Building a lumber rack is one of those projects that I just never seem to get to, so when General International introduced its Lumber Store lumber rack (No. 99-300) I jumped at the chance to try it out. Assembling the painted steel rack takes about 15 minutes with a cordless drill.

Sold in pairs, the racks are made from square steel tubing and have six levels. Each level is rated at 110 lb. (55 lb. per bracket). The manufacturer suggests spacing the supports between 4 ft. and 6 ft. apart. I kept them about 4 ft. apart to prevent my lumber from sagging and to line up with the wall studs. At that spacing, you’ll need another pair if you anticipate storing material longer than about 8 ft.

The rack, which sells for $56, is nothing fancy, but it works well and makes a great solution for woodworkers short of space and time.

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