Need to build a free standing metal rack.....need some ideas

[ampa]

Since finishin' my plough project....I now have some free time to tidy up the garage plus my small workshop area....we only rent this place so I don't think attaching it to the garage wall would not be such a good idea..but anchoring it to the cement floor would be no problem. I'm thinkin' a sort of not too big and no wider than 12"... can be free standing or floor anchoring type with @ least 3 tiers or more to hold different types or lengths of rod/steel etc this will also give me a chance try out my new $48 hammer drill if I need to install bolt type anchor's to the cement floor......never done anything like this before so I'll need some help with some posted home built plans or designs of these unit's from you guys....

I still have plenty of angle iron and steel shelving to use up for this project and I'll still have lot's left over to store on this new rack....we do get a inch or two of water on the garage floor juring heavy rainfalls....so a metal rack will keep my ol' metal off the floor and out of the water....I'm @ the moment workin' on my new 11 plus cubic foot per inch twin cylinder air compressor which I bought part by part new at all dfferent times and now have almost everything I need to complete it.....

I'm not really buildin' this but puttin' it together so I guess it don't count as buildin' it..Ooops almost forgot... I will have to design and build a belt guard as I don't think they sell these to fit mine....I will post some picks anyhow of it when it's together...the belt guard will take time to make..the compressor will be stuck way in a corner out of harms way for the time bein'.......

I need to get my sandblasting cabinet workin' once again as my little portable CB won't supply enough air pressure....and as always I will supply pic's of whatever would be the easiest (KISS system perfered) for this ol' tired out body of mine....my lady is always complaining of having to climb and sometimes trip or fall over everything in the pathway....I tripped over the new 20 gal. compressor tank just the other week and cut myself in a few places....so before someone gets killed or badly injured...I best get this mess all cleaned up...Thanks in advance Ampa <>

 

[o2batsea]

Two step ladders work wonderfully. Also a short extension ladder can be separated and hung from a joist or rafter, or lagged into studs. A cheapie can be cut with regular wood tools, so you can customize it to some degree.

 

[Craig Clayton]

Talking about wood 2x4's scabed together can make for a nice rack. and save all that nice angle iron for a metal project. Size to fit location and steel quantity and weight.
Craig Clayton

 

[RPW]

Try building a frame work that is similar to a swingset. Add some spikes to hold pipe, barstock, angle iron etc. On the other side could store sheet steel.

 

[tungularafishcamp]

Or spikes on both sides and the sheets in the middle.
Rick

 

[ljellio]

Is the garage/workshop heated in the winter? The reason I ask is if you get water in there and it can freeze it may not be a good idea to drill holes in the floor if water gets in and freezes it could crack the floor. If I were a landlord I would rather some lag holes in studs than bolt holes or crams in my cement floor . Just a thought.

 

[Argosy]

It's real easy to drill a hole through whatever you use for the shelving support and put a lag bolt right into a stud.

 

[sandman2234]

My steel rack is 3" angle forming an A in three places, with angle iron crossing the A at about 14" heights from each other. The crossing angle also sticks out past the sides of the A about a foot with a short tab welded on the end to keep stock from rolling. The angle crossing is flat side up for a better surface to lay stuff on. I think there are four pieces of angle running the length of the 3 A shaped pieces to keep them in place, and a hook on top the the middle A for picking the whole steel rack up if a crane is handy. Each of the legs of the A all have feet on them, and when I moved it outdoors, I added a piece of gavlanized I-beam under the legs to keep the whole thing off the ground and from sinking. My A frames are about six foot tall, without the galvanized I-beam, and the rack easily stores 24' pieces, but size is strickly up to you, and your requirements (as also floor space requirements). This rack isn't the most productive when using floor space, but mine holds a lot of steel because you can store on the ends of the cross angles, in the middle betweens the legs on the cross members. If you have short pieces, you can add a cross piece between two of the four long pieces that hold the 3 A pieces together and put drops and such easily. There is room for large stuff, small stuff, stuff you use regularly and harder to reach areas for the pieces you may never use, but too valuable to scrap.
David from jax

 

[ampa]

One reason I don't want to drill into the garage wall is that we have the end unit and the wall that would allow the most space is the nextdoor neighbours garage wall as well....I don't have too much luck finding studs even with a stud finder....the water comes in only juring the rainy summer months...we did have problems with drainage when we first moved in here....as the drain is located inside the garage ...haven't had much water coming in these last 3 months..... I think they must have fixed it....thanks guys for all the great ideas...

I'll decied which way to go...the A frame idea sounds good....but so does the idea of using wood for a frame....I have more metal than wood layin' about....the shelving is from an old factory that closed down and a old neighbour gave it to me....it's not good for any project I'll be doin' so nows the time to use it up and get it out of the way...I'll try get a pic of this shelving stuff later....take care Ampa <>

 

[saltbranch]

How much weight are you looking to rack? I built one at work that is roughly 10' tall, 4 tiers high that we hang wire rope blocks off of for stock in our warehouse. Currently the blocks are hanging off 1 side on round stock "pegs". At any given time there is a 2-3k hanging off of it. It has a 3' wide base from what I remember. Its bolted into the concrete, I will say a Hilti Hammer drill is the only way to go. I have had the cheaper B&D types and burned them up.
Its not an A frame design, I used 4x4x1/4" square tube for the uprights, centered on the angle iron footers if that makes sense. I'll try to get pics posted. If I remember correct I used Wedge it anchors......dont waste your time on the cheapo anchors sold at home improvement stores.

 

[6011Artist]

I'd avoid drilling holes in the floor if at all possible. If you don't own it, you may find the owner keeping your deposit to repair it when you move out.

You say you have old commercial shelving? Do you have the bars to go with the end caps? If so, put a section together and put your long steel on top and hope it is higher than head high. Add pieces to it if it is not so you won't take up valuable floor or walking space. Put a place on one side for sheets and another place for shorter drops of cut off steel. You got to get creative and figure out a rack to hold what you got without damaging the building, will fit in your area available and still hold all of your material.

But whatever you do, make it free standing. If you ever want to move it, it's not attached and leaves no damages.

 

[F250DSLPWR]

I built " right triangle sharped arms" that are bolted to the verticles on one wall in my shop. I store long steel pieces against wall out of the way and out of the weather. The arms are made out of 2"x2" steel tubing and have two pieces of 3/16" flat stock metal welded on the back into a "U" shape that have a horizontal hole thru them. I placed the U over the the shops wall stud and drilled a hole thru the stud. bolted to the stud the arms make a nice shelf bracket or in this case and arm to store steel tubing on. The arms are are up pretty high on the wall and that leaves plenty of room under them for a row of "Gorilla Racks" connected together on to which I store shorter pieces of materials.