Wood rack support spacing?

[Wild Turkey]

I'm getting ready to build a storage rack for my lumber.  I'm going to weld it using 3" or 4" channel.  Uprights will be 12' tall, tied to ceiling truss with channel for feet.  Rack will be 12' long overall with supports on both sides of the upright.  There will be a separate storage area for sheet goods and shorts.

Two questions:  how far apart should the supports be, vertically and horizontally?

In the past my storage racks spacing was dictated by the studs but this one will be free-standing.

Anyone have some good suggestions?

[jteneyck]

I would build it so you can rack the boards on edge on each shelf.  It's a whole lot easier to see what's on the shelf when you can pull out a board w/o having to remove a bunch of others stacked on top of it first.  So if you use mostly 12" wide lumber build the cross supports so a 12" board will fit between them.  Adjustable shelves would be better of course, and you could easily make them adjustable if you cut or burned holes in your uprights and use 2" pipe for the cross supports.  

But if your rack is going to be 12" high I would stack most of my lumber vertically.  How are you going to see what you have if you rack it horizontally that high off the floor, rolling ladder?  Regardless, the sheet goods would go on edge. 

As beefy as you plan to build it you won't need many cross supports, every 4' would be plenty for long lumber, unless the rack is going to be really wide.  You didn't say how wide you intend to make it.  For shorter lumber you would need closer spacing or put in plywood shelves.   

John

[Wild Turkey]

Rack will be 12' long

Hadn't thought about edge stacking.  Will have to think on that -- sounds like a good idea.

[handi]

Edge stacking has some interest, but only if you allow for enough space above the stacked boards to see all the way to the back when loaded. 
Otherwise, you will still need to unload some to see what you want. I am not convinced this is the best answer.

As far as spacing of arms side to side, 36" would be my max. I have always placed stickers between stacked lumber at 3' intervals and have found that spacing to be about ideal.
So to hold 12' stock, I would have a rack 9 foot in length with 1-1/2 feet overhanging each end.

Just my 2 cents.

[jteneyck]

Edge stacking has some interest, but only if you allow for enough space above the stacked boards to see all the way to the back when loaded. 
Otherwise, you will still need to unload some to see what you want. I am not convinced this is the best answer.

I write the length on the exposed end so I know how long each board is.  Problem solved.  

John

[Pirate]

I built my lumber rack with 12" wide (4 shelves from 1sheet) shelves, accessable from both ends. 1 end is at the rear overhead door to the shop for off loading.
Other end for selecting.
Each shelf has a piece of particle board on it, and boards slide in and out easily.
Has worked fine for 2-3 years since I built it.
On each side, I store sheet goods.
Sure beats maving to remove boards to get to the one you want.

[Stwood_]

I bought used pallet racking. Isn't no sense in buying new steel.
I cut some of the racking up. 12'x10'w rack, with 4 sections.
Front, 2 middle, one rear rail, supports 12' lumber. So....rails are about 40" apart. Each section is bedded with 1x12 pine boards.

[DaveBozeman]

Slightly off topic, but close...

I am going to lay down MDf, or plywood, or particle board, between section, so the wood is always 100% supported, or close to it

I was going to use MDF, because it's cheap... sound ok?

I'm doing my supports on the studs, so 32" apart

[FS7]

I just built a lumber rack using 2x4 construction lumber. There are five shelves, each about 10" high and 12" deep. I used five supports - 0', 2', 4' (with double supports), 6' and 8'. This lets me store different lengths without sagging much (unless it's way over 8'). I used lots of screws and it's off the floor (actually screwed into the bottom of the joists where available). This means that quite a bit of weight (500# or more) is supported by the combined pullout strength of 18 screws, which should conservatively be about 3240# assuming an even distribution.

I also bought one (a Portamate clone), and it's pretty small. I can't put a whole lot on it. The spacing used there is 4'.

So, if you're making your own, I would tailor it to the lumber you work with most. If it's between 6' and 8', then do at least three supports at 0', 3'. and 6'. Basically, you don't want anything unsupported over a longer span or it can warp.

I also opted to keep everything open behind and underneath to ensure even moisture exchange.

[lift mechanic]

I am also building a single sided cantilever rack with 36" horizontal arms. I just picked up a 6" x 6" "H" steel beam 34' long. Cut it to 11'4" long to get it home. Will to cut it to 3'6" and 7'10" each to form an "L". 3 uprights spaced 54" apart. Most of the lumber I buy is 10' - 12" long. I haven't decided if I will make the horizontal arms or buy them. I saw some listed on Craigslist @ $30 each and I need 12 arms. I will drill holes in the face of the beam to bolt the arms at equal spacing with one arm at the top. Shop ceiling is just under 10'. I plan to bolt 1 1/2" steel pipe between the uprights for stability. The floor is 2 x 10 16" oc with 1 1/8" plywood floor and will brace the floor joists under each upright. The rack it's self will weight approx. 1000 lbs.