so that the 2x4 shelves couldn't rotate down. Like others have said, it was great for storage but actually getting the piece I wanted usually meant moving 10+ other pieces first.

 

[check251]

I did something like this under my basement steps.
(This picture isn't mine)

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