# Freestanding Lumber Rack



## jgreiner (Oct 23, 2010)

A lot of lumber racks are mounted directly to walls that works great for those that have studded walls. I have cinder block walls in my garage and I'd prefer not to plow into them with a bunch of tapcons if I can help it. Currently my lumber rack is mounted to the wall it's one of those portamate racks (really worth the 30$ I got it on sale for quick and simple lumber storage) but I'd like to expand it and increase some sheet good storage so here is what I've come up with.










Some details:
It's about 5'10'' high and about 4' 7'' wide, the shelves can hold the 48'' x 32'' sheets of plywood I get. My mini cooper can't hold anything larger than that so usually I'll get a sheet of plywood cut into 3 pieces to fit in my car. I like to keep 2 sheets handy for whatever reason. This will hold up to 6 full sheets (18 pieces) of 3/4'' and 3 full sheets (9 pieces) of half inch combined .. or any combination of MDF, hardboard etc.. I want to throw in there. The bottom shelf is empty I'll most likely store tools or something there I dunno but the idea of bending over to lug out a 3/4'' sheet of plywood wasn't appealing.

The rods/bars will hold lumber and will be 1/2'' or 3/4'' I'm not sure yet. I know 3/4'' would be stronger but not sure if it's overkill or what. I'm also thinking about covering the pipes with PVC or something I've heard they can stain the wood but I have no idea on that.

The idea is the pipe goes through the center and into the wood behind it about an inch and a half, this should produce a pretty strong shelf I would think since it has quiet a bit of leverage. The idea is the outside lumber rack will hold readily available woods, while the inside will hold some wood for long time storage (extra stock or material I don't use often etc..)

Here is a concept picture of what it could look like fully loaded.










To be honest I have no idea when I'll be start work on this project, I'm like in the middle of a few things but as I was digging through my lumber I was like "man I wish this was easier" .. and so I drew this up in sketchup.

I'd love to hear some ideas suggestions or critisism all thoughts are welcome 

-jeremy


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## ChrisK (Dec 18, 2009)

Jeremy,

Looks like a good start.

1/2" iron pipe will be plenty strong on the side where both ends of the pipe are supported by the vertical 2x. The cantilevered side will sag a little. It will not break with just wood on it, but you might need to put a piece to act as a lip to keep the boards from sliding off. Black iron will leave a smudge or stain on the wood. A layer of duct tape will work, the PVC will work to.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

Looks like a plan.


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## DIYaholic (Jan 28, 2011)

I like it. Looks well thought out! Can't wait to see it completed & stoced with lumber!!!

I recently completed my Lumber Rack! I used 1/2" black Pipe and covered the pipe with pipe insulation. Holes are drilled @ 2 degrees angle, every 6" for adjustability. I also made additional pipes for future use.

A Stacked Rack









Completed Rack









Rack w/ Pipe Insulation









Top Support:









Bottom Support


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## ChrisMc45 (Jul 28, 2010)

I have had good luck with 3/4" electrical conduit (actually 0.71") in 3/4" holes. The depth to date is ~1-foot, the rack holds stickered stacks for years. The 5-degree angle is a wash. DIYholic's idea of using pipe insulation is a good one, I must read the same magazines; i have used the grey and the pink, no problems. I am on vertical 2×4 lumber attached to the wall with 3/4" holes every foot on 32" (every other stud) supports.

What is the mass of ~3-cubic-feet (if I fill the rack totally, 1×1x2.5 feet) of lumber on each piece of conduit? It is holding up…


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## JoshOne (Jan 12, 2011)

This is a super old thread but I thought i'd toss my solution in: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/49292
it has 750+ bf of walnut and cherry on it now, it's holding up fine.


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## Sarit (Oct 21, 2009)

I think that the plywood section of the original poster looks like it will sag when fully loaded.
Did you ever build this?


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## Gshepherd (May 16, 2012)

Try making it like the double sided cantilever rack…. I made on with 2×4 and 2×6 12 ft long could easily store 2,000 bf.. kept heavy lumber on bottom of course…. I might have a old pic of it if your interested…...look at it from the side shape like a triangle….


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## chelseacaldwell (Jan 24, 2016)

A good architecture for garage, storage room or a even for store shelves…


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