Horizontal vs. Vertical Wood Wtorage from Woodcentral

In the process of converting his two-car garage into a shop, this hobbyist needs a wood storage system. His ceiling is 12' high and his widest wall 16'. An overhead horizontal rack would interfere with his drill press and band saw. A vertical storage rack would be a lot easier to access, but he has concerns about his wood warping. What about a vertical rack with a 5 degree pitch and slats running horizontally every 6-12 inches to support the wood along its entire length?

Horizontal storage

One woodworker with only a 10' ceiling provided a picture of his solution to a horizontal rack that easily holds between 350 to 400 board feet.

And according to one post, Home Depot stacks its construction lumber horizontally and project boards vertically. Of course, he acknowledged, with their high turnover their wood doesn't have time to warp. Personally, and depending on the space available, his long-term lumber storage is horizontal and short-term is vertical. An advantage of short pieces is that more of them can be stored end to end horizontally to fill a shelf.

Vertical storage

But far and above, vertical was the preferred method of storage. According to one woodworker, as long as his lumber is supported the full length of the board (including sheet goods), he has no problem with warping. And even though short boards do add up quickly and offer a bit of a problem, he thinks it's easier to sort through a vertical stack. Another woodworker attached a picture (see left) that showed how he used eyebolts at every wall stud, up about 48" from the floor with bungee cords in between.

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