STORING WOOD
Whether you wish to store lumber, manufactured boards, dowels or “shorts”—all those odd-sized pieces you cannot afford to toss out— you should find a storage option to suit your needs on the pages that follow. The dimensions provided in the illustrations are given strictly as guidelines. Each design can be adapted to any situation.
The only design element you cannot skimp on is adequate support for the rack. A dozen 10-foot-long planks of % white oak can weigh as much as 400 pounds. Rack supports should be secured directly to wall studs or to the joists above the ceiling at no more than 40-inch intervals. In most homes with 16-inch on - center framing, this means tying into every other stud or joist. If the walls and
ceiling of your shop are finished, use a stud finder to locate these framing members. Some racks, like the cantilever type shown on page 91, may need footings, joist supports or both.
If space is at a premium in your workshop, you need to consider the design and placement of your wood storage system carefully. The end-loading type of
rack used at most lumberyards is impractical for storing long stock in most home shops. You are far better off with a frontloading system, which makes it easier to load up new material and to shift wood around to find the particular plank you want. Avoid using triangular-shaped brackets to support lumber; they waste precious space.
SHOPTIP
Storing wood to preserve its moisture content
If you are in the middle of a project and have to leave it for a couple of weeks you may find problems once you return. A change in humidity—a sudden period of humid weather, for example— may cause the wood to swell or shrink. You can solve the problem by storing the wood in a plastic garbage bag or in vinyl, sealing any loose ends with tape. Wrapping the board will keep the moisture content of the wood constant, preventing any dimensional changes.
A TRIO OF LUMBER RACKS
The storage rack illustrated at left features three-piece vertical supports bolted to wall studs. The supports buttress the steel pipes, which carry the lumber. You will need one support at each end of the rack, with an additional one every 32 to 48 inches along the wall. Use 2-by-6 stock for the middle strips of the supports and 2-by-4s for the side pieces; the steel pipes should be roughly 20 inches long with a 1 inch internal diameter. Mark cutting lines on the edges of the middle strips at each point where you want to locate a pipe bracket. Make sure all the brackets in the same horizontal row will be at the same height. Saw the middle strips for the brackets, angling the cuts by about 3° above the horizontal so the pipes will tilt up slightly (below) to prevent the lumber from sliding off. Once all the middle strips are cut, nail on the side pieces, forming brackets with evenly spaced notches for the pipe supports. Bore pilot holes at 24-inch intervals into the wall studs and drill clearance holes through the supports for %-inch lag bolts. Secure the vertical brackets to the studs with bolts that penetrate 2 inches into the wall, then slip the pipes into their notches.
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Making a cantilevered storage rack
The rack shown above and at right is anchored to the joists in the ceiling to keep it from toppling forward. Mark lines on your workshop floor directly under each joist. To provide a sturdy base for the posts, nail short lengths of 2-by-6 to the floor as footings, centered on the marked lines. Use 4-by-4s for the posts, then cut a joist anchor for each post and as many arms as you need from 2-by-6 stock. Angle the top edge of the arms slightly to tilt the lumber in toward the wall. Cut a mortise at the top of each post for the joist anchors, and at every point along the post’s front edge where you want to locate an arm. Make sure all the mortises in the same horizontal row are at the same height. Cut tenons at the ends of the joist anchors and arms, then bore holes through the side of the posts for Winch dowels: two holes for each arm and one for every joist anchor. Insert the tenons and tap the dowels in place. Toe-nail the posts to the footings. Bore clearance holes through the anchors and pilot holes into the joists for carriage bolts, then secure the anchors in position (above).
Fastening a lumber-and-plywood rack to an unfinished wall
The rack shown below, made entirely of 2-by-4 stock, is attached to exposed wall studs and ceiling joists. Lumber can be piled on the arms, while plywood is stacked on edge against the support brackets. You will need at least 8V2 feet of free space at one end of the rack to be able to slide in plywood panels. Begin by cutting the triangular-shaped brackets and screwing them to the studs (right). Cut the footings, slip them under the brackets and nail them to the shop floor. Next, saw the uprights to length and toe-nail their ends to the footings and the joists. Cut as many arms as you need, aligning the first row with the tapered end of the support brackets. Use carriage bolts to fasten the arms to the studs and uprights, making sure the arms in the same row are level. The rack in the illustration features arms spaced at 18-inch intervals.
PLYWOOD RACKS
SHOPTIP
Holding plywood panels against a wall
Prevent plywood panels stacked on edge against a wall from falling over with some rope and a pair of window sash weights. Set two 20- inch-long 2-by-4s on the floor in front of the wall.
Then screw two eye hooks into wall studs about 4 Vz feet above the floor. Cut two Э-foot lengths of rope, and tie one end of each to a hook and the other end to a weight wrapped in pipe insulation. Stand the panels on the 2-by-4s and lean them against the wall.
Drape the weights over the plywood to keep them in place.
Building a vertical plywood rack
For long-term storage, stacking plywood on end not only keeps the panels from warping; it also saves precious shop floor space. The rack shown at right is built from furring strips, threaded rods and wing nuts. Start by screwing two furring strips to the studs of one wall, 2 and 5 feet from the floor. Then screw two rods 4Уг feet apart into the top strip. Cut a third furring strip and bore a hole through it 2 inches from one end and saw a notch at an interval of 4Уг feet. Both openings should be slightly larger than the diameter of the rods. Place two wood pads on the floor between the rods and stack the plywood sheets upright on them. Place the third furring strip across the face of the last panel, slipping one rod through the hole and the other into the slot. Slide washers and wing nuts onto the rods and tighten them, pulling the furring strip tightly against the plywood (inset). To remove a sheet from the stack, loosen the wing nuts and swing the furring strip down and out of the way.
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The gaps between exposed joists in a shop ceiling are often considered wasted space, but you can make good use of them to hold dowels. Screw a couple of l-by-3 furring strips across the bottom of the joists and then rest the stock on top of strips. This method is particularly useful for long dowels, which can clutter a workshop.
STORING SHORT STOCK
Constructing a rack with a mobile base
Sorting through a jumbled wood pile in a corner of the shop for a piece of short stock of the right size can be frustrating. The rack shown at right stores short pieces according to size. The bottom section is a box with dividers, ideal for storing pieces of plywood; the box is made with Winch plywood, while the dividers are Winch plywood. The top section, built from 3Л - inch plywood, consists of a back panel, triangular-shaped sides and W plywood shelves spaced according to the diameter of the containers you place between them. The rack shown features 5-gallon cans below the bottom shelf and plastic tubes of varying sizes on the other shelves. Keep short stock in the cans and tubing. Cut triangular cutouts near the top of the sides to hold dowels flat. To make the rack mobile, fasten it to a shop-built dolly with casters (below). Cut a piece of plywood to the same dimensions as the base of the rack, then screw corner blocks to one side. Attach a heavy-duty caster to each corner block.
Making a combination workbench and short-cut bin
In a workshop with limited space, build a work table with short-cut storage space underneath, such as the one shown at right. Cut 2-by-4s to length for the legs; support them with 2-by-4 braces—one set nailed a few inches above the floor and a second set attached flush with the top of the legs. Cut the top and two shelves from 3Л" plywood, then nail them to the braces. Saw notches out of the corners of the shelves to fit around the legs. Make dividers from Vi inch plywood and attach them between the shelves using quarter-round molding strips nailed into the shelves.
Stacking stock between wall studs
Store short stock between the studs of an unfinished shop wall. To keep the wood from falling over, screw spring clips to the studs and insert dowels into the clips to span the gaps between adjacent studs (left). To stand shorter lengths of stock higher up on the wall, cut shelves and support cleats from scrap wood. Screw the cleats to the studs and rest the shelves on top of them.
