hey everyone…
my name is Toolboy…and I have a metal storage problem.
I am looking for a support group to help me through this hard time in my life…
they say admitting to a problem is the first step to getting better…let’s hope so…
What do you guys do with all your metal?
How are you storing it?
Did you build racks?
Do you have mobile panel carts?
please help me…my CFO (wife) forbids me to buy more till I seek help in correcting the problem I have now…
Hahaha! 
Truck delivers 4’ x 8’ sheet, I lay it flat on some bricks in the driveway, use my Lotos Plasma Cutter with the hand torch and cut it into eight manageable 2’ x 2’ pieces. This is then stowed behind my plasma table and I also have some against a wall outside my workshop.
I now have approval from my CFO to pave and cover the area (16’ x 35’) outside the workshop (no walls permitted, just a shed) to be used as my welding and fabrication area and a place for her flower pots. So, now I’m thinking building a little Gantry Crane in that area as we will need a means to lift those flower pots of hers.
BTW some time ago I posted the steel sheet prices here in Trinidad. Well, since Covid 19, the price of steel sheets have hiked up 70% 
I built this cart to hold around 2,000 pounds of steel and still be able to move it around the shop. Works pretty well, but at max capacity it’s a little hard to push around. I could have done better on the design and build, but I was trying to fill an immediate need…
@brownfox
this is what I am looking at…nice…what would you have done different on the design?
do you have some basic hand sketch dimensions?
I have some heavy duty wheels to use…similar to what you have…
I was thinking a plate steel bottom…or a mesh…but I think mesh might cause me headache with catching corners…but be able to be cleaner without dust…
I would use steel wheels! Easier to move when weighted down.
It’s two feet by four feet. And four feet tall. Total footprint is a 2 inches bigger due to the mounting plates for the wheels. All 2x2 .120 wall tubing. The posts on the outside were to keep the material from falling over, and it works well. But if you don’t have it loaded equally, and a bunch of steel flops over, it may be able to tip. I haven’t had that happen, but I can see how it might.
I used the tubing on the outside to hold other small scrap by welding some mesh to it.
The floor of it is just square tubing running the short distance of the frame. I didn’t want to use mesh either for fear of it catching. It seems to work just fine how I have it. If an edge gets caught while sliding in, it’s not hard to nudge it over the tubing.
I made a cart to hold the metal and an finding out even if the casters are over rated for the weight if you don’t exercise it they will get a small flat spot. Changing them to metal.
that is great advice…reminds me of what my CFO says to me from time to time…
This is what you need. I am thinking about building one for the shop…
yah right!
I wish!!!
my shop is only 12 x 22 with 9 foot ceilings…I hope to get to build it to 22x22…still 9`ceilings…
This doesn’t help for sheet, but this has been working well for my long stock, and takes advantage of dead space under my bench. This is an 8ft bench, and I can fit up to 10ft pieces.
I scored a storage system somebody else had build, then I cut it down and made 1/2 sheet storage and the other half I made into pigeon holes for small stuff
Everything lives on top of the machine shop below. I built the floor pretty stout, or so I hope! The pigeon holes have worked out really well, now I can actually find little pieces parts instead of cutting down bigger stuff.
I’ve got a shed with an A frame arrangement for long stuff.
dang!!!
talk about having storage envy!!!
you have more room for storage then I have to work in…and a freaking crane…I gotta yell for the wife to help me move metal around…
I store my sheets above my table on a pallet racking that I purchased used for about $500.00. The cross bars add up fast but with three shelves I’ve been able to manage full sheets and then I have a small section for partial sheets. The first shelf is 6 foot six off the ground and then spaced about 6 inches apart. I really do love that rack and crane set up in the video
I had the same problem - sheet scraps everywhere. Bou
ght a set of 3.5" steel casters and made this simple cart .is that stable…or is it a tippy?
looks real nice…
I like the idea of the little tabs at the bottom also.
I need a cart like that!
Yesterday I tried to pulled over - very stable. All the weight appears to be centered over the wheel base
I have not built it yet but my plan is to build a similar cart as above, but use 3/4 ish angle iron with the v shape up ,for full length runners on the bottom. That way they slide in and out with getting hung of and i dont have to worry about odd sized peices not fitting.
