Stock Storage

[Bob La Londe]

For the type of work I do I buy a bit of aluminum flat bar.  My last order was a little over 900lbs of 12ft long bars, and I had another 600-700 lbs of full bars on hand plus shorts and cutoff. 

The cutoffs I put on shelves, but the 12 footers I really haven't a place for.  At the moment I've got the latest order outdoors leaning up against a shipping container, and the rest of the older stock is leaning up against shelves and walls inside the shop.  The inside of the shipping container is lined with shelves being used to recover space in the shop, and it's not setup for practical stock storage. 

I hate it. 

Of course I also buy a little bit of 20' aluminum pipe and tube.  That is to long to lean up against anything inside the shop, but one problem at a time. 

If you have a storage solution for the standard (maybe only USA standard) 12 foot stock flat bar I'd love to see it.  My shop has a 16ft eave height so I can store it vertically anywhere inside that I have the floor space, but I am trying to recover, not lose floor space right now.  I am even considering just storing it all outdoors. 

[lloydsp]

Bob, how about some winch-elevated horizontal racks, so you can raise the load up out of your workspace when you're not actually needing a piece of stock?  Several lines and pulleys per shelf, but only one winch pulling on all of them.

Lloyd

[Bob La Londe]

That is something to consider. 

[Bob La Londe]

I decided to throw money at the problem.  Behind my shop is a 20x60 concrete slab.  On the edge of the slab was is where I placed the 40' high cube container leaving 12 feet between the container and the building. 

My future plan has been to place two 20ft continers that are current at my parents house on the far end of the slab facing outwards (doors will open over dirt), and one I already have (currently out front) against the building parallel to the 40 footer.  This leaves a 4 foot passage (nominally) between the 40 foot containers and the other containers and a 12 x 24 open area protected from casual view. 

Its always been my plan to put a 12 x 20 shade structure for outdoor work in that 12 x 24 space for blacksmithing, foundry work, etc.  The little bit of blacksmithing I do now is typically done just inside the south door of the shop with the overhead door standing open.  I set my little blacksmith furnace on the welding table.  The light is not ideal.  It makes it hard to see the color of the metal with the direct sunlight coming in the door. 

I had planned to add the shade structure after the containers were in place, but I can add it first.  I just need to be extra careful when placing the parallel container so I do not damage the shade.  After the containers are in place I can move any racking I buy or build inside one of the containers.   

I threw money at it and ordered the shade this morning. 

[Bob La Londe]

Okay, one of two carports is setup.  I have the second one, but have not had time to set it up. 

I was going to buy heavy cantilever racks, and even ordered some from a vendor who then changed the lead time by several weeks after they had my money, so I canceled the order. 

Then I thought about it.  Most of my working stock is aluminum.  I order upto 900-1000 lbs at a time, and more than half is always gone by the time I make another order that size.  Special size stock is usually ordered in less than bar size.  Just enough to complete the job it is for.  I almost never have more than 2000lbs of aluminum on hand and usually much less. 

I ordered two of these:  https://www.zoro.com/vestil-self-supporting-rack-2000-lb-sr-ss/i/G5580508/

I figure if I set them in line with each other I can (if loaded evenly) store 4000lbs (probably a little more due to safety margins) of aluminum bar stock on them, and they are cheap compared to the heavy cantilever racks I was looking at.    I would have preferred single sided heavy cantilever racks due to the smaller space they take up for their load capacity, but price and lead time (I know they would have been here by now, LOL) made the choice for me.  Also, Zoro sends out 20% off coupons.  I used one. 

The new racks should be here next week. 

I am already using the space outdoors under the carport between the building and the shipping container for prepping stock with a carbide tooth metal cutting chop saw.  It cuts stock in a fraction of the time of the bandsaw.  I can't leave it unattended like the bandsaw, but its so fast it doesn't matter. 

[Bob La Londe]

Wish they were taller with another couple sets of arms, but that's about 1700 lbs of aluminum bar stock. 

[dh42]

Hello,

Nice stock of alum !! 

++
David

[Bubba]

Wish they were taller with another couple sets of arms, but that's about 1700 lbs of aluminum bar stock.

Professional looking stock storage. NICE.

[Dragonfly]

Wish I had at least half the space at your disposal ...
I've seen so much stock only in the hangar of the company I buy Aluminum from

[Bob La Londe]

Wish I had at least half the space at your disposal ...
I've seen so much stock only in the hangar of the company I buy Aluminum from

I found that the only way I could get a decent price on aluminum is to buy large enough quantities at once to take a step up the supply chain, and not buy from the local vendor.  My last two orders were about 900lbs each. 

Many years ago I built a 3000 sq ft warehouse for my contracting company.  Never figured I'd use it all.  Now I am moving more and more stuff out into the shipping container, and outdoors to make room for machines.  Sadly, I also never figured I'd have much electrical usage.  That is turning out to need more careful rationing even than floor space.

I've got two machines that aren't even setup much less powered up due to limited space, and I am concerned if I will be able to run everything at once (I won't). 

Fortunately, I had concrete aprons poured around three sides of my shop when I built it.  With that conex box, and the carports in between it and the shop I have finally been able to move an entire production step outside.  I'm even thinking about moving one of my horizontal bandsaws out there for the larger stuff I can't cut with the metal cutting chop saw. 

Space, money, and time.  There is never enough. 

[Dragonfly]

Space, money, and time.  There is never enough. 

Yep!
And, whatever project you start it takes more time and costs more money than you thought initially.

[Garyhlucas]

At a previous job I built a material rack from used pallet racks. Made a base from welded up cross beams with ends removed. Used upright frames to form an A. Angle iron rungs in the cross beam bolt holes on one side. One row has rollers to feed the saw at the end.  The back side stores 10’ & 12’ vertically. A set of plywood boxed tubes stores shorts vertically. The A frame is open at one end and sheet goods like plywood slide in the end. A large shelf on top stored things like reels of hose.  Finally short legs on the base so forktruck could pick one end while multiton rollers carried the other end.  Used racking made it cheap.