# How do you store 4x8 plywood sheets in your tiny shop?



## JasonWhite

Anybody got a slick system for storing plywood sheets that doesn't take up any floor space?

Jason


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## sbryan55

Jason, Dadoo and I have similar method for storing sheet goods. If you look at Dadoo's shop picture 4 gives a pretty good idea of the plywood cart that he has put in his shop. I use something similar but instead of fixing it to the studs I have made mine free standing. It can hold 30 sheets but is almost impossible to move if I have it loaded with more than 10 full sheets. We both have sized our lumber racks so that the plywood cart will fit underneath the lumber storage area. As a bonus since the studs making up the supports on the lumber rack are exposed there is additional storage space available between the studs for offcuts.

In my shop the lumber and plywood storage project out 2' into the shop's footprint and I have extended it about 16' along the outside shop wall in order to be able to store molding and long boards.


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## khop

Toolpig
I have a vertical storage area in the corner of my shop. I built a raised platforn 4"high where I stand the sheets up and slide them in. It is very easy to pick one and remove it. I don't worry about warpage because I keep the bin full including smaller pieces. Check out my shop pictures, it is left of the overhead door in image #4. This method has worked well for me.
KHOP


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## rhett

Nothing slick, but I stack sheets on edge right inside of the door. Keep the area clean in front of the stack. Have a 7 piece 4×8 grid, made of 2" plywood strips that fit together with half-lap joints. Construct the grid, drop plywood on it and cut to rough size. If I need a sheet in the back, just drop them till I get to it. Nothing fancy, just useful. K.I.S.S. methodoligy.


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## Dadoo

Wow! Thanks for the kudos Scott! I'm getting ready to make mine wider actually, to accommodate more. Jason, the plywood will eventually start to warp regardless of what you do, especially if it's some cheap grade (Chinese) or thin stock. The best thing to do is buy and use what you need as soon as you can. If ya got any questions or need more, feel free to PM me here.


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## Paul2274

Scott-brilliant idea… and on wheels so you can have storage behind…. just a great idea…. I will be filing away for future ref!


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## Rick Dennington

Here's how I stack my plywood. I made a "riser" about 4" off the floor, and about 12" wide, and 8' long. 
I put supports every 12 " apart for strength. It works really good, and the ply just slides right out.

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/uu73/RickDennington/plywoodrackcut-offbin.jpg


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## a1Jim

Hey Jason
The best way to store Ply is to lay it flat up off the floor but most folks don't have enough to room to do that so they find a way on edge ether upright or or horizontally if you do it that way you need to minimize bowing
by some type of compression to keep it as flat as possible.


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## ondablade

Guess i'm really going for the big time with the rack i'm about to build in the bowing stakes by standing 8 X 4s on the 4ft ends. Sounds like i'd better figure out some sort of compression deal as you say Jim. Maybe use something like this, it's pretty much got a ready made bracket: http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp?pf_id=719708&name=clamps&user_search=1&sfile=1&jump=44

I've only got about 2 in clearance at roof height too, so i'm thinking of sheeting the bottom of the rack (floor) with PVC sheet over some 3/4 in MDF for ease of sliding.

Then a 'keeper' offcut bin hung off the front of it.

Mine is beside a set of large double doors so access is easy, and at the infeed end of my panel saw - but i think will have to be anchored to the wall for stability.

ian

ian


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## bunkie

My shop is about 250 square feet with minimal clear wall space. I built a mobile rack that stores up to 5 sheets of 3/4" ply on one side and smaller pieces on the other. My Saw is on a mobile base and I have a folding workbench as well as a ShopSmith Mark V with casters and DC3300 dust collector. The rack goes against one of my two long walls and the aforementioned items get pushed up against it. It's not optimal, but it works for me. The biggest issue is that the thing is incredible heavy when loaded and takes muscle to maneuver it around.


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## BlankMan

Mine doesn't take up any floor space, zero, nil, nada. It's in the garage hanging from the rafters, I built two of them and I can store about 30+ 3/4" 4'x8' sheets. I used 1/2" galvanized pipe to construct it. (Just ran out the garage to take the picture, in shorts. It's 24 degrees out. A bit cold I realized.)


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## TopamaxSurvivor

Curt, are you sure the rafters will hold 30 + sheets?


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## cabinetmaster

You're right Topamax, 30 sheets would be a lot of weight for something like that.


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## BlankMan

Well, that's a good question and the answer is I don't know and I don't want to find out the hard way.  I do have the room though but I really can't see the need to have that many on hand.

I did beef up the rafter supports before I put the racks up though. If you notice the two vertical supports on the right side, the one with the metal plate and the one behind it. And at the other end and in the middle also, so I wasn't just relying on the cross joists from side to side for carrying the load. So far the roof hasn't sagged. 

The rack on the left which is the one shown has the plywood, the rack on the right (not shown) has dimensional lumber stored on it which I don't think is as heavy.


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## Padre

I like the overhead idea, but how do you get them up there?


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## hunter71

Saw a make-up bench that was a bit larger then 4×8. The guy had shelves where he slid in his ply. Worked for him.


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## craftsman on the lake

My shop isn't that large I store mine vertically against a wall and have a pin that holds them there. Often I cut them in half. They become another piece of wood then small enough to store easily.


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## BlankMan

Brute force Chip, I lift them. The downside is when the one I want is on the bottom of the stack. Which it usually is…


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## PurpLev

maybe not the most useful - but I let the store store it for me (pun intended). I don't keep extra full sheets around, as I really don't have the space for it. I get my sheets per project, and keep the cutoffs for misc. projects.


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## rickf16

That's what my in-laws garage is for


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