vertical lumber storage

[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.

QSROstorage-1.jpg


Here is a side view of a portion of the same rack:
QSROstorage3.jpg

[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.