Wooden shelves for tool storage?

[yendor]

You could consider buying inexpensive indoor/outdoor carpet from a big box retailer.
Those carpets are synthetic and don't absorb moisture the same way wool carpets do.
I use the real thin almost Heavy Felt like stuff to line my mechanics tool boxes drawers and they live in my unattached garage.
I don't seem to have a rust problem with them.

 

[NortonDommi]

A good coat of paint and some Linoleum off-cuts from a flooring shop. Try to stop moisture forming on the steel, oil/lanolin, door as in a cupboard.

 

[Boswell]

and of course, you can be like me and not care too much about stains. Focus your efforts on function and make the shelfs out of what is available, easy to work with and strong enough. . I realize that I might be in the minority here.

 

[Masterjuggler]

You could also just get some synthetic felt from the fabric store, probably the most inexpensive out of everything. I just use some spray adhesive on it. The nice thing about it is that is stretches a bit, so you don't have to cut it perfectly to get it into every corner. The not so nice thing about it is it REALLY likes to hold on to metal chips like velcro, so probably better for drawers than shelves.

 

[middle.road]

Treat/coat it with a good oil based stain as @dewbane mentions.
I used some old oak from a barn demo for an R8 collet holder and just soaked the devil out of it with an white tint oil based stain.
That was several years ago and no corrosion on the shanks. Now the area outside of the wood is another matter. . .

....

 

[ELHEAD]

Are you looking for a furniture finish or do you want to water proof the oak. Wax and organic oils are not very moisture resistant. Surface finishes in multiple coats are better. I would use a cheap engine oil if I wanted something in a shop that was both utilitarian and easily replenished, and waterproof. The camper in my avatar is coated with clear Duckback, an exterior wood finish that is extremely water resistant. Just my thoughts. By the way what is the price of Truoil? I thought it was high for a gun finish . I use boiled linseed oil on my guns without wax. They are hunters not closet queens.
Dave

 

[dewbane]

By the way what is the price of Truoil? I thought it was high for a gun finish . I use boiled linseed oil on my guns without wax. They are hunters not closet queens.

I had a look, and it's roughly twice the price of straight BLO. I've never tried straight BLO, so I can only go by what I've read. Tru-Oil is supposed to dry faster and harder. I first tried the finish when I was looking for something to use on knife handles, and I fell in love with it. I use it on pretty much everything now. I even used it on an actual gun stock. It makes a beautiful finish that performs well when covered in water, mud, or blood. None of those characteristics are necessary for a shelf, but it's easy to apply, and performs well.

All of my guns are closet queens now. I'm saving my ammo for a rainy day.

 

[ThinWoodsman]

You could also just get some synthetic felt from the fabric store, probably the most inexpensive out of everything. ... The not so nice thing about it is it REALLY likes to hold on to metal chips like velcro, so probably better for drawers than shelves.

The other not-so-nice thing is that synthetic felt supposedly breaks down when exposed to petroluem products. I say "supposedly", because I've read the same thing about EPDM, but have been using both in the shop for almost two years now with no discernible damage. Maybe it takes a very long time, or a lot more exposure than normal use would entail.

 

[Masterjuggler]

The other not-so-nice thing is that synthetic felt supposedly breaks down when exposed to petroluem products. I say "supposedly", because I've read the same thing about EPDM, but have been using both in the shop for almost two years now with no discernible damage. Maybe it takes a very long time, or a lot more exposure than normal use would entail.

As far as I know, synthetic felt which is normally made from polyester is resistant to all petroleum products. I've even used it as oil cup stuffing, though it's not oleophilic like wool felt. EPDM rubber is definitely not resistant though, I sometimes forget about that and fill a spray bottle with mineral spirits, only to have the seals disintegrate within a few days.

 

[jakes_66]

Thanks for all the replies, folks. There's lots of good advice here and I appreciate it very much.

I'm going ahead with the woodwork this evening, using my brother's table saw, large wood planer and jointer to get the pieces to size. It will be 6ft tall, 4ft wide and 18in deep overall. In the attached PDF I've hidden the doors for clarity. All the shelving will be 1-1/4" thick while sides and doors will be 1" thick. The rear panel will be a 1/4" thick plywood.

I've got a good bit of boiled linseed oil leftover from another project that I could use to treat the wood. I'm not opposed to using wax on the top surfaces of the shelves as well, so I'll see if my brother has some maybe. The Tru Oil looks pretty expensive that doesn't make it worth the cost for me. The lumber was rough milled 18 months ago and has been sticker-stacked and stored where it has thoroughly dried.