Lumber Racks, cantilevered, etc.....

[Ironwood]

How about some pics of racks for those interested to contemplate?. Some are obviously steel, the others are "home brew" but quite a nice design. Utilitarian design, easy access. None of these are at my house, although the steel ones are here, just not assembled.

So, teach me something.

Ironwood


 

[backwoods sawyer]

A word of caution, do not go to tall. We were in need of dry storage for the wood that was coming out of the 7 kilns. We already had a cooling shed with track for each kiln so a charge could be pulled out and removed from the carts after cooling, the problem was that we were running about 500-800 units ahead of the planer. We had plenty of open yard to stack the wood in, just no dry storage. We opted for a 100'x100' 8 post metal roof structure with lights for night use. I cautioned against going with 24' high walls but was vetoed. Latter we add 8' skirts that came down from the roof to help keep the blowing rain off the units. And I wrote up a fork lift driver for trying to stack 4 units of 2x4 56 layers tall plus stickers. Note I said trying to stack. He had two units at full extension on the forklift when the better part of all four units tipped over taking out another dozen with them. He was stacking wood out in that shed by hand for the rest of the week.

[Ironwood]

The peak on the metal one is 22'. My plan is to have confinement curtains to keep rain/fog/ moisture out (I thought that was where you where going). The wooden one, the bundles are stacked on top of each other (so, I hear you there on the height). I usually only go three pallets high (sometimes only two)so 9-13'. The metal ones, the bundle is captured by the horzontal beams (much safer). I plan on VERY level approach, and BIG stable forklift. Getting a 4000lb pallet 12-16' in the air w/ a 4000 lb forklift is WRONG. Too dangerous. I worked out a barter for concrete as a foundation for the metal racks, which is going to save me tons of $$$ as you need MAJOR foundations (think if those things where loaded only on one side )

                Ironwood

[ljmathias]

Seems like you have two very different types of structures here- the wooden one is just a shelter with no "arms" to support anything off the ground while the steel ones do have arms.  I'd never stack any large amounts of wood "in the air" like that- couple of special boards maybe, but not a whole load of stickered lumber.  I air dry all my stuff right now (too cheap to build a kiln till summer gets here and I go with a solar one) so I sticker and stack on raised supports.  Gravity has a way of equalizing the landscape- I just don't want to be near where a stack of lumber gets "eqaulized...."    :D :D

Good luck on your steel frames!

Lj

[Ironwood]

I hear you on the equalized. I have two very young boys here and one 7 year old. I have NO plans of having one of them hurt by falling lumber. I am anal about things being stable in stacks and making it clear that this is DANGEROUS, dont think of playing here. Our property is near town, and once I had a nieghbor w/ a "wondering" 12 year old. I almost sent them a registered letter letting them know the dangers, fortunately they have moved.(probably would nt hold water in court if he got hurt though) I just wanted Mom/Dad to know what he was up to when they weren't looking.  :

          Ironwood

[Captain]

I've long wanted to setup something myself like the steel frames you have.  Interested in your decisions and progress.

Captain

[pineywoods]

I sure could use one of them sheds. I have an old broiler (chicken) house that I use to store lumber, but you can't get a fork lift in there, have to hand stack everything, and I'm gettin too old to do that. I like the wood one, all I'd have to buy would be the roofing.

[Ironwood]

Captain,

Coleman Surplus near Harrisburg Pa. has a bunch of the steel stuff like in my pic (go to their material handling section), this seems to be the heaviest and best for outdoor use, some of the otherstuff is box profile out of lighter stock steel.  I know it is expensive, I priced out what I have via there prices, and not including the roof trusses, the z channel and roofing and for everything in my pics (grey steel, one double sided 120' long, and one single sided 18' tall behind truck) it was $35,000. I figured I hauled 90,000 lbs worth of iron. I have no idea what it costs new.

       Ironwood