Metal shelving is a fairly common and popular item both in everyday life and in production areas. They can be seen in garages and sheds, cellars and shops, warehouses and office space. This is a convenient place to store and classify goods, so they produce a wide variety of sizes, from small ones for home use to huge options for industrial enterprises.
In the article, we will consider how to assemble a metal rack, because they are sold unassembled. The kit includes racks, transverse parts for shelves and fittings. The tools needed to assemble them depend on the type of fasteners. There are racks on hooks, and there are designs on bolts and with prefabricated racks.
Small products are assembled and installed on the floor without additional reinforcement. If the rack is huge and is intended for a large supermarket or warehouse, then the lower part must be fixed to the concrete floor with anchors driven intosurface and cemented flush with the floor.
Prefabricated shelving for home
For home use, purchase a collapsible kit. Before buying, make sure that it will fit along the wall of the room. Be sure to allow about 10 cm of allowance on the sides for ease of assembly.
Usually racks consist of vertical racks with holes for fasteners and shelves. You can assemble a small tool rack on the floor in a horizontal position and then lift it up and put it in the right place. If the rack is large, then you need to act according to the instructions for assembling metal racks.
If you decide to act on your own, then prepare a screwdriver and pliers. It is advisable to call a family member as an auxiliary worker, so that, if necessary, he will support the opposite part of the structure during work.
Assembly instructions
Assembly starts with uprights. They are made in such a way that the shelves can be placed at a convenient height for you, so it is recommended to immediately calculate the distance between the shelves. When the vertical parts are assembled, screw the bottom shelf first to make the structure rigid. Then things will go much easier.
To ensure that the distance between the shelves is equal and you do not have to unscrew the already attached side, before assembling the metal rack, put marks on each vertical rack. This will speed up the work process. You can use the lineor simply count a certain number of holes from the bottom shelf on each side (if they are provided by the manufacturer in different versions). If you are going to store large items, then use stiffeners to attach the shelves. Don't forget to put on plastic foot pads on the lower ends of the racks, which will not only protect the floor from damage, but also prevent moisture from accumulating.
Assembling a metal rack is not difficult, especially if it has small dimensions. For large structures, have a helper hold the pieces until you've finally attached them.
Prefabricated structure
Very convenient prefabricated metal racks, where the racks are simply inserted one into the other due to the different diameters of cylindrical sticks.
The shelves in them are mesh with curly railings around the perimeter. How to properly assemble a metal rack is drawn on the leaflet included in the kit. For ease of use, free the floor surface from all unnecessary and lay out all the elements in the assembly order. The only thing you should consider when buying such a product is that the shelves have the places intended by the manufacturer, so it is no longer possible to rearrange them or change the distance between them for large items.
Assemble such racks by hand, simply putting the parts on vertical sticks. To secure the fasteners, use a rubber mallet, gently hitting the edge of the shelf so that it sits completely on its own.place. It is not difficult to do such work, the assembly is similar to a children's designer, so even a teenager or a woman can assemble such a metal rack with their own hands.
Stands with hooks
Comfortable shelving made of metal is available for sale, for which no fittings are required to connect vertical racks and horizontal shelves. They are connected to each other by snapping on reliable hooks. On the shelves there are special hooks, and on the racks there are holes with a decrease downwards. How to assemble metal racks of this type? Very simple. Insert the hook into the hole and press firmly so that it drops to the very end.
Detailed assembly instructions will help you get the job done faster and correctly position the elements together. After reading it, you will be able to assemble a rack for your garage or store in just a few minutes. It is advisable to take an assistant to help hold the shelf on the opposite side while you are looking for the right hole.
Action algorithm
Before you assemble the metal rack yourself, be sure to check the location of the racks. The bottom side has special holes for connecting to the thrust bearing, but there are none on the top. Look at all the racks at once and lay them on the floor with the correct side so that after assembly you do not redo the work. All hooks must point down, otherwise the shelves simply cannot be attached.
To not think about it anymorequestion, immediately put the heels on the lower edges. Further work is best done together. The hooks on the shelves should point down. Attach the bottom shelf first so the racks no longer need support. To do this, insert one part of the shelf into the hooks, then apply the opposite edge. Since the fasteners hold the transverse parts firmly, you need to insert the hooks all the way. With metal, this is not so easy to do.
Experienced craftsmen use special rubber hammers to tap the crossbar until it is in place. If you do not have it, then there is no point in buying a tool for one-time use. Before assembling the metal rack on the hooks, prepare a wooden block and tap it to shrink. However, here it is necessary to act without fanaticism, because with a strong impact, the metal can be deformed.
Assembly rules for large structures
For large stores or warehouses, racks with hooks are also used, only they have a much larger size and metal wall thickness. To assemble such products, you will need the coordinated work of several people, scaffolding and additional equipment in the form of lifts.
In such structures, the lower parts of the uprights are equipped with holes for anchor bolts. To install them in the concrete floor, make holes with a puncher and screw them firmly into the base. The racks are attached to the wall in the same way, because the load on industrial racks is incredibly high.
Then in a similar waythe hooks of the shelves are put on the hooks of the vertical racks, rubber hammers help with a strong grip.
Safety rules
Before assembling a metal rack for a store, use improvised means. To strengthen the upper parts of the structure, scaffolding is exposed. It is necessary to observe safety precautions and use belts or make railings on stands. Scaffolding or scaffolding must be stable and strong.
To prevent falls from a height, there must be a railing. Before starting work, instruct workers on safety rules to avoid accident when assembling such large products as in the photo above.
Lifts must also be equipped with handrails and must be stable relative to the floor. It is necessary to work at height in pairs in order to put shelves on hooks from two sides at once. Before starting the assembly of the upper parts of the structure, it is necessary to firmly fix the anchors to the surface of the base and to the wall of the building so that the assembly has rigidity.
Design Features
As you can see, metal shelving comes in a wide variety of designs and assembly methods. How to assemble a metal rack without welding is described in detail in the article. Let's pay attention to the design of the shelves. They may consist of planks with corners on which to lay plywood cut to size.
For large shelving, shelves are available ready-made, with strongmetal jumpers and mesh cover. They are quite strong, able to withstand a large mass.
Conclusion
To accommodate a variety of items in the household or in stores, it is most convenient to use prefabricated metal shelving. They are assembled by hand quite quickly and simply. You do not need to have a special education to understand all the intricacies of the assembly. After reading the step-by-step instructions in our article, you will cope with the task in a few minutes. Good luck!
