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So hopefully in the not too distant future I'm going to be moving, hopefully into a place that has more room for my lab. I've been looking at various shelving solutions for storing test equipment (and other things). Unfortunately, a lot of shelving (despite being able to support a lot of weight) is only 18" deep, which is no-go for basically any old HP gear aside from counters like the 5335 and 5350.
Costco has a potential candidate, but the shelves on the rack are thick wire mesh and not solid. Where do I have to go to find good heavy shelving/racks that is at least 24" deep and has solid shelves? -
I'm in the UK so can't help directly but I suggest you search under "industrial racking" rather than shelving - there are lots of steel options with wood or steel shelves 45 cm to 90 cm deep. Not pretty but strong e.g.
https://www.storagedirect.co.uk/products/racking/apex-longspan/apex-longspan-bays/1251/apex-longspan-200-series-extension-bay
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Point taken.
Actually an 18 inch deep wire rack will work, just not ideal.
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Thanks! I really want to avoid having equipment hanging off edges, which is why I want something deeper.
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These are a set I repurposed from a coolroom I used to own. Shelves are about 1000x500mm usable area and are rated to 200kg/shelf. Lowest shelf not quite visible has 60kg of Coffee on it, next shelf up about 150kg of beans then the TEA shelf up to 100kg. The two shelves above that I have components and light storage.
This Link is to where they came from but I am sure one of your local importers will have the matching item if you check the dimensions. You will also find 'larger' shelves with much lower load limits so be careful in what you pick https://www.bunnings.com.au/pinnacle-1800-x-1060-x-540mm-5-tier-chrome-heavy-duty-wire-shelving-unit_p2760372
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Lowest shelf not quite visible has 60kg of Coffee on it, next shelf up about 150kg of beans then the TEA shelf up to 100kg.
That's a lot of coffee!
I hope it lasts you more than a month. -
If you need more depth, consider doubling up two identical mesh wire type shelf/racks.
They should butt up perfectly/close enough for a nut/bolt/washer pairing or use some cheapie G Clamps, duct tape, poly string, thick cable ties etc
If the wire mesh shelves are too flimsy or wonky, put one-piece overlapping wood boards on top to span both racks,
drill up some holes and stick some thick cable ties in there to secure the lot.
OR...
The wood boards can be modded up to hold the paired racks together in the center and or edges,
so no nut/bolt/washer or G Clamps required,
and easily removed for future height changes or re-locations etc (please excuse my twofer come cheapskate methodology
)
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FWIW: A lot of affordable, reasonable quality, DIY racking here is 540mm depth
with 'stated' weight ratings of 400 to 450 kilos per shelf.
Two of those will give 1080mm depth, which should keep long HP and rack server owners happy enough,
with some change saved for a beer or two afterwards,
...or for another Ebay 'not working/for parts only' deep format test gear acquisition
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That's a lot of coffee!
I hope it lasts you more than a month.
There is another 300kg or so in food grade wheelie bins too but I do turnover 10-20kg a week
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I went through the same thing recently.
My solution was, for lab, I use 18" deep type, all made of wires. For my garage that act as a warehouse for my stuff, I use 24" wire mesh bottom shelves.
You could always replace those wire mesh with plywood or OSB. They are just sitting on frame. There are lips on front and back, so if you do put wood sheet, it won't slide off. Also, for 18" in lab, since they all back against wall, I don't see hanging off and they are plenty stable. In room, that extra 6" will be a lot. I really don't think you want to put in 24" deep racks in room. -
Costco has a potential candidate, but the shelves on the rack are thick wire mesh and not solid. Where do I have to go to find good heavy shelving/racks that is at least 24" deep and has solid shelves?
Edsal is the budget option. I have several of their 24" D shelves of the 36" W variety. I'm looking to get a couple more. They can be hard to assemble since the uprights are in two sections, there are both brackets and hard plastic corners that will help. I've seen them at both Lowe's and Home Depot. Amazon also sells them, but they're heavy and require freight shipping. (Prime includes the shipping, but the price is accordingly high.)
Edit: on checking I see I have the 18"D units, but they also make 24"D ones that I'm sure are comparable in every way. -
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Not going to be buying anything just yet, but nice to get a feel for options.
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Where do I have to go to find good heavy shelving/racks that is at least 24" deep and has solid shelves?
It sounds like you are after Long Span or Pallet Rack shelving (the latter being the really big stuff). You can buy them in a variety sizes and if you go through a manufacturer can get custom shelf widths made to order. Buy a decent brand and check the rating of the rack and shelves carefully first.
I have 24" deep shelves (600mm) which are perfect for boat anchors, PC cases and CRTs etc. The shelf or bay width is 94" (2400mm). My uprights are rated to about 8000kg and 330kg per shelf. I have in total about 13 cubic meters of shelf space across 4 sets of uprights, which can make 3 spans in total. e.g. l=l=l=l
My personal preference was to setup my shelves to fit over my workbench which allows me to move my bench independently underneath. I can put large gear right in front of me and hammer away on the workbench without disrupting anything.
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Try craigslist for commercial and industrial shelving. I personally would stay away from cheap home shelving. I also recommend shelving that uses clips to adjust the shelf height easily rather than bolted to the uprights; also anchor them well so they won't fall over or want to parallelogram when you overload them.
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Some restaurant or commercial kitchen supply shops have or can get industrial strength metro shelving (wire shelves & poles). One place close to me sells the pieces individually so you can make up a custom arrangement and aren't stuck with a kit. I was surprised at how cheap they actually were.
Cheers,
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Mine looks exactly like that. Different color of course. Also, the flat area is a heavy duty mesh. This is available from Home Depot. If you need plywood to take place of mesh, they got that, too.
Now that's a nice rack!!
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That looks really nice. That's exactly what I had in mind.