# Need tips for lumber storage in small basement



## jtrz (Mar 10, 2015)

I'm slowly getting my little basement wood shop into shape and was wondering if anyone has some advice on how I can best store lumber. I will be mainly be storing framing type lumber, 2x's, 1x's, etc. but every once in awhile I will some nicer pieces.

Here is a photo of space where the wood rack needs to go. It is far from ideal but there just isn't any other place to put it:










If the joists ran the other direction I would just attach 2×4s onto them and use metal pipes. But I need the rack to go up against that wall and the only thing to attach to is that the joist that sits on the concrete wall. My initial thought was attaching 5 of these as shown in the photo (pardon the hand):










Now this could work but as you can see the joist braces take up a lot of space and I am reluctant to make the 2×4's much longer because they are essentially hanging and I am worried about the weight of a bunch of wood sitting up there.

So what are your alls thoughts on my predicament? Any ideas?

Because I am going to use part of that back wall for some kind of peg storage and my work bench and other tool carts will go up against the wall, I really can only use the top few feet for wood storage. But if I could get 2 or maybe 3 levels of storage that would be great.

Another note is that the joists are probably 80 years old so they are rock hard so any tips on the best way to attach 2x material to them would also be very helpful.

Thanks as always

Any ideas would be great


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## AZWoody (Jan 18, 2015)

If the pieces are not taller than the ceiling, just go vertical. Then you don't have to worry about bearing a load on anything other than the floor.


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## jtrz (Mar 10, 2015)

Can I store wood that I have jointed and planed vertically? If so, is there any trick to designing this type of a storage system? I've seen ways to store plywood vertically which is what I am doing in another part of the basement but I've never seen lumber stored vertically.

Thanks


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## jtrz (Mar 10, 2015)

Oh and I am trying to avoid drilling into the concrete since that may come up.


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## AZWoody (Jan 18, 2015)

> Can I store wood that I have jointed and planed vertically? If so, is there any trick to designing this type of a storage system? I ve seen ways to store plywood vertically which is what I am doing in another part of the basement but I ve never seen lumber stored vertically.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> - jtrz


Yes you can. Some people say that the wood will bow but I have 90% of my lumber stores vertically with no problems. I'm sure if you lean it at an extreme angle you might run into problems.

You don't need to attach anything to the floor. Maybe just lay a piece of plywood down to keep the lumber off the concrete as it may pick up moisture from the floor. All you need to do is attach some kind of support on the wall that will keep the lumber vertical. Kind of like that pipe you have showing but it does not have to bear as much weight.

Go look at my projects and you'll see my storage racks. If you have more pieces of that pipe and the mount, you're good to go. Now, if you need the floor space, then you'll have to go horizontal.

For me, it's just a lot easier going through my lumber to pick out the right pieces when it's vertical.


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## sreilly24590 (Mar 20, 2017)

Or you could build a free standing horizontal rack that would suffice as well. That keeps the lumber off the concrete where it could wick up moisture. Making it say 3-4 feet deep should give it stability and then go as high as you need.


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## jtrz (Mar 10, 2015)

Just occurred to me that I don't have the clearance to store vertically. I think I am going to go ahead with initial plan just so I have something. We will see how it turns out.

Thanks


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## sreilly24590 (Mar 20, 2017)

Why not a freestanding unit like shelves without shelving boards? You make make as large or small as needed. Heck you could put it on casters.


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## jtrz (Mar 10, 2015)

It's all about square footage at the moment. I am in the corner of a basement so i have two walls at my disposal. Here is an photo to give you a better idea of what I am dealing with:









The wall without all of the pipes and breaker box is where I need to be put my bench and other tools that will have carts when they are not in use. So a two foot deep shelf just isn't practical. And where I have one of those cheap home depot shelves on the left in the picture is right next to the water heater so I am a little reluctant to store wood that I have gotten nice and square there. And there is only about 5 or 6 feet of space there anyways.


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## hairy (Sep 23, 2008)

I keep small pieces in the basement, big pieces in the garage. I move long pieces inside to acclimate before using. I mostly make small projects. I use a cart for rough pieces. I see no reason to square and surface it until needed.










That pipe rack looks like a bad idea waiting to happen. These are easy to make, keep the spacing 24" or less. Make them any size you need.


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## jonah (May 15, 2009)

There's nothing wrong with hanging 2×4s off the rim joist and then putting pipe or wood supports on that. You'd want to use sizable screws or even 1/4" lag bolts to attach the 2×4s. Be sure to pre drill all the holes.

You can actually relocated that cross bracing along that joist bay if you need to. They don't need to be lined up with the others to do their job, which is to prevent the joists from racking or twisting.


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## eflanders (May 2, 2013)

I've had my share of small shops over the years, they take some creativity for sure! One thing I did was to make some "T" brackets out of 11/2" angle iron. The bottom of the T was attached to the floor joist with a 5/16 bolt. The T was welded at the intersection, (but could be bolted). This allows double sided storage and I placed mine above my workbench. I also had storage under the workbench attached to the trestle legs. Take advantage of all of the storage space between the joists as well. You have a lot of space for long stock, just not sheet stock. For sheet stock, I kept it in my garage against a wall in a swing out type cart. My home made panel saw was (and still is) mounted up in the ceiling and swings down on hinges for cutting sheet stock to rough size before bringing down to my basement shop.
Good luck!


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## Mr_Pink (May 20, 2017)

I also have a small basement shop, but my exterior walls are uneven limestone block. I store some pieces under four feet long on the lower half of a wire shelving unit I got from a big box store. I store the rest vertically, but not all in the same place. Vertical storage can be as flexible (disorganized) as you want it to be.


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## jtrz (Mar 10, 2015)

Thanks for all of the responses.

hairy />A shop cart for rough lumber is what I will need at some point but right now I am mainly working with 2x material. So my rough lumber right now consists of 8' 2×4's (and later this afternoon it is going to consist of a ton of 50 year old 1x of unknown species (probably pine) that I have to get out of my recently deceased great uncles basement. These boards will be 8' - 9'.

The basement I'm working in is 7'2" to top of joist and 7'11" to above subfloor. I don't have a lot of room so finding a nice out of the way place for my wood is essential. The wood brackets would be perfect but I would need to either frame a 2×4 fur wall against the concrete or drill directly into the concrete which my friend slash roommate would not be happy about. So I am trying to avoid any major alterations.

jonah />I've thought about moving the bracing and I may end up doing it. I wonder if I could actually mount the pipe mounts directly to the joist and then add an L connection and another longer piece. That way I could get part of the pipe below the joist so it will be easier to grab lumber.

I just wonder what kind of load black pipe can take, specifically where it threads into the mounts and connections. The mounts are labeled "floor mounts".

And, yea, pre drilling holes in those joists is a must. Those things are hard as rocks.

eflanders />The T bracket is a good idea. I've got a friend with a metal shop so I could fabricate them there. I'd rather not bolt them together.

I think I am going to have to use the space in between the joists, as I mentioned above. It is just the only thing that makes sense and saves the most space. I can make a more accessible and smaller rack for lumber that I have trued up and is ready to be used.

I mentioned this above but I will ask it again. Does anyone know how much weight this black pipe can take when it is threaded? I would drill holes into 1.5" side of a 2×4 and put the pipe in that way but without a drill press I am a bit reluctant.

Thanks for the ideas and if you have more keep them coming.


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## hairy (Sep 23, 2008)

Make a freestanding bench/shelf/lumber rack. Out of 2x material. Use it all up, then you won't need a rack anymore. Get some shims,or keep it level as you build, I doubt your floor is level.

Screw it together. Someday you can take it apart and make something else from it.


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## papadan (Mar 6, 2009)

Jeff, why all the 2X material? I cut all my stock at 6', wont ever need anything longer. If you're gonna build a larger(8') bench then just go ahead and build it instead of storing the wood for it. Let me know if you need help hauling your uncles lumber or anything. Dan


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## OnhillWW (Jan 10, 2015)

I used a system very much like these years ago. Purchased from Home Depot but I've seen it in other outlets as well. Strong as hell and many shelf brackets to choose from. Only need to secure to the wall at the top so well suited for your application. Good luck.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=65252&cat=1,43326
and
http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=32144&cat=1,43326


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## BenDupre (Jan 23, 2017)

rest the 2x's on the floor and zip them to the wall using Tapcons all you need is a hammer drill. A box of Tapcons can be bought with the pilot drill in the box. Make sure you drill pilot holes deep enough or the heads will torque off if the screw bottoms out.


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## firefighterontheside (Apr 26, 2013)

Stand up 4×4s against the concrete and lag them to the bandboard. Then drill holes for pieces of pipe every 6" or so. Put one 4×4 every 24" for however far you wanna go.


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## ThomasMaloney (Sep 25, 2014)

Love reading all the ideas in here. I'm quite excited to see if anyone else has anymore solutions. I personally would use the free-standing method if you're talking about basement walls. Unless you're absolutely sure that they won't come down and create a big hole in the wall that you need to clean up!


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

Why not just keep what you are immediately going to use in your basement and find an easier place to store the rest, eg. if you have a garage or a shed etc? Lumber storage is the bane of most woodworkers, mostly because it takes up valuable space in what are already small shops. Would be far easier for you if you've inherited a bunch of lumber to put it all in a small shed outside, or hang it up in the garage.


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## msinc (Jan 8, 2017)

> ........So what are your alls thoughts on my predicament? Any ideas?........Any ideas would be great
> - jtrz


You might already have thought about this and have it addressed, but yes sir, at the absolute top of your list {as in job 1} really should be a dehumidifier. Wood tends to pretty quickly "equalize" it's moisture content with the environment it is stored in. For some strange reason it takes a very long time to naturally dry wood, but not a very long time for it to "reabsorb" moisture. Not knocking your basement, I have just never seen one that maintained 50% humidity on it's own. 
I guess what I am saying is that I have "been there, done that" and I get that some sort of neat, easy. cost effective way of stacking and storing it might seem like the most important thing, but how great is it when you now have wood sitting there getting saturated with moisture?? I can tell you that it aint so great when you go to start a project only to find your neatly stacked and stored wood is back up to 17% or worse. Best of luck.

Edit: not only for the wood, but if this doesn't convince you I am pretty sure when you walk down there one day and see all the tables of your machines covered in red rust….....well, just ask me how I know!!!


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

I would probably use 2×4 joist hangers to run 2×4s connecting 2 joists, Do this every 18 or so inches to allow shorter pieces and longer pieces without them bending too much. 
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-Double-2-in-x-4-in-Double-Shear-Face-Mount-Joist-Hanger-LUS24-2/205324407


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## mathguy1981 (Aug 30, 2018)

Very different idea here. I noticed the support column in the 3rd picture that you posted. You have what looks to be a 4' piece of plywood leaning against it now. Why not, on the other side of that column support, build a 36" tall (or whatever height your table saw outfeed is) by 8 feet long wood storage "box"? If you put an upper lid on it, you could use it for your table saw outfeed. It would be a freestanding open shelved design, and you could even run some flexible metal lashing or giant clamp around the column support to keep it from moving.


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## bilyo (May 20, 2015)

jrtz,
As someone already answered, there is nothing wrong with fastening the vertical 2×4s to the rim joists. But, to carry the load of the stored wood, you will need to extend them all the way to the floor. You say that you want to install pegboard at lower levels below the storage. That's OK. You will need something to fasten your pegboard to and it should stand-off from the wall a bit anyway in order for the hooks to extend through. Install your 2×4s at 16" centers from rim joist to the floor. Make sure the top is very secure to counter tipping forces. Brace them from the next floor joist if necessary.

You also say that you can't fasten the vertical 2×4s to the wall. I don't think it is absolutely necessary, but maybe you could use some construction adhesive rather than mechanical fasteners. The loads from above are going to push the whole system against the wall anyway. And, if you attach pegboard to the lower part, it will help keep the 2×4s stable side to side.

I built a somewhat similar system in my shop years ago. It consists of 2×4s lag screwed into the wall studs and uses 1 1/2" electrical rigid conduit for lumber supports. The supports are press fit into cleanly bored holes in the 2×4s and pass all the way through to flush with the back side.










I don't know exactly how much load your pipes and flanges will carry. Before I constructed my system, I made one, mounted it to a secure spot and tested it. Figure out the amount of weight you plan to put on each one and put a test load on it until you reach that weight plus a generous safety margin (maybe 50%). Since the loads will be +- evenly placed over the length of the pipe, place or hang your test loads at the midpoiint.

Hope this helps.

Whoa! I just noticed that jrtz's original post was over a year ago. Oh well. Maybe this will help someone.


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## bndawgs (Oct 21, 2016)

I wonder what the OP ended up doing as this thread is over a year old. It would be cool if he popped in and gave an updated.


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

What about making a rolling cart to store it on flat. Store it low and you can work over it on top. the cart can be moved out of the way when you need the space for a project!

cheers, Jim


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Note for any future readers….you are welcome to visit the Dungeon Shop anytime….just let me know when. ''Lumber is brought into the house, I have a 9' tall wall I can lean the stack of boards against..until I need a board…ceiling IN the shop is about 7'...before you hit any floor joists….8' long boards either need to be cut to rough length, or stood up between the joists. Have an old lathe bench ( no lathe, now) where I can stash any and all cut-offs. No long term stowage.


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## WoodenDreams (Aug 23, 2018)

If using mostly benchtop equipment, you could build shelves under the workbenches, and store the lumber under the workbench. This adds weight to the bench to give extra stability to the bench. I have 3 workbenches storing 2' and shorter pieces, 1 workbench middle shelf stores up to 4' boards with a lower above floor shelf storing up to 6' boards, The main work bench 4'x4' storing 4' boards, my 8' boards I store under my 2'x8' gluing and clamping table. most of my projects are less 3' long so some times I cut things down to 4' then store the boards.


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