Need plywood storage ideas for small shop

[John A. Schaefer]

I've been lurking here for a while, and I'm hoping that all the experts here can help me with my problem. I have a small corner of a walk-out basement that I've converted to a workshop. I've got about 300sq ft total, with about 36 taken up by the compressor/shop vac/storage closet. The drawing below gives you the general layout, including a couple ghost images showing how tight it is for cutting full-sheet plywood on the table saw.



For now, I've got a shop vac setup with some piping for dust collection (the pink lines). Once I can afford it, I'll be upgrading to a real DC system.

The ceiling height is about 9 foot in the "big" part (where the table saw is) and just over 8 feet where the sink and closet are. For dimensional lumber, I have a little space to hang it from the rafters. My big problem is where to store plywood. I really do not have the space to store it flat, and I don't have a place to store it on the long edge without blocking the door or the bench. Today, I have it on the short end against the wall next to the bench.

I've been thinking of building a mobile base so that I can store the sheets against a wall when I don't need them, and then wheel it to the table saw. I've been searching on the forums for a vertical plywood cart, but I haven't found anything. Has anyone built something like this? I'm wondering if it's even feasible - is there a potential for it to be top-heavy, and therefore unstable?

Any thoughts or insight are greatly appreciated.

[David Hostetler]

FWIW, and I am no expert, but if it were me, I would put in on the narrow edge. But not directly on the floor...

Marc Spagnulo has a shop of the week segment on his site, and there is a fellow in Florida I think it was, that posted a video tour of his shop that has some storage ideas you might want to put to use. http://thewoodwhisperer.com/gary-aur...p-of-the-week/

Just spin the storage on end instead of length wise. The trick is to keep it tight to the wall when you have it stored... so that it doesn't bow like it usually would.

I am not sure with that Clear Vue if it is possible, but If you could, I would stack the cyclone and shop vac to save priceless floor space.



Also look into Wood Magazine's Bench Tool System for organizing your benchtop power tools when not in use.

Best of luck to you. Hope you find the solution that works best for you!

[John A. Schaefer]

Thanks for the link and the suggestions. There are some great options in the video I'll have to look at. For now I don't have that many tools, so I'm okay on the storage front (although I know that's not going to last...)

As for the ClearView, I did have it mounted over the shop vac when I had it connected to a 5 gallon bucket. When I changes to a 20 gallon barrel, it made it a bit tall for the top connection - and since it essentially stays in the closet it's not that big of an issue having them side-by-side. (I also don't want to get used to having the space, since the true DC will take up at least that much room.)

I have see the Wood Magazine system - and as the LOML allows me to buy more toys, I may have to revisit that option. However, I built the bench specifically to hold the items underneath.

[David Hostetler]

No worries. My plan is less fancy than the wood magazine rig. I am going to simply attach upright track to the studs, and use the deepest standards I can find, So far that looks like 16". I will be mounting all my bench top stuff to 3/4" plywood mount boards, all the same size, with dog holes spaced so I can simply peg them into place on my workbench.

[glenn bradley]

I store mine on end in the slot between a wall and my cutoff bin. The base is 3/4" ply raised on cleats to allow airflow. Fortunately, I have about 5 feet available to pull the sheets out and move them into the shop area. I used to have them in a spot that made it a fight everytime I had to get to them; avoid this if at all possible, for your own piece of mind.

[Pete Shermet]

Hi
I was reviewing some posts or a magazine a while back and liked this idea.
The fellow had a roll up garage door that he did not want to block but most times the garage was a dedicated workshop. he mounted 2 strap hinges to one side of his door frame and built a single wheeled trolly (1 caster) about 6"-8" wide which held the sheets horizontally
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From estimating the dimensions available you apparently don't have quite enough room on either side of the double doors to do this vertically although the room has the height. However if you mount the strap hinges in the upper left corner and use a low profile bed caster you could place this arrangement on the wall where the jointer is, and it would pull out to access your sheet goods.
I hope you get the picture????
I don't know how to use Sketchup and it's not installed on this computer .
End view:
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When I post my "Drawing changes????????!!!!!#$###
Best Regards
Pete

[John A. Schaefer]

Pete-
I think I've seen the solution you mentioned.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...lywood+storage

While I might end up with something like this (only vertical), I'd really like to build something that's totally portable - like the one in the link below, but again vertical.

http://home.pacbell.net/paulcomi//Sp...ck_article.htm

It's starting to look like I'm heading into uncharted territory.

[glenn bradley]

I would ask the folks that have "mobile" lumber carts that hold plywood for their opinions. Most I have seen either have stories about falling over or taking up a larger footprint than anticipated to keep them from falling over. The wall hinge seems to be the best of both worlds if do-able.

A sheet of 3/4" ply is about 70lbs, MDF is 90lbs, you will become "un-portable" pretty quick. That being said, I have mobile bases on things I only move, very carefully and very infrequently but, I am sure glad to have the ability to move them ;-) My dad's lumber/sheet goods cart is an example; it has about a 21 sq. ft. base and you need to "aim" the 5" wheel the direction you want to go prior to pushing it. It is great to be able to move it but I wouldn't want it where I had to move it more than a couple times a year.

[Pete Shermet]

Pete-
I think I've seen the solution you mentioned.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...lywood+storage

While I might end up with something like this (only vertical), I'd really like to build something that's totally portable - like the one in the link below, but again vertical.

http://home.pacbell.net/paulcomi//Sp...ck_article.htm

It's starting to look like I'm heading into uncharted territory.

That's the exact post and what I was getting at, the upper left corner of the main shop by the jointer would give you reasonably good access close to the table saw where you would be cutting it up.
I think mobile storage is great as long as it is stable and safe.
Best Regards
Pete

[Ed Peters]

on the ground floor and I also have a storage loft but I still do not store sheets of plywood. I buy it as I need it and break it down as soon as it gets home. Few things are as cumbersome as full sheets of plywood that don't have an immediate project for which they are destined.

Ed

[John Morrison60]

John
I am sorry to be so late with my response. I was out of town and did not see your post until today.

I feel your pain. I have a slightly larger shop (but not much larger) and I agonized over this problem for months.
I came up with a workable solution when I went back to ground zero.
I resolved to "never" work with a full sheet of plywood in my shop.
I built a very compact rack (to hold up to 6 sheets of plywood) in my garage.
I also built a cutting table that folds up and hangs on a wall.
I then keep a small amount for use, and cut it on the table with my Festool circular saw before I take it to the basement shop.
I also contemplated making a small wood shed against the side of my house to hold the plywood rack and cutting table.
But that proved unneccessary when I found the space in the garage.
I realized that large sheet goods are the biggest nightmare for the small shop.
I also like the safety of making my initial cut with a guided circular saw.

Good luck
John

[Ken Whitney]

I have an 11x25 shop (walled off the single car bay of a three car garage) and built this.

Updated Cart.jpg
Updated Cart 2.jpg
Updated Cart 3.jpg

It is about 72" x 32" and holds full-sized sheets, half sheets, etc. The "A" frame storage holds quit a bit as well, with the width of the lower space about 11 1/2". I borrowed most of the design from internet "research".

It isn't exactly shopping-cart mobile, but it does roll, seems reasonably stable, and it is parked in front of the garage door-end of the shop, so it mostly stays out of the way and could (I haven't done it yet) be rolled out on the driveway to temporarily free up that floor space.

I'm happy so far, but getting long pieces out of the "A" frame means having to turn the cart 90 degrees which means having to move other stuff out of the way, etc.

Ken

[John A. Schaefer]

Ken-
Thanks for the images. I don't really have the floor space to go horizonal, but it's something to file away for later.

John-
I'm slowly coming to the same epiphany you had. I've got several sheets of 3/4" cabinet grade plywood I got at my local HD for less than the price of regular sheets. I've got no plans for them right now, but I was assuming that I'd always keep some stock. I'm now thinking that, once I figure out what to do with the sheets I have, I'll use HD as my storage facility...