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This is less a shelf plan than a shelf SYSTEM: each 'leg support' is a 72" ladder of two uprights and four 17" rungs, and the shelves are plain 2x4s run across as many supports as your wall needs — the source build ran 20-foot shelves across five supports. One leg support per four feet or so of run, four 2x4s per shelf level, and the unit scales from a corner rack to a whole-wall lumber-and-bins system without changing a single cut.
All-2x4 shelving out-carries every wire rack at the store for less money, and the open 2x4 shelf surface (rather than plywood) means dust falls through and long items can stand through the gaps. If you want a solid surface for small stuff, lay plywood or hardboard over any level later.
The non-negotiable is in the shopping list's last line: ANCHOR IT TO THE WALL. A 6-foot-tall rack loaded with totes is a tipping hazard exactly as long as it's freestanding — screw through the back uprights into studs at the top, and the 'freestanding' design becomes furniture-grade safe while still moving with you when you leave.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 2x4, 10 ftTwo per leg support — a 3-support unit needs 6. Scale up per the design: one support per ~4 ft of shelf run. | 6 each |
| 2x4, 8 ftFour per shelf level: an 8-foot, 4-shelf unit uses 16. Buy longer boards for longer runs. | 16 each |
| Self-tapping wood screws, #9 x 2-1/2", star driveTwo per leg per shelf board. | 100 each |
| Wood screws for wall anchoring, #10 x 3"Through the back uprights into studs. Not optional on a tall loaded rack. | 6 each |
| Wood glue | 8 oz |
Overall cost: $$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Uprights (per leg support)Multiply by the number of supports — one support per ~4 ft of run. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 72" |
| Rungs / shelf supports (per leg support)One per shelf level; four gives four shelves. | 4 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 17" |
| Shelf boards (per shelf)Cut to your run length — the source build ran 20-footers. | 4 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 96" |
Some parts are longer than a 8 ft board, so there is no honest board count to show here. Open the board plan to pick a longer stock length — it names every part that does not fit.
3 boards
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Mark the rung positions identically on every upright — a story stick (one upright marked, then used to transfer to all the others) beats measuring each and guarantees level shelves. Glue and screw the four 17" rungs between pairs of uprights with 2-1/2" screws.
Build one support per roughly four feet of shelf run. Sag in a 2x4 shelf is set by support spacing, not board strength — closer supports for paint cans and totes, wider is fine for light bins.
Mark the leg-support positions on four shelf boards. Screw two boards to the TOP shelf level and two to the BOTTOM first, outer boards flush with the inside of the uprights — that skeleton establishes the unit's shape while it's still light enough to adjust. Square it (match the diagonals), then fill in the remaining shelf boards, two screws per leg per board.
Last and most important: screw through the back uprights into wall studs with the 3" screws. A loaded rack this tall must not be able to tip — anchoring is the difference between shelving and a hazard with shelves on it.
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