Interesting ideas on storing material in limited space?

[motoguy]

I've got my table in my 2-car garage, along with my other equipment. I think I'll have to store material vertically to have a shot at it, but I'd like to see any interesting methods you guys use to store/load material in a limited space. I currently believe I'm going to have to use the cherry picker/hooks method to load, as I don't have sufficient space for a gantry of any type.

Just thought some photos of your cool creations might be helpful to myself, and others that come along the way!

Thanks!

[Shane Warnick]

I have a plate rack that stores the sheets vertically. I use mostly 5' x 10' sheets, and keep them on their side. I have a gantry, and a plate clamp. I clamp them in the middle, lift them up, then move them over the table. Set them down on their edge, then down flat, then remove the clamp and index the sheet. Reverse obviously for re-racking them. The rack is at the end of my table, so I just roll the gantry back and forth along the long axis of the table. I keep 14g through 1/2" inside. 5/8" and thicker is outside, and gets brought in with the forklift and then picked up and placed on the table with the gantry. So far so good. I can post a few pics if you want, but not today. It's raining like hell outside, and I am at the house working on bookkeeping. My favorite thing to do. Obviously since I'm posting on here. It must be my second favorite thing to do, next to procrastinating.....

Shane

[tnbndr]

Here:
http://plasmaspider.com/viewtopic.php?f=87&t=17708

Several ideas here:
http://plasmaspider.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=19897

[motoguy]

Thanks for the info! I've used the search function, and I'm picking through that stuff as well. In my experience, sometimes a new thread can bring out some fresh ideas or updates!

For the moment, something like Shane has will be best for me. I'm going to build a rolling rack to store the sheets on their sides. I have an engine hoist, and just ordered a plate clamp. I think I'll have to lift/move them vertically, and put them on/off the table as Shane does.

I think I may build the chain/spreader/hook style lift as well. I considered some of the magnetic lift blocks, but with my need to store the plate vertically, I don't know that they will be helpful. Also not useful for AL or SS. If I find my edge-on storage and loading plan doesn't work, I may have to re-think my setup. A couple of the magnets with a spreader bar would seem like a great way to lift sheet being stored horizontally.

[tnbndr]

I saw a vertical storage rack on some forum a while back where the rack pivoted to lay horizontal when at the table and then he just slid the sheets off onto the plasma table. I was going to go this route until I came up with the storage underneath the table which saves me space I didn't have for another rack.

[Capstone]

I saw a vertical storage rack on some forum a while back where the rack pivoted to lay horizontal when at the table and then he just slid the sheets off onto the plasma table. I was going to go this route until I came up with the storage underneath the table which saves me space I didn't have for another rack.

I want to go this route too, with the "flipping" vertical storage cart, but every time I engineer it in my brain with anything heavier than a 16ga sheet, I get pretty worried about actually picking up the weight and then sliding it off the cart, which presumably is on wheels. I'm like a lot of folks in a small space, it's not storing the sheets vertically that's the problem, it's maneuvering them to the table and then getting them on it without the use of any sort of overhead gantry or lift. Even SeanP's solution won't work for me because I can only load sheets from the end and don't have 8ft of ceiling height with the garage door open. argh!!! Holy crap, I need a bigger shop!!

[littlefatbuddy]

This was my solution. I store 10 ga on the bottom and lighter stuff up higher. I have put 3/4 in plywood on each shelf to hold the sheets flat since the picture was taken. I also store stuff under it. At least for now and maybe a few more years I can handle up to a 10ga, 4x8 sheet by myself. I haven't needed anything heavier yet. My table is just to the right of this rack. I slide them off and just carry it over. The 26ga stuff is actually the trickiest.

[motoguy]

I'm going to build a rack like these:





This will be my first time storing sheet. I'm currently leaning towards 24" wide, 6' long, 3' tall guides/posts, and about 4" between posts. This will be in my residential garage with my machine, so storage space is limited.

Those of you with these racks...will those dimensions work? Can it be shorter (less than 6') without causing issues? My current plan is to use the vertical lift clamp I ordered, and lift it out of the cart with my engine hoist. Swing/roll over to the table, and set it down. Reverse to get off the table.

[HammerDownJustin]

That bottom pic you posted of the bare metal vertical rack is mine..I really hated that rack and storing metal that way. Fixing to cut it up and use tubing for a roll cage cross bracing and casters on something new

[HammerDownJustin]

Text me tomorrow and remind me to measure it for you. It would probably be okay for tight areas. 940-255-2396

[racerx1194]

Reason you hated it not big enough or hard to load in and out

[HammerDownJustin]

Pain in the ass to load and unload. If I did it again. I would cut some 10g for a floor in it. That would make loading and unloading much easier. would make atleast 6' long. Make a double pocket on one side to put smaller cut off pieces into. Use larger casters "bent one of mine slightly when loaded and hit a piece of metal cut out". Only need about 3" between uprights..would rather have more where you can have a few for putting partial sheets. When a partial sheet goes in with another they like to hang on each other. Maybe keep a couple pieces of thin cardboard to put between partial sheets or grab a couple pieces of paneling and cut in half to slide between its super cheap. It gets heavy so remember that when figuring out where you will store it. make uprights atleast 36" tall also.

[motoguy]

Pain in the ass to load and unload. If I did it again. I would cut some 10g for a floor in it. That would make loading and unloading much easier. would make atleast 6' long. Make a double pocket on one side to put smaller cut off pieces into. Use larger casters "bent one of mine slightly when loaded and hit a piece of metal cut out". Only need about 3" between uprights..would rather have more where you can have a few for putting partial sheets. When a partial sheet goes in with another they like to hang on each other. Maybe keep a couple pieces of thin cardboard to put between partial sheets or grab a couple pieces of paneling and cut in half to slide between its super cheap. It gets heavy so remember that when figuring out where you will store it. make uprights atleast 36" tall also.

Whew! I was afraid you were going to throw a curve ball at me! I finished my rack today. I took your photo (above), and basically made the mods you mention. 14ga floor, 6'4" long, 6" casters, 3.5" slots, 24" overall width, 36" tall dividers/verticals.

I went with 1.5" verticals, and they eat up a lot of the 24" width. Then again, with a 2x2 .120 base, and the 1.5" schedule 40 verticals, it's pretty heavy. I like having the larger vertical pipe to use as a handle when rolling it. With 1" verticals, though, I could have more slots. Not sure if I made the correct choice or not.

The 6" casters are actually a byproduct of needing 8" of clearance between the rack and the ground. With 8" of clearance, my cherry picker can slide under the rack, and I can use my plate clamp to lift the sheets. By shortening the chain on my engine hoist, I can lift a sheet vertically and clear my table by 2". The lifted sheet won't clear the other sheets in the rack, though. I'll either need too extend my boom, or roll the cart out from under the lifted sheet. I'll probably just do the latter, as I'll need room to maneuver the hoist, anyway.

Thanks for the ideas/info!

[HammerDownJustin]

Nice..post up how you lik it in a few weeks. Sounds like you did a damn good job. Yep my casters were two small. I bet yours rolls way better. Mine was sch 40 also..lol

[see&see]

Thanks for all the info everybody and suggestions for a material cart. Storing and moving full and partial sheets can be a PITA as everybody here knows even if you have a fork lift. We build dollies and keep heavy casters in stock but commercial metal sheet material carts are a whole other animal. Looking online and finding a good one is just about impossible. Most of the stuff they sell is light weight junk.

I retired the portable lifter in the shop and put up a 2 ton Coffing rail hoist that I sniped ( stole it ) on e-bay so I'll be building a material cart this week with four 2000 lb dual wheel casters and I'll post some picts here. 6'4" long and and 3' wide and seven or eight slots with a 1/4" floor.

[see&see]

Lot of interruptions this week but got it done. Scale shows about 820 pounds tare weight. Fully loaded it will be about 4 to 6 thousand pounds.

[Thor]

Nice, I built mine awhile back, has fork pockets to move it on forklift without it rocking off, and can also be used with pallet jack.

[see&see]

That's a good idea on the pockets for using a small forklift or a pallet jack moving the metal rack. I think motoguy said he made enough clearance underneath for a cherry picker or engine hoist to load and unload panels. I kept that in mind because I only have the overhead hoist in one part of the shop and the cherry picker loads and unloads sheets darn near as well as the overhead hoist. I also put chain pockets on each side to transport the rack on a flatbed if need be.

We used a lot of 3/4" AR street crossing plates in the construction business and they are always a PITA to load and haul on a truck. One yo yo tried to load plates in a dump truck sliding them out of a front end loader bucket and put a nice sharp hole right through the truck bed.

[motoguy]

Nice..post up how you lik it in a few weeks. Sounds like you did a damn good job. Yep my casters were two small. I bet yours rolls way better. Mine was sch 40 also..lol

If I remember, I'll take some photos tomorrow. The cart works great with 16-10ga on it. Once I put on a couple sheets of 3/16 and 1/4, and partial sheets of 3/8 and 1/2...it became a complete bitch to move. Really, really sucks. I wish my wheels had more of a round profile, vs a flat profile. Half of the battle is getting the damn casters pivoted in the direction I want to move it! Having swivel casters on all 4 corners makes it easy to pivot or roll sideways. But it makes it a bitch to roll straight, in any direction. Not sure how to get around that. Perhaps put some sort of lock on the casters. The wheels have foot brakes, and the brakes actually lock the pivot, but not without locking the wheels as well.

I've seriously contemplated putting some sort of drive mechanism on the wheels. It really sucks to move. Or perhaps a "receiver hitch". Then I could slide some tube into it, pin it, and put the other end (with coupler) on the ball hitch of the four wheeler. Would make it easier to pull not. Not much help putting it back in, though (see above, re: all 4 wheels pivot).

Mostly, it just sucks because I'm in such tight space. In order to load sheet larger than 12ga or so, I need/want to use the engine hoist. This means I have to roll all my shit out of the garage, in order to put the legs down on the hoist, and position it (and the plate rack) for plate transfer. Then get out from under the plate rack, spin around, and get on the table.

When it rains, I set up my 10x10 "easy up" pop-up tent outside the garage. When I have to change plates, I wheel all my crap outside, under the tent so it won't get wet. I need to make some money before winter...need a better setup before the snow hits...

[muzza]

Another thing you could do to make it easier to maneuver is to add another pair of fixed wheels half way between on the long length with a spacer so that they sit about 6 to 10mm lower than the others. These will act as a pivot wheel so it's sitting on four of the six at any time and you'll be surprised how much easier it makes it. We have had trolleys like this and had a full ton bundle of tube on it and one person can easily maneuver into place.
Murray

[acourtjester]

I think what Murray is talking about is like a rail road card with large wheel in the middle. You could cut a wheel from 3/8" about 8" of 10" in diameter and attached them parallel to the cart in the middle. That would help to roll straight and the large diameter will help to make it roll easier. Not a good picture but you can get the idea.

rail road cart C.jpg

[muzza]

Yes, that's the principal but with dual casters at each end.