If you have the space, and the height, industrial racking would be great. The horizontal bars usually run anywhere from 8 to 12 feet long, and can be set about 4" above one another, if you really want to cram a lot a shelves in there for small stuff.

Make sure you get the wire panels that lay across the horizontal beams. You can simply use pallets to store things on, but the wire panels will be far shorter and allow you to put smaller things on it. If you're going to be storing heavy stuff, either place it on pallets or you can use wooden slats cut to fit in between the front and back horizontal rails.

Naturally, be sure to bolt the uprights to the floor. You can get clips that hold the horizontal bars locked into the uprights, but they're unnecessary for your application. The horizontal bars sit in slots and have to be lifted out the be removed. The locking clips only serve to keep the bars from being accidentally lifted out of position if a forklift were to bump them.

You can get a small 'walkie stacker' type of electric forklift if you want something small to put pallets on the upper levels, or go whole hog with a fullsize lift; you'd be amazed at how handy one is. But that's a topic for another day.

 

When my oldest son moved back home he brought 20' of pallet racking. I don't know what we would have done with all his stuff if we didn't have it. I thonk i'll have to just keep it when he moves out.

 

This is a good post.

I have a chance at buying some of these. They are 8' long and 12' high (i think) New for $100 a section. I didnt buy as I dont know the cost of these. It comes with the wire shelves etc.He has 4 complete sections

 

cool. how deep are the shelves, and how many shelves per section?
I am doing three shelves, 9ftx5ft each.

I now feel gouged at $250 a section!

Sam

 

I was just checking out your pics of the shop and see where you have the little catwalk shelf in the corner. If you have that racking system, running the racking at the same hieght as that shelf you have up would great a complete overhead cat walk along that wall or even down other walls. If height is not a issue then you can even go up higher and build ladder systems within the racking to gain access. Maybe even string up some 110 plug shop lamps and bam. Where did you get the pic of the racking?

 

The standard size for these shelves will hold two 42" x 48" american pallets. Pallets are different depending on the country the product oringinated from, but NAFTA is fixing that. Check at some local warehouses that are shutting down and sometimes you can get this stuff for free

 

the pic was from the local company (here is the cl link, http://austin.craigslist.org/mat/1020835207.html) that does the takedown, resell of the material, located in town. that catwalk is just 2 4x8 sheets of particle board in an angle iron cage, resting on the building perlines. in one corner there is a 4x4 under the perline to prevent collapse. (you can see this in front of the green truck there is an access ladder, and the 4x4 is behind the right side of the ladder) I have nothing of substance up there..(fear)
That will all come down, and the pallet racking system will be placed on the end wall, floor to ceiling, from the right corner(pic 1), just short of the shop walk door(pic 3). this will take me from 64sq ft (8x8) to 324 (54*6) and with good safe weight handling.

these are technically 22ft end caps, they are cutting them in half and adding foot plates to one section so they will fit in my 12ft ceiling.
they have some 12 ft sections in another style, but they are only 4ft deep,
for an extra $50 I get the 5ft shelves. which will now allow me to completely cover the 29 ford body inside the racking system. (its 4ft 6 wide).

I have to store the bulky XMAS decorations, and some old (30's) handme down twin beds that my wife keeps saying she wants redone (but I wouldn't put inside the house regardless of shape!). I can do all that on one shelf (up high, out of the way)

Sam

 

Kevin, I sent you a pm if you dont want those racks i could use 3 for sure but would buy all four if need be.

 

Have ya priced these at Menards, Home Depot, Lowes, etc...?

 

This is what we did at work. Went to a printing press place (gone out of business) and got all of the racking for free, and pallet jacks were $30 a piece, platform jacks were $50 a piece, etc...

 

they don't have any 4 or 5 ft deep

sam

 

yeh, but ya gotta find em, etc.

Sam

 

Call all the local forklift dealers, and ask if they have any clients that are closing or know of any that may be moving. I could list off three or four places that have either gone out of business, downsized, or moved in the last few months, but they're all in Middle TN.

 

Call Malin Material Handling and ask to speak with a local sales rep. or find a local tech that may help you out with some customers closings. I work for a sister dealer (Carolina Handling) in the southeast so I can find the stuff all day just not in Texas.

 

That was my sideways way of saying that they don't come cheap, and $250 isn't all that bad. Up here we get the weekly Manney's shopper that has auctions listed, sometimes these will be from businesses, and may have the racking up for bid. One coworker has a whole row of it in the back of his garage holding several Chebby engines. I would like to get some myself, but need to find a place to put them first.