Firewood Rack
Summary: You can build a firewood rack to fit your terrain. Outdoor firewood racks are a great way to store and age your split logs. Once you have built your firewood storage rack, be sure to use a firewood rack cover. But do not completely cover the firewood log rack.
DEAR TIM: My husband says we must have a firewood rack, but I say it’s not going to work. The only place available at our home for the firewood storage is a sloping hillside. All the storage racks I’ve seen are made for level ground. Do you have any suggestions for an outdoor firewood rack that might have adjustable legs? Money is really tight right now, and if there is another way to solve this firewood storage rack inexpensively, I’d be grateful. Melissa T., Stowe, VT
DEAR MELISSA: I have to agree with you, as I’ve done pretty exhaustive searches and the photos of each firewood log rack I’ve seen show the rack on level ground or a driveway. That’s not to say firewood racks can’t be modified, but that could take some work.
I’m also sensitive to your budget issue, as undoubtedly are many other homeowners in these challenging financial times. Just this past weekend, I solved my own firewood outdoor storage problem by building three outdoor firewood racks in one using the actual split firewood and salvaged oak 4x6’s that came in a shipping crate. This project only cost me my time, with no out-of-pocket expenses.
Frequently homeowners underestimate the weight of firewood, especially if it’s a dense hardwood like oak or locust. This is why you frequently see the firewood rack glamor shot with the rack resting on a concrete, brick or blacktop surface. If the rack was placed on soil, the weight of the wood very likely would drive the legs of the rack into wet or damp soil.
The ground surrounding my outdoor fire pit is also sloped like yours. I used 4-foot-long 4x6’s to make level, or nearly level, stacking platforms for my firewood. The advantage to using shorter lengths of the wood beams becomes clear when you see how little you have to lift the downhill end to make it level. Often a medium-sized piece of split wood that is placed perpendicular across the end of the first step of the wood beams is enough height to set the next step of the homemade firewood storage platform.
The primary purpose of the firewood racks I’ve seen is to create support at the ends of the pile and a level surface off the ground so the wood doesn’t contact the soil. The short wood beams in my homemade firewood rack provide plenty of space for air circulation at the base of the pile of wood. I use the actual split firewood at the ends of the pile to provide the necessary support so gravity doesn’t cause the wood to tumble off the pile as it gets higher.
My homemade firewood rack works best with split firewood. I’ve discovered over the years that fires seem to burn best when you throw on pieces of wood that are not too much larger than the diameter of the fat end of a baseball bat. Split wood also dries and cures faster, so you might as well split the wood before you stack it so it’s ready to use when you want to burn it.
I take similar-sized split pieces of firewood and use them at each end of the pile to create a stacked structure that retains the weight of the wood next to it. All you have to do is place the first row of the wood perpendicular across the large flat 4x6’s that are set parallel and spaced about 14 inches on center. This tight spacing allows the beams’ outer edges to be about 18 inches apart. This is typically the ideal length for pieces of firewood. This spacing of the wood beams provides the most amount of stability as you stack the wood.
The next layer of wood at each end of the pile is set perpendicular to the row beneath it. Use three or four pieces of wood at each row, not just two. You’ll discover quickly that this stacking method is very stable. Always stand at the end of the rack and look at the pile as you build it to make sure the wood is always centered over the wood beams. The firewood that is placed between these two end structures can be all stacked the same direction perpendicular to the run of the wood beams.
Once the firewood is stacked, you need to cover it. But you can make a big mistake if you cover it completely with the pile wrapped up like a Christmas present. If you drape a large waterproof cover over the wood pile, you’ll trap water vapor and liquid water in the pile. You just need to cover the top and the top 25 percent of the sides of the wood pile. This allows air to readily pass through the stacked wood to dry it rapidly when it does get slightly wet from a rainstorm.
If you do decide to purchase a firewood rack, be sure you can adequately support the legs. The weight of the firewood can bend the bottom supports of the factory-made firewood racks if they don’t have solid support. Keep in mind that soil strength changes significantly when soil becomes wet. You may think the soil is plenty strong when dry, but after a rainfall your firewood rack and all the wood in it may be scattered on the ground after it collapses.
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Comments:
Dan 10 Sep 2009, 09:28
Tim, I am not sure you mention this on your website, (though I am sure it
is listed somewhere in this wealth of knowledge), but I stack my woodpile
on wooden or plastic pallets that I get free at work. Most places that have
them are glad to get rid of them for free. The wooden ones last 2-3
seasons. The pallets keep the firewood off of the ground and the open slats
help the wood to dry out. They are very easy to stack wood on, good support
and I can usually get 2 rows on each pallets securely. Laying 2 pallets end
to end I put on about 6-8 rows, tie a string to each support pole from one
side to the other, set my next 6-8 rows on and add another string, the
support poles do not bow out and the piles stay up. I can add rows to over
5 feet with no problems. Just an idea that works for me.
Bob 14 Sep 2009, 22:00
Buy 4 "T" fence posts as used for barbed wire fences. Hammer 2 T posts
where you want each end of the wood stack. The distance between the 2
posts on each end is just shorter than the length of your firewood. To
keep the tops of the posts verticle to the surface of the earth, buy some
rebar tie wire at your local big box home improvement store. Before you
stack any wood between the T posts, tie the wire to the top of a T post on
one end, then runt he wire the length of the stack to the post on the
opposite end. Do this for both sets of T posts. What you have looks like
a box: the earth is the bottom of the box, the T posts on the ends are the
2 verticle sides od the box, and the wire across the top is the top of the
box. Stack your firewood.
If you are worried about the possibility of the sharp post top injuring someone, cover with a tennis ball and duct taps in place, if desired. Total cost is the cost of 4 T posts and some wire, You can use a medium-sized sledge hammer to drive the posts, or if you have lots of stacks, buy a T post driver (a pipe with handles and a cap welded on the end. This looks neater than pallets, and is easily adjusted or removed when the stack is gone. The homes in my neighborhood average $250,000 - $650,000 and this is what most people do here in Colorado where we have lost of large pine trees to thin and split for firewood.
DM 02 Mar 2010, 00:00
Similar to Bob's rack I wire tied t-posts horizontally a few inches above
the ground to the vertical posts. The t-posts lock together removing the
need to wire the posts across the top, and keep the wood of the ground. I
think you should be able to attach the posts together higher on the
downhill side and keep the sections level. My how-to at
http://74.51.130.70/proj/woodrack/woodrack.html View all comments |
