Lumber rack purchase suggestions

[Bob Antoniewicz]

Just got final today on my new shop.

Before I start moving machines in, I need to move the wood sitting on the machines.

After searching through SMC, it seems that the Triton would have been a great choice last November, and I am kicking myself for not just going and commiting to them.

Are there any other good choices that are a little less expensive?

Bob A.

Shops done! WOOHOO!!!

[Grant Morris]

I'll be buying a pile of these and some lag bolts when it's my time...

http://www.amazon.com/review/R3NF14B...cm_cr_rdp_perm

[Rick Moyer]

Bob, the January Rockler catalog has/had the Triton on sale for $49.99
I had one already but bought a 2nd at that price. I plan to use it for misc. hardwood pcs. I also made a lumber rack/sheet goods storage from one of the ww mags (Shopnotes I think), but the Triton is pretty sturdy for a fair amount of lumber, as long as you secure it properly.

[Rob Bodenschatz]

Heavy-duty shelf brackets from the borg work well for me. They come in different sizes so you can get the depth you want. I probably went a bit overboard here with the number of brackets but the wood ain't coming down.

Wood Rack.jpg

Actually, I lied. It already did come down since I'm in the middle of insulating the shop. The wood is now in a stack in a field behind my house.

[JayStPeter]

Mine is the same as Rob's.

Grant, I'd advise against those particular brackets. Not because they won't hold up, it's just that you'll limit your capacity significantly because of the triangle shape. Even the depth of the smaller brackets I use gets annoying sometimes.

Rob, when I pulled mine down from my old shop all the screws were bent toward the ground a little where they span the u-shape. Did you have that. I mounted a piece of wood across the bottom and set the uprights on it before screwing it in this time. I also bought a different brand of screws that should be stronger. There didn't appear to be any danger of it coming down anytime soon, but better safe than sorry.

[Jim Becker]

Bob, this is one case where I still have to advise "build your own". The commercial products are over priced for what you get, IMHO. That said, if you have a need for speed, you could use the Sterling heavy duty stuff sold at the 'borg to get the lumber up off the floor/machines for now and re-purpose afterward for general storage in the shop and garage. That's how I use it.

[John Dingman]

Here is my lumber rack:

Before Lumber:



After Lumber:



And this is what I used: http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/10929

They have worked great for me and they can hold a lot of weight.

hth,
John

[Keith Beck]

Bob,

I've got the same racks as John, but the Woodcraft version: http://woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=3931

I'm really quite pleased with it, it holds a ton of weight.

Keith

[glenn bradley]

I kick myself for not picking up a couple sets of Tritons too. I bought these (but from Lowe's) and they work well. Cost was about the same. The low profile and high strength allow more wood in less vertical space which is at a premium for me.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...03&cat=1,43326

[Peter Quinn]

Was given the triton system for christmas one year, works well. Have another wall which is 2X6 stud wall drilled with parrallel 3/4" holes at different hights, 3/4" gas pipe holds the lumber. Made a simple drilling jig to aid in allignment. Very strong, very cheap, fairly quick if you have access to the studs. Not my idea, took it from FWW methods of work.

[Randy Klein]

2x4's and pipes. As DIY as they come.

[Bob Antoniewicz]

Bob, the January Rockler catalog has/had the Triton on sale for $49.99
I had one already but bought a 2nd at that price. I plan to use it for misc. hardwood pcs. I also made a lumber rack/sheet goods storage from one of the ww mags (Shopnotes I think), but the Triton is pretty sturdy for a fair amount of lumber, as long as you secure it properly.

Till when is the January catalog good for?

Bob A.

[Jim Solomon]

My friend's dad is a GC and he has all of his mounted using 10" to 12" (sticking out of post)pieces of 3/4" conduit inserted into a hole drilled at a 5-10 degree angle of a 4x4 post. I plan on doing the same when I ever get around to it. He drilled holes every 12" down the length and can move/arrange anywhere from ceiling to floor. He also uses the same system to hang all the general stuff, ladders, cord's etc. They have been holding up for at least 17 years that I know of personally.
Jim

[Quinn McCarthy]

Bob

I got a good deal on 3 sets of industrial shelving units from an auction of an cabinet business that went out of business. They were a little beat up from fork truck but they work great.

Quinn

[Rob Bodenschatz]

Mine is the same as Rob's.

Grant, I'd advise against those particular brackets. Not because they won't hold up, it's just that you'll limit your capacity significantly because of the triangle shape. Even the depth of the smaller brackets I use gets annoying sometimes.

Significantly? I don't know about that. I have the 18 1/2" version & for comparison, did a drawing of it vs. the triton:

Lumber Rack.jpg

The gray is the borg rack, the yellow is triton.
I didn't bother to figure out the difference in area lost between the borg rack and the triton but considering the depth of the borg rack, I don't think I'm losing THAT much space. I can fit an extra 1x6 board in the area beyond where the Triton ends. Also, because the borg racks provide more flexibility with configuration, I don't regret my decision a bit. So I guess we'll have to cancel each other out here.

I forget how much these cost so I can't speak to that or the shorter brackets. I also can't speak to the LV rack except that I know they're pricy.

Rob, when I pulled mine down from my old shop all the screws were bent toward the ground a little where they span the u-shape. Did you have that. I mounted a piece of wood across the bottom and set the uprights on it before screwing it in this time. I also bought a different brand of screws that should be stronger. There didn't appear to be any danger of it coming down anytime soon, but better safe than sorry.

I used McFeely square drive screws & didn't notice any bending. Keep in mind that I put the standards on every stud (16" space) so the weight was really distributed. Attaching a board underneath is never a bad idea.