Storage Cart

[Tapper]

Decided to do something about lumber storage. Need to get it off of the floor and out of the attic of my garage. In the process of insulating, heating and finishing the walls and ceiling of the garage so this project is overdue. This is a copy of one that John TenEyck posted some time ago on these pages (thanks John!) 

I used all scrap or repurposed lumber for this project. Even had a couple of extra HF dollies on hand. I added a few slats on the bottom frame for "shorts." It's all screwed together - I probably overdid the number of screws but wanted it to be sturdy. It is a very solid unit and does not rack at all when moved. When John built his several years ago, I'm sure material was a lot less expensive (metal has really escalated in price). I investigated buying the steel bars locally at either Lowe's or Home Depot but the cost was prohibitive IMO. Found a package of 10 two footers for ~$32 delivered at Amazon. 

Will probably build a couple more. Maybe one for some sheet material without the bars. I like the fact that this cart has a small footprint (~24" wide), the individual pieces can be easily accessed, and the cart can be moved around as necessary. 

Doug

(My apologies for the double on the first picture - can't figure out how to delete one)

[attachment=43780]

[attachment=43780]

[museumguy]

Doug, I like it. It seems to suit the need perfectly. Let us know how it works for you

[Tapper]

Doug, I like it. It seems to suit the need perfectly. Let us know how it works for you

Thanks, and again thanks to John T. 

From my perspective, the only advantage to the traditional wood storage racks (either free standing or fixed to the wall) is that you can use vertical space to store the material. However, the higher you get the more difficult this system is to use. Add to that the fact that stacking material flat makes it very difficult to access, especially if long and high.

There are tradeoffs in any system IMO. I think I'm going to like this one because of the flexibility it allows. Time will tell.

Doug

[jteneyck]

Nice work Doug.  I'm sure you enjoyed drilling all those holes as much as I did.  The racking in my woodshed uses the same system, so there are at least 10X as many holes that had to be drilled!  I used those racks for several years, until I built the storage shed.  I'm sure the one(s) you built will serve you equally well.  

John

[Tapper]

Nice work Doug.  I'm sure you enjoyed drilling all those holes as much as I did.  The racking in my woodshed uses the same system, so there are at least 10X as many holes that had to be drilled!  I used those racks for several years, until I built the storage shed.  I'm sure the one(s) you built will serve you equally well.  

John

Yeah John, the hole drilling was definitely the most time-consuming segment. I laid out the pattern on one board, drilled all the holes with a Forstner bit and used it as a template for the other five uprights. Good setup on the drill press helped.

Again, nice design on your part and I'm pleased with the results!

Doug

[AHill]

Nice design. I like the adjustable pegs. Something most lumber carts don't have.

[alanealane]

Thanks for the inspiration Doug! I made my first of 2 storage carts but I didn't want to spend the money on pipe/bars or drill all those holes, so my adjustability is limited. I decided I needed to use those expensive industrial total lock casters because of the extremely uneven floor in my basement shop. They're still a challenge to roll around but with 2" wheel width, I can get them where they need to go without too much Herculean strength, and I can lock them to prevent myself from being unexpectedly steamrolled by my own lumber

[Tapper]

All the credit goes to John! He's the one who first posted the photos of his cart; I just copied it and added a few extra slats and a few more holes for extra pipes.

Update: After using the cart for a while now, I can say the design is extremely handy and the cart base of two Harbor Freight dollies is plenty adequate to hold all the weight as designed. My shop is contiguous to my previously unfinished double-car garage. I had the cart, filled with lumber in the garage. Over the last month we've been finishing it out and being able to move the cart around easily has been very nice - thanks again John!

Doug

P.S. I still plan to build at least one more. Have some of the parts cut out.

[stav]

Nice carts.  I like the adjustability of the one with the pipes.