# garage / basement shelving rack



## Pabs (Dec 10, 2008)

Hi all

just moved into my new house last week and the construction projects have begun!

first one I want to tackle is some heavy duty shelving for the basement
something to keep all the boxes off the ground

wondering on design…few questions

how deep is a good shelf? 16" or more.?

I plan on building this out of 2/4 and 1/2 or 3/4 ply for the shelves. make a basic box out to the 2×4 and cover it with ply 
the full width of the shelving unit will be 8 feet

now to attach that box to the vertical 2×4's (the corners) .. everywhere I see people simply drill the box to the vertical piece… meaning the screws are the only thing holding the shelf… seems weak to me… wouldn't cutting a dado in the vertical piece be the way to go? make the dado big enough to fit the 2×4 and the ply

and for height? I was going to leave a good 10 to 12 inches off the floor to avoid problems with humidity.. then have 3 shelves separated by about 20"

so that would be 12" + 20" + 20" +20" = 72" 
the ceiling height being a little under 8 feet (96") that would leave me with some room on the top to store whatever… 
anyway, maybe 20" isn't big enough…not sure what a typical height is

any tips or links to some nice demos would be great

thanks guys…


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

Are you focused primarily on function or appearance? If your primary objective is function, consider some "legs" in the front corners and middle. They add a lot of strength for not much effort or money.


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## Pabs (Dec 10, 2008)

function first….
what do you mean by legs in the corners and middle?


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## RinnyTin (May 24, 2011)

If you have moisture problems, your framing will be touching the floor regardless of how high the first shelf is. Is the basement unfinished with open framing? If so, you can hang all the shelving off the walls and eliminate the problem of wood to floor contact. I did something along these lines:

http://www.dannylipford.com/video/simple-garage-storage-solutions/ in the garage.

I did 16" deep shelves out of 3/4 ply, I think any less isn't that useful. As for shelf height, I'd figure out what you're going to be storing and design accordingly. I bought a bunch of those Rubbermaid storage totes and figured the shelf height to accommodate them.

And get a dehumidifier! Dark + damp = mold.


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## live4ever (Feb 27, 2010)

Check out The WoodWhisperer's video titled "Racking My Brain." Though it's a lumber rack, the same strategy can be used for general shelving if you just add shelves.

http://thewoodwhisperer.com/racking-my-brain/

Actually I first saw this design on Woodgears, where Matthias used it for general garage shelving.

http://woodgears.ca/shelves/garage.html


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## brtech (May 26, 2010)

Is the ceiling finished or open?

If it's open, I have had great success with running a 2×4 from the floor up to a joist in the ceiling and nailing it to the joist. Then I screwed 2×4's between the vertical 2×4's to define the shelves. On mine, the shelves are 30" deep, 32" wide, and I put a 2×4 between the verticals (16" on center) and dropped 1/2" plywood on that, notched for the 2×4s". Mine are 8' wide (5 posts). . Lots of storage, cheap, solid.


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## ChefHDAN (Aug 7, 2010)

Building with 2×4's will lose alot of your storage space and most of the stuff you'll put down there won't really be that heavy. Rip 2×4's in half on TS for stock and work in same design most of your weight will be supported by the stock in compression and the shelves gain incredible ridgity when boxed and panels are screwed and glued. These are some simple shelves I built for the recycling bins fron halved 2×4's and some OSB I salvaged from a house being built. Rabbeted the stock for the panels and dadoed the legs to hold the shelves. They work great and no lost space or extra $$$ for the 2×4s


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## DMIHOMECENTER (Mar 5, 2011)

Try this. No posts, no hangers, and no cantilevers required. They are NOT attached to the ceiling in any way. They are lag-bolted to the studs. I have done these with shelving under and over where ceiling height permits.


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

What do you plan on storing on this….I noticed words like heavy duty and boxes, but what exactly do you plan on storing? Regardless I am always a fan of over beefing things. I would also consider making the shelves 24 inches deep rather than 16. Easy to rip a 4×8 sheet in half and gives you depth equivalent to a standard countertop. Also in terms of the dado, I feel like ripping a dado in your boards may weaken them too much, if your worried about strenght don't use standard drywall screws-try something heavier like lags. good luck


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## TechRedneck (Jul 30, 2010)

Or.. you can do all three, hang from rafters, bolt to the wall and build a cart.

Each hanger is made from one 2×4 held with screws. I can move them as needed.









All the stress is sheer and can hold over 300 lbs. (tested by two people hanging from them) Space them enough to carry the load and put your long stuff there. On the walls I use adjustable heavy duty shelving that changes with whatever I can get at the time. The mobile cart holds sheet goods on the back side and has bins for cutoffs in the center and in front. Think I got the plan out of one of my books.


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## TechRedneck (Jul 30, 2010)

Holy crap, just noticed this was originally posted 263 days ago.. getting late, time to go to bed and stop reading this website!


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## ChefHDAN (Aug 7, 2010)

Oh well we might be late to the party but I just got an idea for a new lumber cart from your photo!


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## Pabs (Dec 10, 2008)

yeah… it's been a while but not too late!

TechRedneck, your bin for sheet goods, are you happy with it? I've been thinking of building something similar since sheet goods are such a pain to store and get too. Mine are all stacked at the front of the shop… but to get to anything is a real chore…

where did you get the plan? could you make it available to me?

thanks


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## TechRedneck (Jul 30, 2010)

Pabs The cart is a great addition to the shop, use it all the time and it tucks in when not in use, it is easy to move around the shop (when the car and truck are out).

I can't remember where I got the plan or what book it was from, however I took some measurements for you and from the photos and notes below you should be able to put one together. I built this last year sometime.

Length = 72" 
height = (not including casters) 48" 
height of front bins = 18" 
Depth overall = 24"

the center section is 5 and 11/16" at top and 9 and 3/4" at bottom. Cut the back of the upright at 90 degrees on one side (with the bins) and angle the back part where the sheetgoods are stored.

I believe you will use around 4 sheets of 3/4 CDX ply (nothing really fancy) Cut some strips to reinforce the bottom of the cart where you will put the casters. I would get the good urathane ones (don't cheap out on the casters!) one set fixed and one swivel. This thing gets very heavy when loaded.

here is a front view

















And.. If you are really inspired, I got the plans for this overhead clamp rack from Woodsmith Shopnotes, you can order the books off their website, I subscribe to Woodsmith mag. I love this rack, it hangs above the assembly table, clamps are always handy and out of the way. I've added more clamps since this was taken.









Those sliding doors behind the clamp rack are hiding storage I built for the wife. They were custom built to hold those plastic bins from Wally World. I used pressure treated lumber where it contacted any floor or wall and used plywood shelving with a 2×4 frame underneath. To save the hassle of a center support on the shelf (a whole 4×8x3/4 sheet) I used threaded rod and suspended the shelf from the floor joists. When we built the house, the joists were oversized so I don't worry about overloading the beams.


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## RinnyTin (May 24, 2011)

@techredneck that clamp rack is cool, PVC pipe?


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## Pabs (Dec 10, 2008)

thanks TechRedneck!

I can definitely do something with the measurements you gave me, that's great!

one question… the center section.. .do they run the full length of the unit (72") ? or is there a divider in the middle?
and what does the side of the full sheets look like? what stops the sheets from sliding out? just a little lip on the edge?


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## TechRedneck (Jul 30, 2010)

Pabs

the center shelves run the full length of the unit. They will be 3/4" less because at the back it is solid. You can use this to hang some clamps or something but mine is one piece in the back and open on the other end.

Put a lip on the sheet side of the unit at the bottom to keep the sheets in place, 3 to 4" should be fine. I also left a gap at the top of the unit that holds clamps and long thin pieces. So the top shelf is actually about 4" below the top of the unit.


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## Pabs (Dec 10, 2008)

gotcha! why did you close off the back? to make it more rigid? just wondering as I figure it would be practical to get lumber access from both ends
just curious..
thanks again for taking the time to detail it out…will be doing this once I figure out how to squeeze out 25 hours from a day!


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## TechRedneck (Jul 30, 2010)

Rinny:

Yes that is PVC. Just get a pipe and cut it down. The rack is actually a 2×4, drill holes for the pipe then rip it right down the middle on the table saw. One for the front and one for the back. Then lay the pipe sections in and sink some long decking screws between every other pipe or so to sandwich the pipes in. Cut the end hangers out of some scrap and screw the racks to it and then screw the whole unit to the joists. Be sure to measure the distance between the rafters first and make the rack to size to fit between 2 or three joists.

I had to remove the end caps from the Bessy clamps to fit into the pipe. I just inserted a small screw and nut in the hole at the end of the clamp to keep the clamp end from running off the rail by accident. (happened once)


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## TechRedneck (Jul 30, 2010)

Yes, a solid back makes it more rigid. I don't find the need to feed from both ends but that may be an interesting thing to do. You would need to make sure you glue and screw the sides well if you are going to rely on just the shelves to support the unit instead of going with one solid side. The shelves are mitered slightly to match the angle of the sheet good side, I would say about 80 degrees.


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## Pabs (Dec 10, 2008)

yeah… I could go the extra step and dado those shelve in…dado, glue and screw…that would likely make it rigid enough

I'll post when I try it… if I ever I find some free time!


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## TechRedneck (Jul 30, 2010)

Pabs:

Hit the angle right, use a dado, glue and screws and you should be fine. Good luck and post some pics.


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