My next project is going to be to make a plywood storage system. Because I have limited space, I am planning on making a storage system that hangs from the ceiling.
Has anyone here done this before?
I waste a lot of plywood because it eventually gets ruined in my shop w/o a dedicated storage system.
What sort of roof does it have? Loading may be a problem.
Hey Brian, Do you have space for a triangled cart? I know it may seem a bit cumbersome to have to wheel it out of the way when necessary but it keeps your sheet goods closer to the ground so you won't be straining to fight gravity when you are filling or emptying your storage rack. Everything you need- sheet good wise - is right there to see, plus you could roll the stock up to your table saw or work bench for easier placement. Marc
The ceiling in my woodshop (garage) is the floor to the second floor above. Should be able to hold it.
Considered that, but it would constantly be in the way. I don't use ply very often so having it above shouldn't be an issue.
---------------------------------------- Consider the following:
A 4'x8'x1/2" sheet of CDX weighs over 40 lbs.
Storing that kind of weight and size overhead is a tad more difficult than pushing on a rope.
Lew
Ok. You got me thinking Lew. Need to rethink this.
Ok. You got me thinking Lew. Need to rethink this. ===================================
If you are going to lift large, unwieldy sheets of plywood overhead, you will need to devise a method of lifting them. Unless, of course, you are super strong and muscular. ;)
It is not just the weight. Plywood under the best of circumstances is clumsy. Tight spaces and lifting just makes it that much more difficult.
--------------------------------------------- Might consider building a heavy duty 4'x8' table, say 42" high, then store plywood on table top and storage underneath.
The ply stays flat and you reclaim the floor space for alternate storage area.
Lew
Or perhaps a 4'x10' table and store the plywood underneath.
A 4' wide table is still a lot of wasted space. Reaching the back isn't easy. Cabinets across the back would work but anything on the table gets in the way.
On Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:43:40 -0800 (PST), the infamous GarageWoodworks scrawled the following:
I did some welded up 5/8" square tubing brackets for my 2' x 2' x 8' overhead, but it was for large boxes, not ply. The HF tig was my required new tool for that.
Are you going to put 2 of them above the garage door, Brian? You'll need plenty of takedown area, a long slot for each. Do you have that kind of room in your gar^H^H^Hshop, mon?
GIFs at 11, I presume? Bueno.
-- What helps luck is a habit of watching for opportunities, of having a patient, but restless mind, of sacrificing one's ease or vanity, of uniting a love of detail to foresight, and of passing through hard times bravely and cheerfully. -- Charles Victor Cherbuliez
On Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:21:57 -0800, the infamous "Lew Hodgett" scrawled the following:
Think "4'x8'x3/4" oak", Lew. Makes your shoulders ache.
-- What helps luck is a habit of watching for opportunities, of having a patient, but restless mind, of sacrificing one's ease or vanity, of uniting a love of detail to foresight, and of passing through hard times bravely and cheerfully. -- Charles Victor Cherbuliez
On Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:43:46 -0500, the infamous "Lee Michaels" scrawled the following:
Pulling one down usually takes a second person on a ladder.
-- What helps luck is a habit of watching for opportunities, of having a patient, but restless mind, of sacrificing one's ease or vanity, of uniting a love of detail to foresight, and of passing through hard times bravely and cheerfully. -- Charles Victor Cherbuliez
How many sheets? Let's see...
20 sheets of 3/4 would weigh about 1500. Stored flat that would be about 47 lbs/sq.ft load if the weight was perfectly supported over the entire area which it can't be.I don't think I'd want to do it.
Storing sheet goods is a real PITA.
That works. Only problem is that the sheet I want is always on the bottom :(
I have a similar set up above my garage door. Why above the garage door? To keep me from putting too much up there. Keep in mind that 3/4" plywood is heavy, you "fasteners" need to be able to hold a lot of weight. 4 sheets of 3/4" plywood/mdf could weigh in the 250-320 lb. range. That weight is going to be transferred to your fasteners, and that is no only going to be static weight. You will be pushing and pulling....
I would advise checking your ceiling joist specs but you have mentioned that you have living space above. It should not be a problem provising you dont get carried away with loaking it up.
Think also that you will be walking under that mass,,,, you would not want it to fall down on top of you.
Basically I only use mine for left overs. I never buy any more plywood than what I need for a project at the time I need the material. Because up high storage is tough to work with , a 2 person job to load and unload, it is less trouble for me to never have to put a sheet up there unless absolutely necessary.
A 4x8 work surface..... Now that would be nice....if I had room for that, but If I ever do,,,,, that will work.
Overhead storage of bulky, unwieldy and heavy items in a known area of limited space sounds very much to me like congressional problem solving funded by taxpayer dollars.
I attached some tapered supports (1.5" at the bottom, 0.25" at the top)
4' high to some studs on the back wall. Above that I mounted some brackets for lumber storage.This supports the plywood every 24" and I've seen no evidence of sagging after many years.
It wouldn't work if you buy plywood a dozen sheets at a time, but for storing 3 or 4 full sheets and a small accumulation of smaller pieces, it works fine.
It would be a PITA if I needed to get at the plywood every day, but I don't.
I like storing sheet goods vertically.
Easier to view them. Easier to pull them out.
No dead corner in the shop??
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