Boxes for storing canning jars

[NanaK]

These are very nice!

I see a pallet wood project in my future!

I was thinking the same!

 

[sealer39]

The concern with stacking jars is that if the bottom jar loses its seal then the weight of the top jar would keep the lid pressed to the rim and create a false seal. Over time the lid would stick to the jar so if you picked up the jar by the lid it would feel like it was sealed. Then it would be really understand that concern because anyone who cans should know that you periodically check the seals on all your canned jars by tapping on them or pressing on the lid to make sure it’s still under pressure, especially before you open one to eat the contents.

I don’t have any box tips to share. I just store my jars, stacked two or three deep, on cheap metal shelves in a closet.

 

[Sammster]

I had a local carpenter make me some wood boxes/crates for my canned goods. He charged me $12.50 each.

They're stackable (supported on the ends) when filled with pint jars. I'm going to have him make more with taller sides for quart jars:

Very nice! Excellent price, too! Wish I had such a source ♡

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Very nice! Excellent price, too! Wish I had such a source ♡

Look for a woodworker, (fine) carpenter, cabinet maker, furniture maker, etc. in your area. Or search things like FB marketplace or Etsy for folks who are selling hand-crafted wood items like furniture or cabinets. Go to a flea market or store that sells handcrafted things, and ask where they got those things. Or - hey, any Amish communities in your area? They should all have lots of scrap wood they can use to make the boxes.

 

[saysfaa]

I shifted to building shelves to be used with or without boxes.

Websites on building such shelves do not give me the information I need.

A half pint jar fits in a 3x3x4 inch space
A pint jar fits in a 3.25x3.25x5 inch space
A wide mouth pint in 3 5/8 x 3 5/8 x 4
A quart in 3 7/8 x 3 7/8 x 7
So figure 4 pints or 3 quarts per foot

A box designed for a dozen jars for:
Half pints is 12 3/8 x 9 1/4 x 4 1/8
Pints is 13 3/8 x 10 x 5 3/8
WM pints is 14 7/8 x 11 1/8 c x 5
Quarts is 15 7/8 x 11 7/8 x 7
So figure 16" deep
(because it divides a 4' wide sheet of plywood or OSB evenly)

Multiple people who built deep shelves (2' or more) chose less deep when they built again, some built again specifically and only to get less deep shelves. Ideal seems to be 12" (3 quart/4pint) deep if there are no other considerations.

I choose 16" to allow for the boxes if I wish (maybe for just empty jars). And it fits my space better.

If the shelves are 12" deep then 6" of clearance for pints and 8" of clearance for quarts works well, according to multiple people. Less is possible but makes moving the jars awkward. I think this spacing will also work for 16" deep.

I have about 5' of height available.
six shelves fit that space well enough - extra on the top shelf would work well for storing the pressure canner, steam juicer, dehydrators, a box of tools (jar lifter, funnel, and such. Six also efficiently uses a 4x8 sheet of plywood/osb (I have 8' of width.)

To get the right thickness of plywoos/osb/board and/or spacing for supports, I need to know how much the full jars weigh. I assume a jar full of water will weight close enough to the same as a jar full of anything I will can.
A pint is a pound. 16 jars per square foot.
A quart is 2 pounds. 9 jars per square foot so 18 pounds per square foot.
Rounding (and allowing some margin) gives me 20 pounds per square foot.

I used the sagulator (https://woodbin.com/calcs/sagulator/)
To determine half inch plywood/osb will be enough, assuming supports not more than 16" apart. The sagulator didn't have plywood or osb as options so I used pine and fir. There is plenty of margin so 7/16th will also work. I didn't consider quarter inch because it costs very nearly as much as the 7/16ths.

I didn't figure the sizes of beams and supports because I know the bare minimum is much smaller than I care to try finding as straight enough pieces at the lumberyard. I'm undecided between buying more 2x4s, using scraps of 1x4 from building the chicken coop, or looking for pieces of crating from the rubbish bin. I already have two 10' 2x4s that I can use for this project.

I have slats in the scrap pile to use for diagonal bracing. Or I might attach to an existing stud wall or the floor joists above where these shelves are going. Or use wedges.

Did I miss anything? Or mess up anything? I don't have much construction experience.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

I used the sagulator (https://woodbin.com/calcs/sagulator/)

THANK YOU so much for this link!!! You have solved my problem! (Oh, and there *ARE* actually options for OSB and plywood - scroll down to the bottom of the list.)

I've been planning to add a huge shelf above a bank of refrigerator & freezers we have in one room, for storage of lightweight but bulky things, like blankets and pillows, bulk toilet paper and paper towels, empty ice chests and storage totes, etc. Maybe a total of 300-400# max. It would measure 132" x 32" (29.3 SF). There's no way to add more vertical supports without restricting air flow, so the whole thing has to be supported on the ends and edges only.

With the Sagulator, I found that if I use a sheet of 3/4" plywood, and add a front edge support of just a 2x4, it will hold 20#/sf of weight - or a total of 580# across the whole thing - that's perfect! While the sagulator doesn't calculate additional supports, I can add a center horizontal support end-to-end for additional peace-of-mind. NOW I have numbers I can work with!!!

 

[saysfaa]

Thank you! I assumed it would in with the others alphabetically and didn't pay attention lower.

One more piece to my project - I don't want to make a box support out of 2x4's as several videos show. I think that takes too much vertical space unnecessarily.

My current plan is to support the shelves with 1xsomethings or with scraps running front to back. They can be supported by "posts" (like a facing) or by cutting scrap wood to fit between them and the next shelf down. Oh, oh,oh,oh!! I think that would be a good place to use the balusters! There are a whole lot of them up in the barn with no intended use that I can see. They are wood, about 1"x1"x3'... I called, and yes, my siblings are happy to have them be useful.

 

[Sally PB]

I just weighed a quart jar of home canned tomatoes. A smidge over 2-3/4 lbs.

 

[saysfaa]

Thank you, that is a significant difference. I think needed to count the weight of the jar and lid too.

Well, even with 30 pound per sq ft, 1/2" plywood or osb with a span 16" x 24" and the shelf fastened to the supports still has good margin.

 

[Sally PB]

I just used the Sagulator. What a handy, handy thing! Thank you for the link, @saysfaa!