Western Piedmont Woodcrafters

The ONE club for ALL woodworkers

Low-Cost Storage System
For Home or Shop

After building several of these storage racks I am convinced they are the strongest and lowest cost per cubic foot of any racks you can build or buy.  Probably the best feature of them is that you can make them out of 2 x 4 lumber or any wider 2 inch boards.

You can build them as high, as wide, and as deep as you want; the construction system is the same.   The vertical pieces (stiles) and shelf rails use 2 x 4 or wider lumber ripped down to a 1 ½  inch square.  The shelves are spaced slats ¾ inch thick by 1 ½ inch wide by whatever length you want the depth of the shelves to be.

Build the shelves independent of the structure.  After the shelves are completed and the stiles are notched to receive them, the entire unit is screwed together with 2 ½ inch long screws. 

This is a good opportunity to use up those ¾-inch cutoffs lying around the shop.  You can use both plywood or solid wood for the slats, but don’t mix them on a shelf – the plywood isn’t ¾ inch thick.  I cut the slats from any 1 ½  inch thick boards I can find.

Here are some tips:

· Use 1 ½ inch nails to secure the slats but be sure to predrill the slat ends to prevent splitting.  I  made a simple drilling fixture to locate the slat ends on my drill press.

· To cut the slats, first cut all your slat lumber (2x4, 2x6, 2x8, etc) to the desired length of the slat.    Cut the slats ¾ inch thick on your table saw.  I cut mine by making sure all of my slat lumber was the same width to begin with.  I then reset the saw to cut the slat from the outside of the blade, and reset the fence as the work pieces got narrower.  When the work pieces got too narrow to be cut safely , I ran them through the band saw.

· Do  not locate a slat where the shelf fits into a  notch.  Locate them on each side of the notch.

· Use a slat to measure the spacing to the next slat on the shelf, but the spacing is up to you.

· Lay out and mark the stiles for notching to hold the shelf rails.  Notch depth of a half inch by 1 ½ inch long is adequate. You might add another 1/8 inch to the length of the notch to make for an easier fit.   I notch my stiles with a set of dado blades mounted on a  radial-arm saw.

· Get some help in assembly.  Starting at the bottom insert the first shelf in the notches of the front and back stiles and secure with 2 ½ inch screws.  Be sure to predrill these screw holes in the stile notches.

· If your rack is to be free standing, you can add a couple of diagonal braces in     the back for additional support.  If you can screw the rear stiles to building studs it will make assembly easier but you will have to screw the shelf rails to the stiles from underneath the shelf and into the stile.    Be sure to also predrill these screw holes.

Once you get your rack screwed together you will be surprised at how sturdy it is and how much weight it will support.