Replies

1. 
   saschafer | Dec 17, 2007 03:10am | #1

   I built this one based on a design by Paul Anthony, published in Smart Workshop Solutions.

   -Steve

    

   
   

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   Edited 12/16/2007 7:12 pm ET by saschafer

   
1. 
   MackGaither | Dec 30, 2007 05:07pm | #2

   Thanks.  I have seen this one, but my needs or idea is a little different.  Because of my garage layout, I would not be able to use the storage area between the two sets of vertical standards.  Therefore I'm hoping to build a rack that has one set of vertical standards that are supported by feet that are slightly wider than the length of the support arms.  The feet and the standards would be bolted together.  The support arms would be on one side of the standards and on on the opposite side sheet goods would be stored on their long edge.  This would be very similar to the steel racks you see in places like Home Depot.  There would be no support or connection to the ceiling or wall.

   As an alternative, I could incorporate into the unit four 55 inch standards that I used at my previous shop.

   I'm trying to learn what type wood should be used and the size the standards and support arms should be.  I expect that laminating three 2X4 or 2X6 for each standard, and then leaving out spaces for the support arms at a slight angle would be adequate.  Also I need to know how far apart the standards should be and what the load capability would be.

1. 
   MackGaither | Dec 31, 2007 07:32pm | #3

   I meant to add in the 2nd paragraph above that the standards are from the Lumber Storage System from Lee Valley.  I have 4 standards and twelve 18inch brackets/arms.

1. 
   TonyCz | Jan 01, 2008 05:13am | #4

   Space them out at 48" and no need to slope the arms, by spacing each out 48" you will be spreading the load out. Make the vertical space no more than 16" and there is no way you will ever brake a support arm.  But how high do you plan on going up? the higher you go the wider the base. You can also load the base with the heavy lumber and the ligh small cut offs up high. keep the weight low.

2. 
   mapleman | Jan 01, 2008 09:36am | #5

   Hi Mark,

   Not sure if this is what you are looking for, but here is my rack that I just finished up a few days ago.

   Laminated 2 X 6 construction (I used cypress that I had laying around but HD pine 2 X 6's would work just as well). I also used the woodcraft heavy duty shelf standards (55 inch) with 18 inch shelf brackets

   Mine was made to be free standing in another part of my shop - but at the last minute I decided to move it into it's present position which allowed me to bolt it to the metal bldg for stability. I have no qualms about loading it up and it supporting the weight when full without it being attached to the wall, however. I have an 11 foot long cherry log (280 bf) which will reside on the bottom "legs" -  you definitely want some good weight at the bottom to keep the rack from tipping.

   My brackets are 30" on center. This allows 4 brackets to reside under 8 foot boards and all 5 brackets under 10 footers (3 brackets under 5 foot lengths). I would not put them any further apart, personally. Closer would be better, but then you would need more materials and the brackets and shelf supports get a little pricey. Right now mine is up against a wall, but you could incorporate storage on the back and extend the legs on both sides of the upright support.

   Also, the photo was taken before I added an "X" brace at the back to keep the uprights from racking in the event I decide to move it in the future and use it unattached to the wall.

   The woodcraft 18" shelf brackets are rated at 300# at the tip of each (farthest from where they attach). I'm a pretty big guy and I can attest to the fact that they will, in fact, hold 300#.

   Hope this helps and if you have any specific questions, drop me a line.

   Lee

   
1. 
   MackGaither | Jan 02, 2008 08:07pm | #6

   This is precisely what I'm looking to do, including having it be freestanding and having sheet good storage on the backside.  The Lee Valley hardware I have is the same as the Woodcraft.  My plan is to build either 4 standards with 30 inch spacing or 5 with 24 inch spacing.  I expect that to allow 10 foot boards to extend 1 foot past the last brackets would not create a problem.

   Please tell me about how you laminated the 2X6s.  Were there any mechanical fasteners?  Also, how are the feet attached and is their lamination interwoven with the verticals?  Thirdly, what would any of you recommend for the cross brace and how it should be attached to interfere the least with sheet good storage?  Lastly, I'm thinking the feet need only extend the same length as the brackets, and obviously a similar distance on the backside to keep the sheet goods off the floor.  Does this sound okay?

   Mack

1. 
   mapleman | Jan 03, 2008 08:42am | #7

   Mack,

   Please tell me about how you laminated the 2X6s.  Were there any mechanical fasteners?  Also, how are the feet attached and is their lamination interwoven with the verticals?

   I drew a rough idea of the laminations (Lumber rack scan 1) Note that the piece labeled middle leg is the middle of the 3 pc lamination, and the part labeled right and left leg is the 2 outside parts of the laminations. As you can see, the lamination is interwoven/staggered with the horizontal pieces overlapping the verticals. All parts were planed with the planer slightly before assembly to assure smooth surfaces that were perfectly equal in thickness.

   About the assembly: I have a 4 X 8 outfeed table for my tablesaw which doubles as an assembly table for cabinets/projects. I laid the middle leg out on the table, and checked it for square. After confirming it was square, I applied titebond III to the mating pieces and placed the bottom part of an outside leg over the bottom of the middle leg (this overlaps both the horiz and vertical parts of the middle leg). A couple of 2 inch pneumatic nails hold it together while I drive 3" deck screws to hold the pieces together. I then do the same with the vertical member, then flip the assembly over end do the other outside part of that leg. It helps to use a large C- clamp or pipe clamp or Bessey or whatever you have to clamp the pieces together before you drive the screws. This draws the pieces up nice and tight. I used 1 clamp and moved it for each screw - the screws were placed about 16-18 inches apart.

   I used 2 pieces of 1 X 4 in an "X" pattern for the cross brace and placed a screw through it and each vertical member. Absolutely no racking this way and this doesn't take up much space on your plywood side of the rack.

   Sounds like what you are looking at doing is something like "lumber rack scan 2" with the feet extended on the back

   As for the length of the feet - I made mine 30" - as I said I have a large stack of cherry to put on those bottom feet - some of the boards are 26" wide and the stack is about 28" tall. Quite a bit of weight to hold the whole thing down. I would recommend making the legs longer than the shelf brackets (I think the largest brackets available are 18" - so I would make the legs protrude from the front in the neighborhood of 24" at least). Longer legs will lend some stability to the design. If you plan to keep a lot of plywood on the back side of the rack then shorter feet may be OK. That plywood on the back will act like a counter-weight to keep it from tipping when the front side is loaded down with boards. But if the back (plywood) side is empty, you will need longer feet to keep the thing from tipping over.

   Hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions.

   Lee

   
2. 
   brad805 | Jan 03, 2008 08:05pm | #8

   I built a wall rack similar to what Lee did, but I have added the cant brackets to reduce the cost.  Right now, each rack is full of 6/4 or glulam stock and it is holding up great.  All laminated with overlapping joints, milled stock square, held together with brad nails until clamps added.  Disadvantage is it is not adjustable, but I decided this was ok after I added up the cost of the heavy duty racking from Lee Valley.  No reason you couldnt expand yours to include these.  Just an idea.  Also built a pair of cantilever tables using laminated plywood.  I opted for this to avoid fishing stock between table legs. 

   Brad