Wall Lumber Rack

Cut list

Board layout. Each row is one board, cut left to right, with the remainder hatched. Dark lines are saw cuts, about ⅛″ wide.

Build it

1. 
   01

   Cut the uprights

   Check your arms first. This rack is designed around steel lumber rack arms that reach 16″ from the upright, rated 100 lb or more each, with a flat plate and two holes for ¼″ screws. Read their own instructions and rating before you buy the screws.

   • A Uprights, three at 72″

   On each upright (A), mark the top of every arm: 12″, 26″, 40″, 54″ and 68″ from the bottom end. Square the marks across the face.

2. 
   02

   Screw the uprights to the studs

   Find the studs with a stud finder and mark the centers of three of them, 32″ apart: every other stud. Draw a level line 16″ above the floor across all three. It puts the top arms at 84″, about as high as most people can load from the floor.

   Hold each upright (A) flat on the wall, centered on its stud, bottom on the line and plumb. Drive a 5″ structural screw through the center into the stud in each space between the arm marks, six per upright. Check the three uprights with a long level: the marks must line up across all three.

   Watch outInto wood studs only. Never use drywall anchors: a loaded rack weighs hundreds of pounds. On a concrete or block wall, use concrete screws rated for the load instead.
3. 
   03

   Screw on the arms

   Hold each arm with the top of its arm on a mark, centered on the upright (A), tip pointing up. Drill pilot holes and drive two 5″ structural screws through the plate and the upright into the stud. Fifteen arms, five on each upright.

   Push down hard on the tip of each arm. It shouldn't move at all.

4. 
   04

   Load it

   Lay boards across all three arms of a level, never on just one or two, and keep the heaviest boards on the lowest levels. Keep each arm under its rating: an 8 ft 2x4 weighs about 10 lb, so 100 lb per arm is about thirty 2x4s on a level.

   TipBoards from 6 ft to 12 ft long fit, overhanging the end uprights. Thin boards and trim sag between the arms: lay them on a couple of straight 2x4s on a level of their own. Keep short offcuts in a bin on the floor below the rack, not on the arms.