clark_fork
Member
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2015
- Messages
- 306
At under $60.00 (Home Depot) the Port-A-Mate PBR-001 Wood Storage Organizer Rack provides an economical solution to the buy/build choice when considering a shop wood-rack or shelves. The Port- A-Mate Wood rack is a compact (41 inch Height) six shelf rack that can be assembled and hung in less than an hour. Shelves are easily added and if notched, can provide safe shelf space leaving no gap between the support brackets and the wall.
The package arrives carefully packed measuring 41” X 4” X 3 ¾. Included are two 41” vertical support brackets, 12 Horizontal bars, 6 spaces to go between the upright bracket and the wall and 12 screws on which the horizontal bars are set on the two vertical uprights.
There is an illustrated brochure setting out the assembly directions. Instructions are in English, French and Spanish. Assembly is not entirely intuitive so a quick review of the instructions is in order. The rack is fully assembled before mounting on wall. Assembly requires installing a screw and then sliding on the horizontal bar and then setting in the next screw. There is a small notch in each horizontal bar that is set against the screw. One bar has the logo on the side and depending if you want to advertise the brand or hide the logo, plan the placement of this particular horizontal bar.
The wood rack provides six levels (including the top) with a weight bearing capacity of 110Lbs ( 50kg) The recommended distance to support the designed weight is 4-6 ft. (120-180 cm). The distance between the horizontal bars is 6.5 inches. There are several options from leaving off a horizontal bar to increase the distance to 13 inches or drilling new holes, easily accomplished using a 5/32” (4mm) drill bit.
Mounting screws are not provided. These, of course, are specific to the installation. The assembled rack is 1 5/8” (41mm) thick. A suitable length of fastener is 3” (76mm) and ¼” (6mm) diameter.
I installed two wood racks, one for lumber and one for shelves. The mounting process went smoothly after I dealt with the devilish spacers that fit between the rack and wall. My solution was to use painter tape and tape each spacer in place. Then, before, final tightening, I removed the tape. I clamped a level on the vertical bar and that helped with the final positioning against the wall. When making the shelves, I cut them wider than the shelf space and notched each one so the shelf fit against the wall. I used my WoodPecker story guide to set the location of the notches. I used one TSO rail guide to gang cut the six shelves. I still remain amazed that this guide works so well. The last shelf ( ¾ inch MDF) was as square as the first.
There are many options with the Port- A-Mate wood rack. Two can be mounted, one above the other on a wall. The rack can be mounted sideways with the vertical bars turned horizontal to organize lumber etc. standing on the floor. A lip can be added to shelves and by running a dado on the lower shelf a piece can added to provide hooks on the underside of the bottom shelf. The directions include tips on mounting the rack on masonry walls, steel walls or on the wall of a metal shed or on a wood fence.
At the reasonable price-point of under $60.00, (Home Depot- More at Woodcraft and Rockler) installing the Port-A-Mate wood rack makes sense from both the materials cost and the time it takes to build a rack or shelf supports. From start to finish, I had in just short of 3 hours to put up two racks, one with 6 notched shelves.
There is a one year manufacturer warranty: www.portamate.com
Manufacturer: Affinity Toolworks Company
Specs:
Steel Construction
Assembled Depth 12.5 inches
Assembled Height 41 inches
Color: Orange
Made in China
Price: $58.00+/- to $74.00 +/- depending on vendor
[attachimg=1]
Lumber Rack
[attachimg=2]
Shelves
The package arrives carefully packed measuring 41” X 4” X 3 ¾. Included are two 41” vertical support brackets, 12 Horizontal bars, 6 spaces to go between the upright bracket and the wall and 12 screws on which the horizontal bars are set on the two vertical uprights.
There is an illustrated brochure setting out the assembly directions. Instructions are in English, French and Spanish. Assembly is not entirely intuitive so a quick review of the instructions is in order. The rack is fully assembled before mounting on wall. Assembly requires installing a screw and then sliding on the horizontal bar and then setting in the next screw. There is a small notch in each horizontal bar that is set against the screw. One bar has the logo on the side and depending if you want to advertise the brand or hide the logo, plan the placement of this particular horizontal bar.
The wood rack provides six levels (including the top) with a weight bearing capacity of 110Lbs ( 50kg) The recommended distance to support the designed weight is 4-6 ft. (120-180 cm). The distance between the horizontal bars is 6.5 inches. There are several options from leaving off a horizontal bar to increase the distance to 13 inches or drilling new holes, easily accomplished using a 5/32” (4mm) drill bit.
Mounting screws are not provided. These, of course, are specific to the installation. The assembled rack is 1 5/8” (41mm) thick. A suitable length of fastener is 3” (76mm) and ¼” (6mm) diameter.
I installed two wood racks, one for lumber and one for shelves. The mounting process went smoothly after I dealt with the devilish spacers that fit between the rack and wall. My solution was to use painter tape and tape each spacer in place. Then, before, final tightening, I removed the tape. I clamped a level on the vertical bar and that helped with the final positioning against the wall. When making the shelves, I cut them wider than the shelf space and notched each one so the shelf fit against the wall. I used my WoodPecker story guide to set the location of the notches. I used one TSO rail guide to gang cut the six shelves. I still remain amazed that this guide works so well. The last shelf ( ¾ inch MDF) was as square as the first.
There are many options with the Port- A-Mate wood rack. Two can be mounted, one above the other on a wall. The rack can be mounted sideways with the vertical bars turned horizontal to organize lumber etc. standing on the floor. A lip can be added to shelves and by running a dado on the lower shelf a piece can added to provide hooks on the underside of the bottom shelf. The directions include tips on mounting the rack on masonry walls, steel walls or on the wall of a metal shed or on a wood fence.
At the reasonable price-point of under $60.00, (Home Depot- More at Woodcraft and Rockler) installing the Port-A-Mate wood rack makes sense from both the materials cost and the time it takes to build a rack or shelf supports. From start to finish, I had in just short of 3 hours to put up two racks, one with 6 notched shelves.
There is a one year manufacturer warranty: www.portamate.com
Manufacturer: Affinity Toolworks Company
Specs:
Steel Construction
Assembled Depth 12.5 inches
Assembled Height 41 inches
Color: Orange
Made in China
Price: $58.00+/- to $74.00 +/- depending on vendor
[attachimg=1]
Lumber Rack
[attachimg=2]
Shelves
