Too Much Money!!!!

Ga_Boy · March 17, 2006, 06:19:43 AM

I have been looking for cantilevered shelving for my storage container, I called a few places and got quotes for new units, the quotes came in around $2,500. Can't afford new shelves

Well, seeing as I have a welder and torch set, I figured I can build them with a little scrap steel, so I call looking for a salvage yard with the size material I need.

To my surprise there are no salvage yards in the metro DC area that will sell scrap, all they do is buy. People in this area have wayyyyy too much money if there is no market for junk/salvage yards.

Back to the drawing board and try to figure a way to build these shelves with nothing. This reminds me of my Navy days down in Charleston SC at EODMU Six. There; we did so much with so little for so long we were qualified to do anything with nothing.

This is a true story: The Command Master Chief sent a bunch of us young sailors over to the supply depot. We pulled nails from the scrap pallets, strightened the nails, then stacked the pallet lumber in the truck. We took all this back to the Mobile Unit and used it to build a wet suit drying room behind the dive locker.

Ahhh the good ole days......

sawguy21 · March 17, 2006, 09:56:37 AM

The Asian countries are paying too much for very large amounts of scrap for the seller to get off his duff for your order. I remember that one too. We the willing, led by the unknowing... ;D

Furby · March 17, 2006, 11:50:20 AM

Are you talking about old grocery store shelves?
They can't even give them away here.

Ga_Boy · March 17, 2006, 12:00:56 PM

Furby,

I guess those type of shelves would work.

What I am looking for has an up right that shelf arms hook into or bolt on to. There is a base that keeps the whole thing from tipping over.

I am looking for single sided ones so I can put two down each wall of my shipping container. This way I can stack three types of wood on each shelf unit with four units in the container that should work for a while for storing wood as it comes out of the kiln.

Mark

Furby · March 17, 2006, 12:13:32 PM

That discription fits what I was talking about. There are fewer one sided units though.
One week sooner and I would have checked the big auction last Saturday, they almost always have some.
I'll keep my eyes open for you.

SwampDonkey · March 17, 2006, 12:15:29 PM

Mark, who you getting quotes from on those. That's very inexpensive shelving in these parts. You just bolt (screw) the rack to the wall and put the metal braces at any level and put the pre fabbed shelves on the braces. That stuff is a dime a dozen at any hardware store here. How much you need? If your talking $2500 US than you must have need for an aweful pile of shelfing.

SwampDonkey · March 17, 2006, 12:21:21 PM

Even better might be to use some lesser quality wood like aspen or something or scraps and make your own shelfing and brace the outside edge to the ceiling and floor. You could have 4 layers of shelves in an 8 foot high van. Just load (stack) the lumber from the end and leave a walkway down one side of the van. Shouldn't take much longer than a day to set yourself up.

farmerdoug · March 17, 2006, 05:13:31 PM

Ga Boy,

I have a pile of the store shelves that can be used one or two sided sitting in a pile ready for the scrap haul. To bad we are so far apart or I would give you a good deal. I took four sets to an consignment auction that is tomorrow just to see if they are worth bothering with for more than scrap.

Farmerdoug

Dan_Shade · March 17, 2006, 06:51:29 PM

Mark, have you thought about stacking your boards vertically? (on end)
might save you a few headaches (or could cause more)

Do you want to be able to adjust the spacing between the shelves? if not, you can probably make up something that will work pretty good with some metal tubing and your welder.

rebocardo · March 17, 2006, 08:02:41 PM

If you want to travel to Atlanta GA there is a guy that sells used pallet rack systems. I have bought used pallet rack stuff to make my truck bumpers, flatbeds, and such. A lot of it is 3/16.

DanG · March 17, 2006, 10:29:00 PM

Mr Hootie has about a gazillion sticks of pallet rack just settin' out in the weather. I'll fluff up the hay in the barn for ya. ;D ;D

CHARLIE · March 18, 2006, 12:49:03 AM

I built my lumber rack out of threaded pipe connected to the studs in the wall with a flange and lag bolts.

TexasTimbers · March 18, 2006, 01:05:26 PM

Some people think you are talking about a lumber rack and you might be but I thkin you are talking about building shelves in your sea container for general storage. I'm probably wrong, but if not, I built my shevles out of those cheapo shelf brackets - the 12" ones, and cut 1" X 18" shevles on my sawmill. Worked out great. Holds plenty of wieght. Just use plenty of brackets.

Fla._Deadheader · March 19, 2006, 09:26:51 AM

Know anyone that works for the phone company ?? They use galvanized racks in the concrete buildings above and underground. They are very heavy duty, and are simply a channel type material, with keyhole -inverted "T" type slots. There are different length "legs" that are inserted and clip into the slots. I have used them for shelves, and you could hang a car up for storage on them things. Really simple design, and maybe they have some used stuff, OR, an employee might have something in his scrap pile.

Slots are about 2-3" apart on the uprights.

Ga_Boy · March 20, 2006, 06:49:45 AM

The shelves are for one of my sea containers, the inside is about 8' wide less than 8' tall and about 20 feet long.

The quotes were for four sets of shelfs, each set has two bases, two uprights and four shelf arms. The shelf arms need to be able to hold about 500 pounds.

I figured I could put about 1000 pounds of KD Oak on each self. I used Oak as this is the wood that I stock that weighs the most.

The low cost method is using the pipe flang bases with 1" pipe, the trade off is I gotta drill holes through my insulated container to do tie the 2X6's to the container. My plan is to convert this container to a second kiln when my volume of sales is more than I can do with one kiln. If the past 90 days is an indicator my need to convert this storage container to a kiln will come by the end of the summer.

I like the cantierlevered ones as they were self-supporting, but I ain't got the money to buy them new.

FDH,

One of my original customers works for the electricl CO-OP. I'll ask him if he knows of some heavy duty shelf brackets.

DanG,

You and Mr. Hootie is what prompted me to start this thread. Where I grew up; down in Georgia, I had Mr Langston. He was just like your Mr. Hootie. If Mr. Langston didn't have it you did not need it, he was a welder to boot. He could fix/make anything.

This is what I don't have up here in Maryland, these folks so close to DC got wayyyyy too much money! They want every thing brand new. I did call my buddy that has an Excavator business, he did tell where I can find a fella that does have some scrap stuff for sale. Gotta check this out this week.