Lumber storage - Is this a crazy idea?

[Matt Lau]

I saw something like the OP suggested in a Taunton book.

[andy bessette]

Not crazy at all...

Disagree--it's crazy to make lumber storage as complicated as possible.

[Jim Becker]

Disagree--it's crazy to make lumber storage as complicated as possible.

It might not be the most efficient or most desirable solution for sure. But there's a whole lot of crazy in the world and this idea at least has brought out some great conversation. "Crazy" is subjective, however, so you could very well be...um...correct...

[Alan Lightstone]

Wow, this post took an ugly turn.

My requirements/constraints are:

1.) Fitting my lumber in my workshop.
2.) Horizontal storage space is virtually non-existent at this point.
3.) My ceilings are 15-1/2' tall, so above door height, storage space is plentiful, especially over the doors to the finishing room.
4.) I have a very bad/painful back and neck, so lifting lumber overhead without mechanical assistance is impossible, and incredibly painful. A total non-starter at this point in my life.

Any suggestions how to accomplish that?

[Alan Lightstone]

I saw something like the OP suggested in a Taunton book.

Matt:

Do you remember which Taunton book it was in?

[Jim Becker]

Wow, this post took an ugly turn.

Smilies = having fun, Alan. Please smile with us. I know I absolutely meant no offense with my most previous post.

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Based on the list of four things that you listed, I'd absolutely try to do vertical storage if you can find some place to do that...you have the headroom and I really do believe it will be the easiest for your back/neck situation, both for sorting/selecting and also storing/retrieving. Any lifting can be done without actually bending much, if at all, with vertical lumber storage and you can lever things down to get "a" board horizontal without much bending at all, too.

[ChrisA Edwards]

Ok, so this is totally off the wall, no pun intended.Do you have an open 9'x 16' area? Or an area that size that you could move stuff into and out of?

I had a three car garage, but needed a four car garage for my toys. I had 13' high ceilings, so the wife suggested I buy a 4 post car lift. I bought one that would give me a 6'6" clearance underneath when at full height. I put motorcycles, ATV's and ZTR lawn mowers on it. I expanded the platform size to 8' x16' by using 3/4" 4'x8' sheets of plywood doubled up. If worked on 110v, would raise in about 90 seconds and lower in about 20. I even built a 4'x 23' platform all along the back wall of my garage and used the car lift as an elevator to put a couple of motorcycles up on the rear wall platform.

Here's a little slideshow of pictures showing the whole process.
https://www.mad-ducati.com/SlideShow...zTafrACR0Df003

This lift would make an ideal place for storage.

I bought this when I lived in NJ, assembled it myself with a duct lift, and moved two more times with it to FL and TN, disassembling and assembling it. Probably not some you are likely to be able to so Alan, but not beyond something that could be done with a couple of friends help.

[Jim Becker]

That's a really kewel idea, Chris!

[Alan Lightstone]

An interesting idea, Chris, but I don't think I want to have to dodge columns in the workshop. The entry door is just to the side of the area I am interested in storing lumber, so you would have to enter the shop under the lift, and dodge the columns. They might also interfere with outfeed from the planer and wide-belt sander. But a very interesting idea...

[Carl Beckett]

I have wood stored on some high horizontal shelves. And also in an overhead loft. Some considerations: Wood is heavy. Make sure it is properly supported including no risk of falling off when sorting through.

For me, the board I usually want is not the top board. So digging through a stack to get the board I want to use, while high up, is a major pain. And sometimes means taking a bunch of boards down, getting the one I want, then putting the rest back.

Make sure the supports are level the full length. This is what is keeping the boards straight over time.

Otherwise, it can make space. One batch of wood I have stored this way I havent touched in a couple years (now you can ask why I hoard all this wood... a different topic).

[Roger Feeley]

Alan, there are no crazy ideas. The beauty of being able to do things for yourself is being able to do them over. Give it a try. If it doesn't work out, try something else.

Because you can!

[Rick Potter]

How about one of those little plastic sheds? They make a lean-to that goes along a wall.

[Richard Wolf]

Store it outside, under a roof of some type. Use a tarp to protect it. Most wood dealers don't store their wood in conditioned space.

[Jim Becker]

Store it outside, under a roof of some type. Use a tarp to protect it. Most wood dealers don't store their wood in conditioned space.

Alan is in SW Florida...not sure that storing outside is a good idea for both moisture and critter reasons and shed roofs and the like get interesting to deal with because of heavy storm challenges. It would also mean that the material is farther from his work flow which, given his stated physical concerns, makes things more difficult.

[Alan Lightstone]

Alan is in SW Florida...not sure that storing outside is a good idea for both moisture and critter reasons and shed roofs and the like get interesting to deal with because of heavy storm challenges. It would also mean that the material is farther from his work flow which, given his stated physical concerns, makes things more difficult.

Plus, SWMBO would kill me if I put up a shed. So inside it is.

Still trying to figure out options. None great yet.