If you have a local custom tube company, then I think that is DEFINITELY the way to go. Shipping cost is like 50-100% of the cost of the tubes so the cost difference is less from PVC and it’s significantly more space efficient .
I followed Leslie’s example. Mine is 8 rows. That is where I got the .080" wall thickness, but like I said I chickened out and went with .160" which I now think is unnecessary.
Have you considered just building a wood rack out of pine or cedar? It’s cheaper, it looks nicer, but I don’t think it’s quite as space efficient as cardboard tube. All you need is a jig saw, some clamps and a drill. Here’s a picture of mine. I can give you more detailed assistance if you want to do that instead.
Is the consensus that 30" length is appropriate for 3 bottles? Seems a little short given most bottles are 12" but I guess the punt saves some room and it doesn’t matter if a few bottles stick out the front? Thanks.
Great thread, it’s motivated me to reorganize my off-site locker.
Snug fit is not really that big of a deal. If you are using tubes with an o.d. between 3.5" and 4.5", you have at most 4.5 inches of “extra” space. The honeycomb structure and gravity will take care of distributing that over your ~4.5 foot enclosure width so that you’ll have at most about 1/3 inch between tubes. And that extra spacing will allow the row-to-row rise of your structure to shrink slightly, so you could possibly even get another row in. So if you are between concrete or block walls that are reasonably smooth, it’s probably easiest to just build yourself a wood platform to get however high you want to be off the floor and let the width take care of itself.
At those prices, the cost of the pre-cut cardboard tubes are about same as PVC that you have to cut for yourself from 10 foot lengths. I would definitely go with cardboard if you can get prices like that and if your space is not damp.
Joe, I have considered doing just that. But I am really trying to maximize the bottles I can fit in the space as much as possible. Our new place is still on the smaller side so space constraints are a concern, even in the basement storage area. Therefore I’m leaning towards the locally produced custom cardboard tubes.
Plus, the more bottles I cram into a smaller space, the less wine the wife thinks we have. She, like most significant others of wine geeks, really enjoys the wine once the bottle is open, not necessarily before that.
Matt,
Again, very good thoughts. I may try to have the tube company mod them to fit as snugly as possible once I have exact measurements just to maximize the space, but your point is well heard, especially concerning the smaller row-to-row rise possibly leading to an extra row. Thanks.
I am in the PVC Sewerfitting manufacturing business, so I happen to know a little about PVC. Schedule 40 will be strong enough. You could also look for the availability of pvc air duct pipe, which would be thinner a lighter and still strong enough. It may be hard to find and might cost more, because of the specialty nature, but it is worth checking out. If you want to glue the pipe check for a product called Parabond. That is what we use to glue our fabricated fittings that are made from cut pipe. There is 2 cents from the PVC manufacturer.
Then I think cardboard tube is definitely the way to go. A 3.51" diameter will fit all but the goofiest of bottles. It fits a “big” burgundy bottle very snuggly, but it fits. With 2.5 feet, you can go 2 or 3 deep to hide more wine from your wife.
I work with plenty of plastic pipe in the construction biz.
Sched 40 would be plenty thick enough. Depending on how many rows you will stack, thin-wall drainage pipe might even be thick enough. Though the SCH40 should be inexpensive enough. I would not count on any significant strength in gluing pipes at their intersection line. The glue will not perform as it does with a pipe & fitting. In free-space surely a tension stap, frame, or stop would be needed.
I have a manual wheel cutter (Rigid brand) that we use to cut PVC & ABS pipe. It makes a really clean, straight, and relatively fast cut. I guess the issue is that you’d have to rent or borrow one as they run $80 min. We also use a powered mitre saw, espec. for 4" pipe. It isn’t the safest thing to do so be careful. Definitely wear eye protection and a mask. There is a risk that the blade catches and the pipe gets gouged or worse thrown, as well as chunks flying off of the pipe. It’s best to use a blade with more teeth. It is also best to plunge the blade through the materially much slower than one would with wood. As with wood, make sure to hold the stock in place tightly. If it shifts you’re more likely to get it or chunks thrown as the teeth are more likely to catch.
Does anyone use different diameter tubes for different sized bottles (e.g., half-bottles, standard, and mags)? If so, what size do you use or think is appropriate.
Also, has any one has success with tubes thinner than that .160" mentioned above? If so, what thickness are your tubes and how high are they stacked?
I use these 4" mailing tubes to stack bottles on top of my racks for the fat bottles that don’t fit in the racking like Krug and Taittinger Comtes, though they are snug. 20” is enough for 2 deep and fits inside the cabinet. Fine as well for standard 750s but too small for mags.
I was initially thinking of 3" for my half-bottles, 4" for standard, and 5" for a few magnums, but now I’m considering getting custom made tubes of 2.75", 3.6", and 4.6" to better maximize storage space. I’m still also wondering how thick they’d need to be, but from your experience, it sounds like you wouldn’t be confident in a standard shipping tube holding up to too much weight.
![[wink.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/04707e6a7bbb03e0153e349d8a9270d30e1e9525.gif "wink"){kind=small}
She, like most significant others of wine geeks, really enjoys the wine once the bottle is open, not necessarily before that.![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}