How to Make Your Own Outdoor Lumber Rack

Unless you are running a lumberyard out of your home you wouldn’t really have a need for a lumber rack. However if you have a short-term project such as adding on or building a special project an outdoor lumber rack could come in handy. It can be done easily and economically.

Items you will require:

• Five two-by-fours eight feet in length.


• Two four-by-fours four feet in length


• 12 steel 3/8-inch lag bolts four-inches in length with washers


• Drill and drill bits

1. Drill two holes in each end of a four-by-four as pilot holes for your lag bolts. These should be done with a 15/64 bit. Next drill two holes into the end of two different two-by-four boards to match the four-by-fours.


2. Mount the two-by-fours to the four-by-four with your lag bolts. Be sure to put a washer under the head of each bolt. What you should now have is a four-by-four with a two-by-four mounted at each end.


3. Turn the four-by-four on its side so the two-by-fours are pointing straight up toward the sky like a “U”.


4. Take a two-by-four and place it exactly in the center of the four-by-four and drill two holes through it and down into the four-by-four. Screw in two more lag bolts with a washer under each head just as you did with the two-by-fours before.


5. Repeat the first step with another four-by-four and two more two-by-fours to form another “U”. Once done point those two-by-fours toward the sky and place the two-by-four coming from the other end on the new “U”.


6. Drill through the two-by-four again and down into the four-by-four. Secure the two-by-four to the four-by-four and you have your new outdoor lumber rack. When done it will look like you have two “U's” joined by a two-by-four.