Hello everyone, this is my first instructable.

After building this project, I realized I could have document it with more pictures. But on the other hand, it is a pretty easy construction, so step-by-step instructions are not really essential. I also apologize in advance if my English writing is not perfect. French is my native language.

We own 3 cars at our house and since we live close to winter wonderland, we always have 12 extra tires lying around the garage, waiting for the change of season. So we needed something to store those tires and make them occupy less space.

Instead of buying expensive metal tire shelves (they can cost up to 70$ and some hold only 4 tires ! ), I started making plans and found out I could gather a few 2x3 and build one for around 20$. It turned out to be very easy to build, it is sturdy and it's perfect for low ceiling storage areas, like a garage or a basement.

The dimensions shown here are for 3 sets of 15" tires but of course, you can easily modify the plans to suit bigger wheels. Just remember that you have to make sure you leave enough clearance to put the tires in the shelves.

I will include the Google Sketchup file, so you can modify the plans to meet your needs if you want to.

tire_rack.skp
Download

Step 1: What You Will Need

Tools

Some kind of wood cutting device : Handsaw, circular saw, radial saw ... whatever you have
Power drill. For screwing and pre-drill screw holes.
Tape measure
Pencil
Try square
Carpenter's glue (optional)
Safety gear: Gloves and glasses.

Materials

2x3 pieces:

2 X 86" (Back legs)
2 X 64" (Front legs)
7 X 34" (6 tire supports + 1 top bar)
6 X 12" (Side bars)

Screws

28 X 2½ wood screws
24 X 3½ wood screws

Step 2: Cut the Wood.

Cut all your pieces in advance. It will make the construction process easier.

If you plan to built the same dimension rack as I did, here's how I made the cuts in each of the eight 2x3x8' I bought :

#1 : 86"
#2 : 86"
#3 : 64" + 12" + 12"
#4 : 64" + 12" + 12"
#5 : 34" + 34" + 12" + 12"
#6 : 34" + 34"
#7 : 34" + 34"
#8 : 34"

Take extra care when you cut the 12" pieces and the 34" pieces to make sure they all have the same length. On the above pics you can see the simple fence I made to use with my miter saw.

Note : I realize that maybe it would have been cheaper if I used a combination of 8' and 10' lumber. Also I would have end up with less leftover wood. The fact is, I can only fit 8' lengths in my car. Anyway I would have save only around $1.50. And of course, the leftover wood is not a loss since I can use it on other projects.

Step 3: Assemble the Rack

I began by assembling the 2 side "walls" of the rack, then I added all the 34" tire supports. Since tires are round, I screwed all the 34" pieces at a 35° angle (see image 2) so the tires are better supported when they sit on the rack.

The distance between the 34" tire supports and the 12" side bars don't have much importance. But for the record, I used 1¾" (see image 3 for a detail view).

Obviously, the 3½" wood screws will be used to assemble all the 12" side pieces and the 4 legs of the rack, while the 2½ screws are used to fix the 34" support bars to the two assembled sides (image 4).

Notes :

It make the screwing process a lot easier if you pre-drill holes for the screws, using a drill bit with a slightly smaller diameter than your screws. It also prevent the wood from splitting.
In addition to the screws, you can also use carpenter's glue when you build the rack. It will make it even stronger.

Step 4: Final Result

Here's the completed rack, with 2 sets of tires in it.

I thought I'd have to screw the rack to the wall or to the ceiling for more safety, but I found out it is very stable as it is.

I am very pleased with the result. It was quite easy to build, cheap and it saves a lot of space in my garage.

Thank you for watching. I hope you enjoyed this project.
And don't hesitate to write comments or suggestions so I can improve and make better instructables in the future :)

Step 5: UPDATE

We used to own 3 small cars. Two Yaris and one Fiat 500. Now we changed the Fiat for a Jeep Patriot. And of course my rack is too small for the new tires. So I post this update just to remind you that the measurements in my plans are for 15" tires maximum. If you got bigger tires to store, please modify the plans accordingly.