8-Foot Garage Shelving Unit

On a flat surface, mark the shelf-level joints on the legs — remember each long support is 3-1/2" tall, so mark the BOTTOM of each board's position. Lay out two legs with four 96" supports and screw together with 3" screws, everything flush at the back face.

Build the second frame ON TOP of the first, matching it joint for joint — two identical frames, guaranteed.

Stand the frames 21" apart and connect them with the crosspieces at every shelf level — two screws per joint, plus extra screws reinforcing the corner joints into the long supports. The tower will feel wobbly here; that's the plywood's job to fix, not yours.

Lay each 24" x 96" plywood deck on its level and screw down with 1-3/4" screws — but first, rack the frame until the plywood's factory corners sit flush at all four frame corners. The sheet is the truest rectangle in the garage; let it square the unit as you fasten.

The wobble disappears with the first deck. That's shear panels doing what shear panels do.

Storing real weight (tools, fluids, boxed books)? Screw 1x4s under the shelf centers as shown — halving the span quadruples the stiffness.

Then anchor the unit to wall studs through the back legs. Six feet of loaded shelving must not be capable of tipping; this is the two-minute step that makes everything above it safe.