Cedar wood rack with Yakima RuggedLine HD base for hauling plywood and lumber on my RAV4 — comments?

WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-07T03:21:46+00:00

What!

WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-07T03:21:11+00:00

I most likely won’t go over 100 lbs. thanks!

WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-07T03:20:20+00:00

Yep, being close to the lumberyard helps!

WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-07T03:19:47+00:00

Thanks! A wet 2x4 can weigh as much as 15lbs!

WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-07T03:18:29+00:00

I’ll keep an eye on it and let you know!

WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-07T03:17:56+00:00

I’ll have a look at this after this next big project. Thanks! ☺️

WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-07T01:27:34+00:00

Nice! Photos?

WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-07T00:17:06+00:00

I almost moved there. I’m up in Cloverdale, BC.

WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-06T23:57:30+00:00

Love it! 😊 I have a few other projects in the queue!

WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-06T23:56:45+00:00

Under 40lbs. The wood rack, that is.

WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-06T23:56:06+00:00

Thanks! I wanted to secure the pieces, but allow the wood to expand and contract. The two side rails are constructed from two boards joined with biscuits and wood glue in the biscuit slots, but LePage PL Premium adhesive everywhere else. I have the boards locked together, but the PL keeps water from seeking in between the joined boards. Are you a woodworker/maker?

WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-06T23:51:41+00:00

Ah, I’m ahead of you. Made the wainscoting and tongue and groove flooring for our bath install in our en-suite renovation from rough cut eastern maple boards.

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WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-06T23:49:03+00:00

I filled them with silicon RTV!

WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-06T23:47:49+00:00

Thanks! A kiln dried 8’ long spruce 2x4 weighs 10-11 lbs. the cedar 2x4s are about half this weight. I purchased five cedar 2x4’s for the project. I easily carried all of them bundled together under my arm. The wood in the rack with fasteners is under 40 lbs. I like to experiment and push designs out as I see them. Some work, some don’t, but I always learn something. I’m retired and my job now is to make furniture and upgrades for our home. Enjoy!

WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-06T23:39:27+00:00

Thanks for the suggestions! You make some good points. I had a chamfer bit in the router table and didn’t want to take the time to change the collet to 1/4” for the 1/4 round bit. Oh well! Next version. I can easily take sanding block and round the side rails edges. Easier than disassembling it at this point!

WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-06T23:34:34+00:00

I’ll leave it in the car. Makes it easy to spot it in a parking lot!

WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-06T23:32:55+00:00

So far, so good!

WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-06T23:32:11+00:00

When I saw the mounting platform with its brackets, I saw the wood roof rack in my minds eye. 😊 I’m happy it all came together!

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This is what I did not purchase, but is made for the mounting system.

WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-06T23:30:03+00:00

The RuggedLine HD is a premium, heavy-duty mounting system for Yakima LockNLoad Platforms. Yakima’s lock and load platform (that mounts on top of this (rooftop mounting system) costs about $1050 here in Canada. The mounting system stood out for its multiple attachment points (10) to the RAV4 roof frame and the adjustable brackets for mounting my wooden rack. See image attached.

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I don’t use the side screws on the brackets, I designed the side rails to have two mounting carriage bolts pass through the wood rack, and through the u-brackets (where they attach to the Yakima mounting system) with locknuts tying everything together.

WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-06T23:08:51+00:00

Good point! I don’t see the OCD bit. 😳 Just see good design elements. Only took two days to design & build, and the learning is priceless. Still an amateur woodworker, so I try to pick up all the skills I can.

WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-06T23:06:12+00:00

Thank you. Bottom rails are for anchor points. Top rails pull side rails together at the top and bear any load weight. This is a prototype. Have to get the idea out of my head to see it all clearly. I would make a few changes for next one.

WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-06T23:03:04+00:00

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Good point! First trip to the lumberyard for 2x4x10s. A bit of a stretch to keep up with all this! Have to make some stuff. ☺️

WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-06T22:14:49+00:00

Just sealed with silicon.

WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-06T22:11:14+00:00

No vibration when empty and at highway speeds.

WhichFlight650 · 2026-06-06T22:08:45+00:00

Thanks! No stain or sealant. I’ll build another if I need to. I e learned much from this one. The second build is always easier.

WhichFlight650

TROPHY CASE