Lumber Storage #3: Medium Rare, just like I like it.

Some nice storage.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

That looks like you will get some good space savings and excellent air circulation to boot. I realize that if you stack it too tight, it will negate the airflow that you have, but do you have any idea what this system could realistically hold?

thats a good point HokieMojo. as I was tidying up, I didn’t stop to think about that. I’ll space them out a little bit. as far as capacity -rubbermaid claims those shelves are supposed to support ~350lbs between 3 of those brackets… which is impressive. I doubt I’ll get anywhere near that weight with what I’ve got which is a good thing.

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

PurpLev,
I’ve been using the same lumber storage system you just installed for two years now. They can hold a lot of lumber, I feel that I’ve pushed mine a bit more then I should have but it seems to be holding strong. I installed a track/brackets 16” apart/per stud. In the picture there is well over 300+ bd/ft of hard maple and other species.

To strengthen mine I used 3 1/2” drywall screws, and I added two more to each vertical bracket so there are 4 screws into each stud. As you can see in the photo, the system is very cheap to use and I’ve pretty much filled up every single square foot of wall space to store wood.

I live in colorado which is basically a kiln when it comes to drying lumber.. I don’t worry about air circulation at all, the tighter I can stack it.. the more wood I can horde. :)

-- Scott, Colorado

cool, Scott – I used 3 1/2” drywall screws into the studs as well. the last thing I wanted is to have the entire thing come off because of weak screw coming off.

glad to see it’s holding off so well. comparing numbers, this is by far more capable than the triton rack, and more versatile (longer brackets). so I’m pleased with this.

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

Is that the floor I see?????

-- Ellen on Cape Cod

Ellen – shocking , I know …. lol. only problem with this is, what now if chips/cutoff pieces fall on the floor – I can see them as they don’t blend with the rest of the wood/chips/cutoffs/younameit. one problem at a time though :D

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

Where on earth did you find such long lumber racks, way cool. I’d give my first born for one of those or two. Of course my firstborn is 36 now so who would want him, right? Man that is a great set up, nice and roomy.

-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com

The back wall of my garage allows me room to store 16’ boards on either of the lumber rack shelves.

-- Scott, Colorado

Mike, I picked those 24” brackets at HomeDepot (or maybe it was Lowes… one of the 2) it’s a rubbermaid brand storage system, you can mix and match different sizes bars and brackets as you please.

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

Nice storage. I need to work on mine. I’m tired of picking stuff off the floor.

-- Kent Shepherd * The goal is-----More Tools!

Thanks for the info. I’m gone.

-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com

flat is good ,
but some store their wood vertical ,
i saw nakashimas shop in pics once ,
he recomended on edge ,
not flat to wall ,it makes it bow .
same fingers off of wall ,
just place wood on edge ,
it resists bowing ( like an i-beam ) ,
and allowes air circulation .

-- david ,new mexico ,allheart

Nice storage!

-- CJIII Future cabinetmaker

Good Job Sharon you can never have to much wood storage.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

A word of Caution , my friends…Drywall screws have NO shear strength and the heads often pop off of them when you least expect it.
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/967794/shear_strength_of_nails_drywall_screws_construction_screw/

-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .

it’s an interesting find Len, however it seems like this has more to do with a high impact, and not quite shear force alone. as it may – the bars are fastened with 6 screws each, so the force is spread across them all.

I’m not saying drywall screws are the strongest – based on that video, it seems they are not -but I have been using the same setup for years and it seems to hold up very well.

still – a good point, and something to consider in the future- so Thanks for pointing that out.

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

Hello Sharon , over the years I have had numerous drywall screws pop their heads right off when used for construction purposes.
The video is an exaggeration of shear forces for demonstration purposes.

I used some 3.5” screws in a garage shelving /storage area only to end up with the shelves and their contents on the floor after a period of time. Nothing left on the wall except the sheared ends of the screw shafts and that was with using a quality name brand screw.The metal used for drywall screws is quite brittle when compared to others. You have to figure that the screw heads are already torqued against the brackets and each additional pound of weight added just increases the stress (aka shear forces)on them ….The tapered (bugle head) screws are meant to sink into the soft drywall easily , and when they come into contact with the metal brackets , they are stopped dead in their tracks causing stress on the brittle screw shafts.
I’d just hate to hear that the screw heads had given up and your shelves and their loads had fallen and had hurt you in any way . I’ve also worked in the building materials business for the past twenty odd years and have heard all kinds of horror stories from people that used the wrong fasteners on the job. My only concern was for your safety , my friend : )
I have to quote a friend of mine here by saying , “Do what you want to do , you’re going too anyway ” LOL

-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .

I just went back to read the comments under the video and found this one to be quite interesting AND hilarious at the same time :

“going to the store now
to get sheetrock screws for my mother in laws new balcony,she’ll get a jump rope for her birthday…..thx”

By tangent68 1 year ago

-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .

Thanke Len – as I said, I never had any bad experience with those – but if you personally had, then I guess I’m going to reconsider, and swapping the screws with something more capable. Thanks for the insight. definitely don’t want to go and find all that lumber/etc ‘reorganized’ around the shop.

yeah – I thought that was an entertaining comment he posted – also the one about getting her a jump rope…lol

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

LOL
To quote another friend of mine … ”When in doubt – There is no doubt – Go the safer route.”
Be safe and stay healthy , my friend : )

-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .