Deal alert: Port-a-mate lumber rack $34

[Terry W]

woot.com has the Port-A-Mate lumber rack on sale for $34.  I picked up one from Lowes a few years ago and it works fine.

https://tools.woot.com/offers/portamate-...kdeals+LLC

[jteneyck]

woot.com has the Port-A-Mate lumber rack on sale for $34.  I picked up one from Lowes a few years ago and it works fine.

https://tools.woot.com/offers/portamate-...kdeals+LLC

Says "sold out" when I opened it.  

John

[BloomingtonMike]

Used to be $20 at lowes. Not much weight capacity at 110lb per shelf.

[Bob10]

Used to be $20 at lowes. Not much weight capacity at 110lb per shelf.

I picked up 2 displays full when that happened.

[Tony Z]

I've had one for years, and the weight it holds is fine (I never noticed the limit, and have easily exceeded the limit).

[WaterlooMarc]

I picked up several when they were $20. They hold plenty of wood. Have fine loaded up with as much that will fit on each level and they haven’t collapsed in 5 years.

[Tony Z]

So, what is the best way to store dried lumber? Laying flat, pieces stacked on top of one another or standing up? Any problem mixing species (I'm anal, store by species also mark in chaulk)?

[kdouglaslee]

So, what is the best way to store dried lumber?  Laying flat, pieces stacked on top of one another or standing up?  Any problem mixing species (I'm anal, store by species also mark in chaulk)?

I've had a lumber rack forever and a day made from sticking 3/4" steel pipes in 2x4 boards screwed to the wall, looks a lot like the Portamate but with a LOT more capacity.  The only real cost is the pipe, which you can get pretty cheap if you buy longer lengths.  The store I went to cut the pipe to length for free.  Pipe does cost a good bit more if you buy the shorter sections, and for a lumber rack you don't need either end threaded.  If the store won't cut it for free, buy the longest ones you can carry home and cut them yourself to whatever length you want.

But yeah, laying flat is good, but inconvenient.  Both methods work fine, but if I had to choose I'd just stand everything up, when you have all your lumber laying flat on a rack, it's hard to see what you have and inevitably the one piece you want is underneath a ton of other stuff, it's Murphy's Law as applied to storing wood.  

Nowadays I keep anything nice that will fit inside my shop (nine feet or so) standing up, same with plywood, and I moved the lumber rack to a small barn I built, that's where I keep anything that's too long or it's just dimensional SYP or outside project wood (usually treated).  If it's wood I want to keep inside, I'll cut 12' boards into either an 8' and 4' or just two 6', if it's longer than twelve foot than I just cut it in half.  If you think you're going to need to keep pieces too long to stand up, you can put a small rack up high for longer pieces an stand up everything else underneath it.  

You'll get to know your different wood species well enough you shouldn't have to mark it, although it can be difficult to tell what species rough cut is.  For example, rough cut ash and rough cut oak look the same to me, I can tell the difference once they are planed but even then they can look a lot alike.  But no one is going to confuse walnut with sapele or ipe once you've used them, you pretty quickly get to know your species when you actually cut, smooth and finish them.  So marking with chalk isn't a bad idea, but after a while you won't need to.