Shop Organization #1: Vertical Lumber Rack

Looks really good Willie and it also has the hallmark of your skillfully produced furniture. I wish I had room for something like this myself. As it is, I have a long platter cart and really no place to store my timber, except in shop loft.

-- Mike, an American living in Norway.

Yes, you definitely need some dedicated space for a lumber rack this size.

-- Willie, Washington "If You Choose Not To Decide, You Still Have Made a Choice" - Rush

Hey Willie, another fine project on your part. I have a question, though. Does vertical make warping any more likely? I know that woodcrafters orients almost all of their lumber vertically, but when I get stuff home, I always lay it flat on an edge to prevent warping. I don’t know if I am right or wrong in assuming this will help. I DO know that when I lay a board flat on its side ( as opposed to on edge ), it’s guaranteed to cup overnight.

-- There are good ships and there are wood ships, the ships that sail the sea, but the best ships are friendships and may they always be. http://www.geraldlhunsucker.com/

The rack holds the lumber nearly vertical, so warping is not an issue. Crosscut lumber sells their lumber out of vertical racks, and it is pretty easy to access.

-- Willie, Washington "If You Choose Not To Decide, You Still Have Made a Choice" - Rush

Man, I got grief for making my lumber rack out of oak…..yours is even quartersawn. Your sure to make people scoff….lol.

Nicely done.

-- "At the end of the day, try and make it beautiful....because the world is full of ugly." Konrad Sauer

Nice! That should be a lot easier to pick through that flat storage. I’m with Red: QSWO for lumber rack?

-- " I'll try to be nicer, if you'll try to be smarter" gfadvm

Looks and sounds like a gr8 wood storage solution. Like others have said, it’ll be easy to pick through to find what you need.

-- Roger from KY. Work/Play/Travel Safe. Keep your dust collector fed. [email protected]

I mostly use QSWO for furniture projects, so I always have a pile of seconds on hand. For me, it is actually cheaper to use this rustic oak than to go buy fir. I think I paid $.39 per BF.

-- Willie, Washington "If You Choose Not To Decide, You Still Have Made a Choice" - Rush

I’m a bit jelly (read: jealous) of that QS oak bracket action. Under two pence bf? Now I’m super jelly.

-- Support woodworking hand models. Buy me a sawstop.

nice work – how’d you cut those dados? Looks like a complicated cut…

also, did you use a template for the sign, or freehand?

Hey Buck,
The joints were cut with a dado blade at the table saw. I angled the dado blade, and increased the depth of cut until the board seated fully in the bracket.

The sign is made with router templates. I couldn’t find a font I liked, so I made my own templates from 1/4” mdf core plywood.

Thanks

-- Willie, Washington "If You Choose Not To Decide, You Still Have Made a Choice" - Rush

Wow! That’s a big rack. Wish I had room for that.

-- John, Suffolk Virgina

Well thought out. I like the details.

I am a high school teacher and would like to put this in my shop. Do you have plans/dimensions for this?

Mr. G,

Sorry I don’t have formal plans, but the pictures tell the story. I can say I still use this rack and wouldn’t change a thing in my shop.

It can be adapted to varying size lumber and shop spaces. For me, vertical storage is the way to go.

Cheers

-- Willie, Washington "If You Choose Not To Decide, You Still Have Made a Choice" - Rush