Lumber rack for the amateur wood workers out there.

My shop is a the size of a single car garage, so a lumber rack has been on my projects list for a very long time and I am so glad that I finally got around to it. No more piles of wood without a home and constantly getting in my way whilst building. In a shop this size floor space is essential.

And I learnt some new skills along the way which is always a bonus.

Step 1: Brackets

A while ago I managed to get my hands on a lot of pine that was being used for framing stands at an exhibition centre, which typically after use was going to be thrown away until I got my hands on it. All that I had to remove was a couple of framing nails which was a huge success.

So I started the lumber rack buy building allot of L brackets for the shelf.

Cut list;

L bracket frame top - 45mm x 20 x 230mm.

L bracket frame back - 45mm x 20mm x 200mm

L bracket support - 45mm x 45mm x 200mm

Once all of the pieces were cut, these were glued and screwed together. Use camps when assembling to help get nice tight joints.

Step 2: Fixings

I decided to use these anchor bolts considering I am installing on a brick wall and it is going to be holding allot of weight. Each one requires a 8mm hole to an install depth of at least 40mm. And they can also hold 160kg - 360kg.

One useful tip when installing into the wall is to ensure that you wind the nut all the way to the end as they require a gentle tap with the hammer to get them in, and if you hit the bolt too hard it can be distorted which will mean the nut will jam on the thread.

Step 3: Installing

I used four 90mm x 40mm beams cut to a length of 840mm each for the Lumber Rack supports. And used two anchor bolts in each one. Again I drilled a 8mm pilot hole for the bolt and to allow me to tighten the nut I drilled a recess using a 22mm spade bit to a depth of 20mm. Really happy with these fixings as they are super secure after installation and I fell confident that they can hold plenty of weight.

Each L bracket is then fitted to the supports using glue and four screws two in the top and two in the bottom.

Again these were really solid after installation, which gave me confidence that this will last and serve me well in the shop.

Step 4: OSB!!!

The last job was to add some OSB shelf's for the lumber rack which were actually cut down from a full sheet into eight 300mm strips. Which was actually done at my local Home base for free which is amazing as it saved me a load of time and meant transporting it was really easy.

Overall I am really happy with how this has turned out and it is a great addition to my shop which now feels like an actual workshop instead of a garage. As I am only really still just getting started with woodworking so this has given me the confidence to push on.

Appreciate and comments you might have. And don't forget to give us a vote in the home improvement contest as this has allowed me to function better within the workshop which is definitely a home improvement.

Happy Making.