Wood Rack Advice

[FESHMAN]

Hi, so I plan on building this wooden rack for a few small tanks. It will be 2 shelves, the wood I'm planning to use is ~2cm*4cm + 4.5cm square lumber
The load will be 100kg at max (220pound) per shelf
Each contact point will take 2 screws + wood glue

Here's a picture of the wood cross-section (flat for frames, square for the legs)

Here's an approximate drawing of how it would be (unit is cm)

So would it be fine or is the wood too thin? I also plan to cover each shelf with plywood or something. Any input is appreciable.

 

[Gpdriftwood]

I would not trust that much weight on that stand. I would use full 2"x4" lumber for everything personally.

 

[Gpdriftwood]

And extra screws never hurt.

 

[BIG-G]

I second that, I wouldn’t trust it.
It’s just not worth the risk. If the shelves fail the cost of the lost equipment and damage would be way more than the cost of the lumber to build it safely.

 

[FESHMAN]

Well then, I might change the idea of building something from wood and get this kind of iron shelves. What do you think about them? Are they meant to hold such loads?

 

[Backfromthedead]

Well then, I might change the idea of building something from wood and get this kind of iron shelves. What do you think about them? Are they meant to hold such loads?

Steel shelves can work great, but make sure to buy quality shelves--some of these so called industrial shelves are quite crappy. I would inspect them in person before buying. In addition to supporting the weight of the tanks, you want to make sure the stand has plenty of support to resist outside forces, such as if you tripped and fell into it, or even an earthquake as some of our alaskan members have experienced recently.

 

[tlindsey]

I also suggest securing rack to the wall studs.

 

[monkeybike]

If you put vertical slats to support the corners between the two levels and the floor/lower shelf level it would probably work. Holding all that weight with just screws and glue is the sketchy part for me. I'd maybe do a diagonal crosspiece on the end to prevent it from racking, or better yet some plywood triangles.

 

[FESHMAN]

Steel shelves can work great, but make sure to buy quality shelves--some of these so called industrial shelves are quite crappy. I would inspect them in person before buying. In addition to supporting the weight of the tanks, you want to make sure the stand has plenty of support to resist outside forces, such as if you tripped and fell into it, or even an earthquake as some of our alaskan members have experienced recently.

Earthquakes aren't a concern here. What should I look for when shopping for them? I've seen many that are advertised to hold 100kg per shelf but the steel feels a bit thin and flimsy in the hand

 

[FESHMAN]

If you put vertical slats to support the corners between the two levels and the floor/lower shelf level it would probably work. Holding all that weight with just screws and glue is the sketchy part for me. I'd maybe do a diagonal crosspiece on the end to prevent it from racking, or better yet some plywood triangles.

Thanks, that is for the wood in the original post right?