Shelving units for card box storage

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HockeyBrawler

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Okay, now that I have the right section...

Just wondering what everyone out there uses for storing card boxes to keep them easily accessible. I have mine all just stacked in a corner which is fine except for those on the bottom of the stack.

I'm planning on moving everything I have into 5000-count boxes and building a shelving unit to hold them all. However, I figured I'd check and see first if there are any commercially available units that work well for this.

If not, then I need some help from any members who know this stuff better than I do (which is to say anyone who knows anything about it since I'm clueless).

I have approximately 120,000 cards, so that would be 24 of those 5000-count boxes. Each box measures 19"D x 16.5"W x 4"H, and weighs approximately 25 lbs. I plan to put two boxes per shelf. Thus, I am planning on 12 shelves that are 20" deep and 34" wide, with 4.5" height so I have a little space to work with. Each shelf would have to support approximately 50 lbs. The entire unit would be about 6 feet high, give or take a few inches depending on the requisite thickness of each shelf.

So, oh great gurus of carpentry, or at least people who know more than I do about it, is 7/16" oriented strand board good enough for this? If not, what about 1/2" fiberboard? Or, am I going to have to suck it up, wait a while as I save up some money, and just go for some sort of plywood?

Your thoughts and advice are greatly appreciated.
 
If your building out of wood, OSB is fine you just need to put enough supports across it so that the weight of the boxes does not sag the shelves over time. Don't just use 1 leg in each corner for support.

You could also use something like this WIRE SHELF . I have 2 in my card room to store monster boxes that I routinely go into for trading purposes.
 
I like that wire one, but it's just too wide. I'm working with an area that's only 36" wide so I'd have to find a different place to put it. I did just check on Lowe's site and found a steel one that's 72x36x18 for a comparable price. I may have a winner there if the wife approves.

If I build it, I'm planning on using some metal plate L-brackets for support on each shelf.
 
Yes, they have different sizes available. I have the 3 footers, also have the 4 and 5 ers in the garage. You can also get a 10% off lowes coupon from the USPS in their "Mover's Guide" or search for usps lowes coupon on google.

Fill out this page to get the coupon in the mail takes a few weeks.
https://www.lowesmoving.com/register/step1.asp
 
I use something called "gorilla racks" that I bought several years ago at Costco. I think you can also get them at Home Depot, but they are incredibly sturdy as opposed to a nice dresser that has sagged over the years from weight of multitudes of 5000 count boxes.
 
For what it is worth I also really like the wire shelf that Pete linked to. When I had my monster boxes out I kept them on a black one just like it. It is now storing baby clothes and toys and my monster boxes are on display in the attic. :rolleyes: If you can make the shelves fit they are the way to go.
 
I found these inexpensive plastic racks at Home Depot and they hold up just fine. Currently I have 4 set up and am going to need #5 soon. They were only $30 and break down easily when I need to move them.

sportsroom014.jpg
 
I have those same plastic racks from Home Depot and wouldn't recommend them that highly for storing a lot of cards. I get some minor sagging on the middle shelves of mine, not anything big. However, the top shelves are heavily sagging to the point that I need to consider moving some stuff. I guess I shouldn't have stacked my sets 5 high across the entire shelf.

Also, I don't think they are quite wide or deep enough to fit 2 stacks of 5,000 count boxes - it would be very close. I use 3200 count boxes and 2 stacks of those, 3 high, fit fine on each shelf. I have some 3-row toploader "monster boxes" on there and they jut out over the edge of the shelf an inch or two.
Richard
 
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