How do y'all store plywood at home?

Woodshop
#1

Last time I bought a couple sheets of plywood I did the ol’ “lean it against a wall” trick and wound up with a couple of warped sheets of plywood. And prices have gone way up since then.

Anybody got any small-space tips for storing plywood at home (without it warping) ? I’m thinking of using framing lumber to build an 8-foot-long, narrow (like 4-6 inches wide) shelf with a slight lip on the front, standing the plywood on my shelf, flat against the wall, and ratchet-strapping it to the wall to keep it flat until I can get to the project(s) I bought it for.

#2

Check out Youtube. There are a bunch of ideas for storing sheet goods

1 Like
#3

Yeah I’ve been doing some searching. I trust random DMS members I’ve never met more than I trust some rando trying to up his/her ad revenue though.

#4

Obviously, everyone’s home/life/space situation is different, but what works for me for shorter-term and/or smaller pieces is just laying them flat and using them for (ideally non-destructive) floor/surface covering until I am ready to do whatever I had in mind with them:

Cutting them down to approximate final use sizes my help as well? Like if you were going to create a shelf unit with four 4 ft wide by 2 ft deep shelves, go ahead and cut sheet into four pieces. If nothing else they can then lay flat on each other and take up less sq footage on a floor somewhere.

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#5

I will add, if cut down and stacked, try to alternate which way they face, so any cupping tendencies offset, instead of adding.

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#6

I store my sheet goods flat. I built a frame from the ceiling of my garage to store it. I maximized my space by building it above where the garage door opens. Its only 8-12” tall but it’s enough to store that kinda stuff.

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#7

I store mine at Home Depot until ready to be used :smiley: .

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#8

Yeah unfortunately my neighborhood HD is lacking in the “nicer” plywood. And the “nicer” plywood store near me is only open M-F. So I gotta buy my materials on my lunch break some day and store 'em until I can convert the garage to the woodshop on Saturday. Longer journeys to bring home sheets of plywood necessitate a vehicle I don’t own, which is another conversation.

One of these days I’m gonna buy me a place with a separate workshop. First I gotta invest in some lotto tickets.

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#9

Someone at DMS recently made a wood storage rack similar to this one. Storing (near) vertically is best, but including some bracing is needed to prevent sagging/warping. This is what I would use if I had the space for it (which I don’t at the moment).

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#10

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I built a lumber cart

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#11

I might be tempted to at least try using some 2x4s and clamps if you’re going to lean stuff up against walls. It would add some bracing and structural integrity to keep things from warping quite as much.

#12

Yeah my plan right now is to get it up off the floor and flat against a wall and held that way with ratchet straps. Building the “up off the floor” part tonight if the pets stay drama free. Nothing like having your plans interrupted by a 100 lb dog who decides to barf several times.

#13

I attached some unistrut to my garage ceiling to keep stuff off the floor.

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#14

Until you decide on a fancy way, many small shops just stand it on the short edge, against the wall, almost vertically. It isn’t much fun digging out the back sheet, but it minimizes warpage.

#15

that’s cool but how do you get it up/down?

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#16

Pretty sure there is an electric hoist … controller is the yellow box in the garage door rail supports.

#17

I use a Racor Garage Ceiling Storage Rack Lift to store large plywood offcuts. Goes up and down with a drill. Claims to have 4ft by 4ft of storage but it might be a tight fit. Has a 240 lb max weight capacity. Supposedly a 4x8 3/4 in plywood weights 61 lbs so you could store quite a bit. I would not take it to the maximum weight unless I bought one of these to replace a plastic part that some people claim fails. https://topsyproducts.com/collections/jk-hinge-brackets-kits/products/new-replacement-cable-cam-drivers-for-racors

302

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#18

@got_tools, that was the project I was thinking of.

Where did you get the plans (or is it your own design)?

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#19

Here’s a simple and intriguing approach to storing multiple sheets of plywood vertically against a wall.

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#20

I present perhaps the world’s jankiest plywood storage “system” being demonstrated with various scraps. I need to snag a few 2x4 scraps from the construction sites nearby, to cut some cauls from, so the ratchet strap pressure is evenly distributed. But I think this could work!

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