# How Do You Store Your Steel?



## unioncreek (Dec 15, 2016)

I've been trying to straighten up my shop, so I don't have to trip over stuff laying around.  My scrap steel just keeps getting moved from spot to spot.   

How does everyone else store their steel and small pieces of scrap.  My wife said throw the little stuff away, I just say I might need it one day.

Pictures would be nice of racks that have been built.

Bob


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## David S (Dec 15, 2016)

Hi Bob,

Nothing fancy for me.  I mostly use brass and aluminum.  So in my lathe area on the right is a top shelf for brass, next aluminum, then steel, wierd stuff, and bottom is non metalic.
Under the lathe larger stuff, steel, bin for larger brass, bin for aluminum, bin for non metalic.




David


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## Ulma Doctor (Dec 15, 2016)

5 gallon buckets, milk crates, and homemade vertical racks
but somehow seems to be everywhere around the shop in small pieces, i try to collect those in large yogurt containers
i don't save every little piece, just pieces i can imagine a use for.
i come across scrap constantly from retrofits in my normal work.
if i kept every piece, i'd need a warehouse just for scrap very quickly 
i'll edit later and post a picture of some of my crap...


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## unioncreek (Dec 15, 2016)

I'm considering something along the lines of what Dave has in his picts.  My lathe and mini mill are set up in a corner and under the corner counter top I have an air compressor.  I have space beside the compressor that I could put a rack in.

Right now everything just seems to get pile together. I want to sort it out and either put it on a rack or shelves in the corner.

Bob


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## Charles Spencer (Dec 15, 2016)




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## bosephus (Dec 15, 2016)

i guess piled up on the floor in 8 or 10 spots is not the answer your looking for  .  

my shop is an uninsulated concrete ice box   ,  i  want to build a few racks to hold scrap and such someday  along with some shelves and cabinets . 
but have been holding off  in the hopes of one day being able to afford some insulation .   

until then .. random piles it is


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## unioncreek (Dec 15, 2016)

I know what you mean by having an uninsulated shop.  Half of mine is, so I hang a tarp in the doorway to the one car garage (uninsulated).  Heat the shop side with a small electric force air heater.  The other side has a wood stove and I use it if I'm going to be out there for more than a couple hours.

I've been thinking of using 4 inch PVC and attaching a 1 foot piece to a board or something to hold it vertical to put iron in.

I've


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## Randall Marx (Dec 15, 2016)

Piles here and there, buckets, on shelves, big stuff goes outside with actual scrap in trash cans and possibles sort of organized on shelves in one area of the woodshed.


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## Dan_S (Dec 15, 2016)

I store mine like this. Also, id advise against throwing the little stuff away, as it comes in really hand to prototype with or make jigs/fixtures with.


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## Bob Korves (Dec 15, 2016)

+1 on not throwing out the small stuff.  I use it for most of my projects, and it is the easiest to store.  Save a few cardboard beverage flats for pouring cans into for sorting it to find the perfect piece for your job.  Small pieces are also useful for setup jobs and can save considerable time.


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## JimDawson (Dec 15, 2016)

Small pieces are stored on the lower left of the tool cabinet, along with some speciality steels in tubes at the end of the lathe.



Larger pieces are stored on the racks under the air compressor, aluminum and stainless on top, steel on the bottom.  Firewood on the floor.



Pieces over 2 ft long are on the metal rack, up to 12 ft long.



And larger pieces are stored outside, blocked for forklift access.  Looks like I need to trim the weeds.


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## Badspellar (Dec 15, 2016)

I bought 2 18x36x6ft 5 shelf units that I combined into a 7 1/2 ft 10 shelf unit.  I don't usually buy anything over 4 ft long.


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## francist (Dec 16, 2016)

Everything gets racked vertically. By nature of the design, smaller stuff has to be in front and progressively larger to the rear. Really tall stuff goes to the side, but my shop space isn't huge so I try to stay away from really long stock anyway.
Small chunks that don't rack nicely or odd bits of sheet and plate go into medium-sized bins -- separate one for brass, aluminum, copper, or steel. At the rate I'm going it'll take me three lifetimes to use it all anyway.

-frank


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## chips&more (Dec 16, 2016)

For the small stuff, I use two 5 foot tall Vidmars. And the longer material unfortunately just finds a corner or section of the shop floor….Dave


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## RandyM (Dec 16, 2016)

Here is my organized mess.


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## unioncreek (Dec 16, 2016)

I don't have a lot of the tall stuff and I can store it in my barn.  I'm beginning to like the idea of using PVC and setting it in the corner on the counter top by my lathe and mill.

Bob


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## Whyemier (Dec 16, 2016)

In a pile, on the bench, in the way, back in a corner, taking up space, etc.


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## JPMacG (Dec 16, 2016)

Three 5-gallon plastic buckets.  My stockpile is tiny compared to some of you!


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## eugene13 (Dec 16, 2016)

I have wall racks for 20 footers and i use plastic buckets for short stuff, I'd post a picture it needs it's simi annual maintenance


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## Erichimedes (Dec 16, 2016)

I made this in about a day.  1/2" hot rolled round, all cut to the same length and bent up at the tips. 1x1 square tube with 1/2" holes drilled for the rod, then a quick fusion weld on the back. I plan on doing a second rack just like this for another part of the shop.

Second one should go quicker because now I have hose clamps for bundling the 1/2" rod in the bandsaw


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## unioncreek (Dec 18, 2016)

I like that too bad I have short walls.
Bob


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## tq60 (Dec 18, 2016)

We made a bench out of harvested tool chests and a display cart.

The tool chests back to back were less than the depth of the cart so a space exists between them.

In this space a rolling wall that has shelves to hold things.

Later added a satellite dish jack to move it in and out.

Bench is in garage and needs to move to shop...not used now darn it...

Added some photos.

The center part slides out and hold a fair amount of stuff

Just above the center to the right is a receiver that is to insert "portable tools" using old Sony thinking..."put a handle on anything and it becomes portable" we were going to mount tools such as bench grinder and dove tail fixture to trailer hitch inserts that you get at yard sales then store them in a vertical moving slide...that never got completed due to shop build but may someday...

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## rwm (Dec 18, 2016)

I like my rolling cart. It goes in the space between my lathe and the wall. I also have a vertical rack for longer pieces. I have found that I need to group my stock by length as well as material type. I still never seem to know what I have!
Robert


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## Ed ke6bnl (Dec 19, 2016)

Mine is stored outside in the open air,  not my choice But I have enough Al steel SS to completely fill a single car garage full

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