vertical lumber storage

[Zahid Naqvi]

Is there any technical reason why lumber is always stored horizontally? to me it seems much more convenient and efficient for a home shop to store lumber vertically (as long as you can keep it off the ground). No need to create a shelving system tied in to the studs. Plus wall space in a garage shop is very valuable, why reserve it for lumber when your stock can fluctuate in quantity. I am setting up a new garage shop and have a small stash of lumber, just contemplating storage options.

[Mike Zilis]

You are exactly right. James Krenov stored all of his lumber vertically. (If its good enough for Krenov...) As long as your lumber lengths are not much longer than your floor to ceiling height, you'll be in good shape. I believe it's because of common lumber lengths being 8 to 12 feet that most people store horizontally.

[Mike Hollingsworth]

Much easier to sort, but it takes a whole lot of space.

[Russell Sansom]

Over the years I've seen a couple assertions and actual studies that say it's ok to store wood vertically. Sorry I can't remember where, but somebody here will remember.

[Ken Platt]

When I visited the Nakashima place, they stored all their slabs vertically also. Quite a sight...had to wipe my chin.

I store some of my wood vertically, between studs. I put screw-eyes in the studs, and use bungees to hold the wood upright. It works ok for the shorter pieces (my ceiling height in the basement is only 7 foot), and it is nice to be able to sort of flip through the wood like it was a stack of cards.

Ken

[Alan Schaffter]

I've been a proponent of vertical stacking forever- I built a horizontal rack in my new shop but tore it down after loading three boards! If vertical is good enough for Krenov (mentioned), Sam Maloof, David Marks, Ron Schleining, Woodcraft, etc. etc. etc. it is good enough for me. A board foot of lumber takes up the same amount of space whether it is vertical or horizontal! According to the USDA Forest Service R&D Wood Products Laboratory, as long as it is below 20% MC, it will NOT warp.

Benefits of vertical-

Requires minimal rack structure- no elaborate, heavy-duty, expensive cantilevered rack and sturdy wall are needed. The floor supports 90% of the weight. You do need decent ceiling height- mine goes from 8' in the back to 10' in the center.

If you stack "soldier style" with edges towards the wall, then it is:

MUCH easier to stack, reach, and unstack individual boards - avoids the issue trying to remove a board from the bottom of a high, horizontal stack.

MUCH easier to inspect and select- you can easily inspect both sides of individual boards

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/Woodrack-51.JPG

Picture taken before I added safety chains

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/P9240002.JPG

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/1403/medium/PB050007.JPG

[Zahid Naqvi]

Well I'm in a garage and I think the ceiling is about 10.5 foot, nothing I own is longer than 8'. I too like the easy of sorting and taking boards in and out of a stack in a vertical storage solution. I also want to use the "dead space" between the garage door and the adjacent wall. They always put the garage door guide rail about 12-14" away from the wall and you can't really do anything with this space other than hang yard tools. Alan I like your system, I might make something similar for my use.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Sorry about this, guys ..........Alan - what are the fittings + pipe you used for the braces on your overhead TS DC plumbing? I'm about ready to at least add that to "the list" [which usually means collect design info, and do nothing - until that day comes when, for some reason, I finally get fed up and attack].

Back on topic - I'd have vertical lumber storage - at least for bulk, longer, items - but in my shop, the way the cards hit the table, I always seem to find horizontal storage more available - especially under and above the 16'+ clear-span CMS table I built.

[Cody Colston]

Alan, I like that wood storage method you use. I currently store my lumber horizontally but I think I'll convert to vertical storage. I have 10' ceilings so most of my stock will fit.

Just a clarification regarding Krenov. Yes, he stored some of his wood vertically but he also stored it horizontally in stickered stacks. In "The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking" there are pictures of those horizontal stacks. It was wood that had been air-dried but had not yet acclimated to his shop. Most of his stored stock was 2" and thicker, too.

Now, David Marks has an entire barn full of wood, all of it stored vertically. I was drooling when I saw that episode on Woodworks.

[Alan Schaffter]

Sorry about this, guys ..........Alan - what are the fittings + pipe you used for the braces on your overhead TS DC plumbing? .

One end of the 3" flex connects to a reducer and 4" PVC S&D that runs behind the drywall. The other end connects to a 3" wye fitting. The upper end of the wye that connects to the upper straight pipe is blocked. 3" S&D connects to the dust shroud. The diagonal braces were made from two pieces of thin-walled EMT conduit screwed into the ceiling and some sections of (red) tubing made from the hollow broom handle leftover from harvesting the bristles (since replaced with better bristles) for the shroud. I split the overlapping ends of the red tube and used small band clamps to attach it to the EMT so they are adjustable.

Here is another view:

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/1403/medium/PB050010.JPG

[Gary Herrmann]

I'd go vertical, but the joists in my basement shop are at 6' 10"

[Chris Fournier]

In the first two shops that I inhabited the ceilings were 8' to 8'6" and I stored my lumber horizontally. What a pain. As often as not I'd go buy another piece of what I was after rather than dig through the racks.

My new shop has 13' clear to the roof trusses and I welded up a vertical rack for all of my rough lumber. What a difference! No piece of wood is more than 30 seconds from my grasp.

If you can go vertical.

[johnny means]

The problem with vertical storage for a lot of us, is that you do absolutely have to give up floor space and usable wall space. If you are working in a two car garage and struggling to find a place to put a larger jointer, getting things on racks overhead can really be the only way to go. Horizontal storage can get lumber into areas that aren't useful for anything else. Granted, getting to that bottom board can be a real PITA, so I do like the idea of having vertical racks for the special stuff. For me the ideal solution is probably a mix of the two.

[Chip Lindley]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the tendency of vertically-stored lumber to bow toward the wall IF not supported by a slanted rack of some sort. This tendency especially develops when the longest boards have ever-shorter boards stacked in front of them. I have some rough oak 4x4s that were vertical in the corner of my shop for about 15 years. They could very well be large rocking chair legs now!

For short-term storage, vertical may be fine. For serious storage over time, build in support, or your space-savings may turn into a waste of flat, usable boards.

[Tony Bilello]

[QUOTE=Chip Lindley;1642211]I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the tendency of vertically-stored lumber to bow toward the wall IF not supported by a slanted rack of some sort............QUOTE]

Here are some photos of my slanted rack in my old shop. My new shop has the sam arrangement, but larger. The key is to every so often kick the bottoms of the boards to assure that they all lay flat against the rack and flat against eachother. Vertical is the way to go if you have the ceiling height.



183551183550

[Chip Lindley]

Now THAT's what I'm talkin' about!! Great to keep sheet goods from bowing too!

[Scott T Smith]

I store most of my inventory vertically, separated based upon the species and milling pattern (FS, RS or QS), and then the width. Vertical storage makes it very easy to quickly view the grain pattern on every board, which is beneficial when looking for the best QS ray flect patterns and for when I need to take a photo of individual boards to send to a potential customer, as well as to pull the boards for processing and shipment.

Here is an end view of one of my QSRO storage racks. I'm able to store over 5000 bd ft of lumber on this rack (both sides). In the background to the left of the main rack is a single rack against the wall, which holds another 2500 bd ft of lumber.

183632


Here is a side view of a portion of the same rack:
183633

[David Giles]

Vertical storage is a great way to use those odd corners and spaces. It's a good idea to square the floor end with a circular saw and roofing square. And the concrete floor should be covered with plastic, hardboard or styrofoam if ground moisture is present.

[Jim Becker]

Zahid, I'd store my lumber vertically in a second if I had the headroom to do so. Much easier to sort, too. But in my shop and in the space above where my next/new lumber rack is going, it wouldn't be practical to go vertical for normal 8'-10' boards. But I believe that's how my shorts are going to be at least!

[Patrick Johnson]

Zahid,

I store the majority of my lumber 8' and less in length vertically. I've done this for 20+ years with no problems.

Patrick

[Jeff Mohr]

I know this is from a year ago....but....

Alan,

Love the storage idea. How exactly do you fasten the pipes to the wall? What kind of pipes are they...steel something or other?

[Alan Schaffter]

I know this is from a year ago....but....

Alan,

Love the storage idea. How exactly do you fasten the pipes to the wall? What kind of pipes are they...steel something or other?

The pipe is mounted in holes drilled in 1-1/2" X 1-1/2" strip of hardwood which was itself lag bolted to the wall studs. It can be made from almost any wood of any dimension since the pipes don't support much weight. I used 3/4" galvanized pipe left over from my horizontal rack, but it could be made with lighter EMT conduit, PVC, wood dowels, or boards, again, they don't support much weight.

[fred klotz]

Thirty years ago, I saw my first vertical lumber storage, at the oldest yard in town. It was certainly easier to go through the material, as opposed to horizontally stacked lumber. My shop has ceiling ranging from 12 to 15 feet, and I have a couple locations where I keep lumber vertically, mostly material I will want to sort through. I also have heavy duty racks for longer stock, high on a wall. The horizontal location is for material I know I won't need for a while. If I could only have one type, I would choose vertical. The only disadvantage I see is using up wall space.