# Show me your scrap lumber storage cart



## Joel_B (Aug 14, 2014)

Looking to build something like this to store scrap lumber that I should throw away but can't.
Must have wheels and be space efficient. The other day my wife slipped and fell on some pieces I had lying on the floor and I am really pissed at myself about it.










Also looking to build some wall racks, it seems metal pipe for the shelf is popular:


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## BurlyBob (Mar 13, 2012)

That top one is a dandy. Don't have room for the bottom one.


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## Sarit (Oct 21, 2009)

I was gonna build a lumber rack until I found that lowe's has them on sale now for $20 each.
Portamate Wood Rack

You can even build a cart frame and attach the portamate to it. I like it because the steel construction allows you to store a little more in the same space and at $20 a pop, the price diff between it and DIY is pretty small.


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## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

My 'scrap storage' is the concrete floor to the left of the saw!

Spending good $ on scrap storage is a little redundant. The scraps only have value if they're free. The more cost to store them the less the savings from having them. Eventually the law of diminishing returns kicks in and it reverts to being OCD.

I milled some moulding for an in process job I keep in a 4" cardboard tube. I use the shelf in the OSS stand for shorts from 12" to 18"

I don't inventory much lumber so storage isn't an issue. I use down to tiny pieces & those get fed to the model maker for miniature lumber.

Its hard to store much in an 8×10 shop:









(Note lumber storage leaning on planer. ..)


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## Joel_B (Aug 14, 2014)

> I was gonna build a lumber rack until I found that lowe s has them on sale now for $20 each.
> Portamate Wood Rack
> 
> You can even build a cart frame and attach the portamate to it. I like it because the steel construction allows you to store a little more in the same space and at $20 a pop, the price diff between it and DIY is pretty small.
> ...


Thats perfect, on my to pick one up.


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## Kazooman (Jan 20, 2013)

The problem with these racks is they bear no relation to the typical "scrap" lumber one accumulates in the shop. I have pieces ranging from 1 X 10 X 8' to chunks of more exotic wood that are 2×2x8". It come in all widths, thicknesses and lengths. My guess is that most of what people save at the end of a project is nothing like the nice dimensional lumber shown on the rolling rack.

The Lowes rack doesn't look very good to me. Not enough support for the el goth of the pieces. They are going to sag and take on a bow. They are cheap enough that I would suggest buying two and using them to double up on the support.


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## bearkatwood (Aug 19, 2015)

I have a huge scrap wood storage cart, it has a door on it and a workbench inside. I am not very organized so the wood kind of acts like my insulation and fills all the voids that are not being used by other tools.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

> You can even build a cart frame and attach the portamate to it. I like it because the steel construction allows you to store a little more in the same space and at $20 a pop, *the price diff between it and DIY is pretty small*.
> - Sarit


Unless you happen to have a welder and some old bed frames 
(which also lets you design it for your specific needs!)

Cheers,
Brad


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## woodbutcherbynight (Oct 21, 2011)

> I have a huge scrap wood storage cart, it has a door on it and a workbench inside. I am not very organized so the wood kind of acts like my insulation and fills all the voids that are not being used by other tools.
> 
> - bearkatwood


ROFLMAO


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

If it was scrap you wouldn't save it - scrap goes in the trash or gets burned. If you keep it, it's leftover, salvage, remnants, etc., but it ain't scrap.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

Here is a cart I built for smaller pieces.








This a lumber rack for longer pieces, and by laying a piece of plywood across a couple of spans you can also use it to stack smaller pieces as well.


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## ChefHDAN (Aug 7, 2010)

I've got most of what is already shown, but also added this one for all the smaller bits and pieces that I had been accumulating in buckets and then never looking at. This is somewhat styled similar to racks I use in kitchens where it's more efficient to store in the vertical. There's also a good storage thread here


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## Joel_B (Aug 14, 2014)

> I was gonna build a lumber rack until I found that lowe s has them on sale now for $20 each.
> Portamate Wood Rack
> 
> You can even build a cart frame and attach the portamate to it. I like it because the steel construction allows you to store a little more in the same space and at $20 a pop, the price diff between it and DIY is pretty small.
> ...


Started to install the Portamate rack and the sheet metal screws that hold the horizontal bars in place strip out the holes in the vertical bar, I don't really trust that to hold. I drilled out the hole all the way through so I can install #8 machine screws and put a nut on the back. Too bad they didn't do that way. Of course I don't have the right size screws in my infinite screw collection. Also the 110 lb rating per rack is no joke, I pushed down on a bar and its not that sturdy but it will do. Still for $20 not bad.


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## GregTP (Oct 26, 2015)

At first I built this as a single unit that took up a whole wall, then got smarter and cut it in half to use up the upper wall space. I have 11ft ceilings in the shop which is a big help.

The whole thing cost $30 and only took a few hours to make and install. 2×4s with a 1" hole drilled at a 5 degree angle, then 2ft sections of 1" black iron pipe.

I am also thinking of building a cart for small stuff, as you can see, I end up stacking alot of small bits on top of the larger ones which becomes a real pain when you need to get to something at the bottom.


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## Underdog (Oct 29, 2012)

Ummmm….

My whole shop?


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## Gixxerjoe04 (Jan 31, 2014)

I have a couple of the portamate racks, pretty good I think, for $20 I'll prob get another to add some more support to the two I got. The screws that go under the support arms don't tighten down, but I don't see them falling out. The one negative this is the clearance isn't a lot so stickering boards can be done but you won't have much wood on there. Of course if you sticker on there, shouldn't have to worry about going over weight, I have mine loaded down.


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## CameronRobertson (Jul 29, 2013)

I think the storage ideas given by Bondo are by far the best. The mobile shelf with wheels can be used for those scrap pieces that you work with more often. As for the racks on the walls, you can use them for much longer scraps and also those pieces that do not get much attention on a much regular basis. They both would keep the scraps out of the way for good.


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