I’m looking to build some storage/display racks for about 16 boards. I’m debating between metal and wood and different designs. I’m thinking of going for a a-frame rack with boards placed 8 per side, deck side up. There would be multiple glass on and box boards on this rack - all long boards. Since moving from one place to another I got rid of a lot of my tools so these will probably be built for hire. Suggestions?
Find out where PPG & other auto-glass suppliers get the racks for the beds of their trucks? I bet it would be easy to tilt 2 of those together and maybe remove every other bar…
uhmm… where ya gonna put it, would be my first question. For instance, a wall mounted pair or pairs of uprights with adjustable brackets, modified ( and padded ) from commercial grade shelf brackets would work in some places ( see http://www.rmsshop.com/retail_shelving.html for examples) , A-frames in some others.
hope that’s of some use
doc…
It’s gonna go right smack dab on the floor. I think Benny has the right start with a windshield rack-type build and there are some things that have gotten the thought process back in gear from the shelving site. I need to find a welder in SF. 2 piece base which connects like an old bed frame. This would have two center poles and supports, off the center poles, on both sides slightly angled about 5 degrees. With boards on both sides it should be about 5’ wide. Not a revelation by any means. :o)
I made four of these racks out of 2x4’s, PVC pipe, pipe insulation. They’re free standing and you can move them in and out for shorter or longer boards. I just use them to hold repairs and they don’t take much space when stored. The concept could be adapted into a better looking display-type rack. If you want more style, go to Pumphouse (www.pumphousedesign.com) and talk to Bryant. They do trade show booths for the big names and the display racks for the poser-type mall shops.
IF YA GOT A BIG WALL THEN YOU SHOULD GO WITH THE STANDARD SLOTTED WALL CHANNEL AND YOU CAN PUT AS MANY ADJUSTABLE SHELF SUPPORTS AND JUST DOCTOR THEM UP WITH SOME PADDING. MY ROOMATE AND I JUST DRILLED THE SLOTTED WALL CHANNELS INTO THE MAIN BEAM AND IT WAS SOLID. AT ONE TIME WE HAD ABOUT 20 BOARDS ON THERE FROM THE GROUND TO THE CEILING. WELL OVER 150 POUNDS OF FOAM AND GLASS. VERY ECONOMICAL TOO. GREAT FOR STORAGE, BUT NOT IN A SURF SHOP FOR DISPLAY.
hey Surfore, have you thought about just using 5/8 dia Cu pipe. you could pick up a torch and a cutter. Make your own windshild type rack out of Cu, and more then likely save some money, over getting something welded up. It should be more then strong enought.
I was just going to suggest the same thing. A couple of years ago, I noticed a dress shop that had all of their clothes displayed on racks built from copper pipe. Looked really good. For surfboards, maybe go up to a larger diameter.
hi Surfore !!
This one holds sixteen boards. A mate made it for me …
ben
A few more suggestions -
in the ding biz, having stowage for a lot of boards is a Good Thing, and I have had a few versions of multi-board racks for drying, holding, etc. . Depending on what I had available at the time, I made 'em of either wood or wood and aluminum ( busted Sunfish sailboat booms) tubing.
I’d take pictures, but nothing stays static around here, just about all got recycled into something else since then. A Forstner bit is good for punching the holes for the pipe/tubing. I’d be kinda nervous about using any PVC pipe under 1 1/2" diameter, and then I’d use the thickest stuff available.
A mortising machine and a tenoning jig for the table saw made life very pleasant while making the mortise and tenon version and it looked good enough for display purposes. The pine is soft enough that it won’t scratch or otherwise mess up a board, a local softwood from the local sawmill will prolly do just fine. The X-bracing I found gave me considerable peace of mind, as I didn’t really trust that sort of frame to stay rigid without it. 1/2" tenon thickness also gave me peace of mind. Any thinner and I might have worried about double-stacking the boards on some of the support arms. This was heavy-duty enough to hold lumber.
hope that’s of use
doc…
Here’s a link to check out with some DIY plywood racks. You could scale it up a bit for your needs and possibly put more of an angle on the “arms” so you could view the boards better.
Maybe double it up so you have half the boards on one side of the rack and half on the other. You didn’t mention if floorspace is an issue or not. If so, maybe something similar, but just make it go floor to ceiling.
http://members.shaw.ca/kevin_bartlett_175/plyracks.html
Some good links on that site to other rack ideas also.
I’ve seen some other plywood racks where they put banding on the edges to clean up the look a bit.
hey guys! sorry to just barge in…im new to post here but ive been a lurker for a while now…this forum seems to be really helpful and ive gotten tons of tips from here already. THANKS… 
now, i was just wondering, how deep should the bolts be drilled into the wall for a wall rack like chipfish61 posted? ive got an 8’0 minimal and im deciding whether to have a custom made wall rack done or just buy those commercial racks? theres another type of wall rack i came across (thanks to the link posted by Lawless)where bolting to the wall isnt needed…which do you recommend?im probably gonna mount at most 2 boards onto there. my room isnt that big but the board could fit either horizontally or vertically. sorry if im making a big deal about where to put my board its just that im having a hard time just making it stand against the wall…it almost slipped once doesnt seem too safe for me.
so you get an idea of the ratio of my board to my room and how much space im dealing with, im attaching an image. i plan to place it around that area, either standing up or hanging over the tv. (safe?)
good vibes!
