Garage Shelves

I'm going to make some garage shelves. My plan is basically to replicate what this guy did: http://davewirth.blogspot.com/2013/0...-basement.html
only, instead of the "legs" being on the short edge of the shelf, mine will be at the ends of the long edge. The plan is to build all the boxes for the shelves, then attach them all to the legs. Here is a top view:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-H...0-no/Shelf.jpg

I am running into a very basic problem though. How the heck do I build this box square? I have a speed square to place everything where I need it to be, but when it comes to drilling my holes, I can't hold everything in place. Should I consider doing it the way the guy in the link did, where he builds ladders first? It seems like it would be easier to square longer boards, as their weight will help keep them in place. This seems like a very first day type of question, and kind of embarrassing to ask, but how is the correct way to do this?

over complicated by design, text me tomorrow 9-4 and i'll get you pics of how to do this easier. I have several at work

comprehension failure, I've built many like you're designing, the link shows overcomplicated shelves.

Attachment 38651
shit i'm tired change 4' to 2'

have depot rip the sheets in half build the boxes by screwing the boards to the shelf then tag the ends of the boxes together and it will be perfectly square.

move your legs inboard slightly so that when you screw them to the boxes you're not going to the ends of the short 2x4's which already have several screws running thru them.

I'll text you tomorrow. You think the link design is more complicated than mine? I was going to just copy the link, but I already cut half the boards for this first shelf and want to be able to figure it out. When I'm done, I think I'll have a total of 6 shelf units, lining both sides of my garage for a total of 14' (length) of shelves on each side.

I always thought that the relatively large surface of the saw blade would keep a cut pretty straight once you got going, but that really isn't the case. I had the great idea to just measure the width of the guard to the blade, and nail a guide to each board I cut. It worked out very well and was worth the extra time on each cut in my opinion.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-S...231_201914.jpg

Kind of difficult to see, but I pre-measured and cut out all the corners of each shelf to prepare for the legs.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-p...230_215333.jpg

I set everything on the ground and just attached each "box" to the shelf, then secured the frame to itself. I asked a hand full of people the same question about getting things square, and they all had that same suggestion. It worked pretty well.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-O...231_223547.jpg

Even with pilot holes drilled, I still split this end piece.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_...231_223609.jpg

Increasing the pilot hole size and drilling a counter sink fixed the problem.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4...231_232757.jpg
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-x...231_232849.jpg
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-z...231_233435.jpg

Laid the whole thing on the floor to attach the supports. Not quite as easy as each individual shelf, but it worked well enough. Using a template for the screw holes kept things consistent.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-S...101_125600.jpg
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-g...101_125552.jpg

I discovered a slight design flaw when I went to mock it up in place.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-u...28HDR%2529.jpg
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-t...28HDR%2529.jpg

Easily remedied
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-N...28HDR%2529.jpg

Mostly final product and what it is replacing. The metal shelf is about as tall as the 4th shelf on my unit. Metal rack has 4 shelves at 11x29 compared to mine with 5 shelves at 16x36.




Over all it wasn't too bad of a project once I got into the rhythm of everything. Not only is the garage floor not level, but the carpet that was there was covering a HUGE crack right in the middle of the shelf. So between the already dubious stability on its own, and the 1/4" height difference in the floor on either side, some shimming and anchoring to the wall is necessary. The shelves are mostly level, except one that I didn't catch until I stood it all up. Finally, I ran out of screws and am about 26 short. [B]I'd like some suggestions for anchoring this to the bricks please.

yeah he notches the shelf around the legs, adds complication for no reason. It lies flat against the wall nice though. I have 4 of the ones you're looking at at work along with a bench that is a full sheet.

edited my post a bit
Attachment 38653
you remember the not 8' studs?

Attachment 38655
line up your now decked boxes on the floor the same way, space them evenly, add your legs, flip, add legs. Done. Also moving the legs inboard helps distribute load better, based on the design and the neatness of the workspace he's got to be an engineer, they can over complicate the easiest of things.

the ones at work have a center cross bar and 6 legs, they can support 200 lbs plus per shelf without issue. we have one loaded with paper boxes full of files and I can still climb it like a ladder

corner clamps.
http://www.harborfreight.com/corner-...ase-38661.html


FWIW: we had planned on wood shelves, then were able to score these gorilla racks off CL,f or an average cost of $15-20 per used. We like the portability and capability to move them around, plus able to take them with us when we move.


http://ts4.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.48247...82723&pid=15.1

Jim, with that corner clamp, would I put on three, and have the forth corner open for drilling?

Wulf, that is pretty much exactly my idea.

The gorilla shelves are really strong. I know they used to be 60 or 65 for a 4' wide, 7' tall, 18" deep version at sams club. The 7' uprights were 4' and 3' tall, so you could make a long low setup rather than a tall one if you wanted.

I prefer to notch the shelves so that the unit can sit flush against the wall. As above, use the shelf itself as the mechanism to keep everything else square.

If you're not concerned with pretty, I have a steel unit you can have if you have a pickup. I don't have photos, but I can shoot some. It was an old comm. cabinet, tall and roughly same size you're talking about. If you're interested I can provide photos and dimensions, etc. I'd love to see it go away, and it would last until YOU want rid of it.

Thanks Ron, I actually have a huge steal one at my paeents, but I'm going to build these to fit the garage.

I also plan on notching the shelves to be flush with the wall and front legs. That way the footprint can be slightly smaller, but still have full shelf depth.