I would like to store some sheet goods overhead in my garage in the 6-inch space between the ceiling and the one-piece garage door.
Will it be safe enough for 5 sheets of 1/2″ ply if I use 4 rows of 3/4″ o.d. pipe spaced 18″ apart? The pipes would be inserted into plywood holders that are bolted to some steel angle; the steel angle strips would be lag-bolted to the ceiling.
The design is similar to the attached article but uses small strips of 24 ga steel angle (1.25 x 1.25 inches) instead of the 2×2 rails on the ceiling and only 4 rows of 3/4 pipe instead of 6. The design in the article is also not wide enough for ply sheets.
Will this be safe enough to hold the wood?
Thanks for the feedback,
Brian
Edited 2/20/2007 1:53 am ET by bmyyou
Replies
The rack you propose will probably be fine in terms of holding the amount of plywood you intend to put up there. The thing you need to be concerned about is what you're attaching the rack to.
If your garage is built with trusses, unless they are rated for storage on the bottom chord, they are likely not designed to hold any extra weight. Trusses are not "overbuilt" the way many stick built roof assemblies were in older homes. They are carefully engineered to hold exactly what they are rated for - in garages it's usually just the ceiling drywall. So, unless you're certain the trusses are rated to hold extra weight, it's a risk to overload them.
Zolton
i'd be more concerned with the logistics of man handling sheet goods into and out of an overhead rack...good luck with that one...
This is plywood for storm protection so I hope that I will only have to store it and not have to retrieve it.
That design would work well for my basement storage. The joists are exposed. Not so good for sheet goods, but very good for dimesional lumber.
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