I'm experimenting with these (2) wood crates for permanent use off the splitter & drying, then to the house & repeat. The only problem is I'll need a LOT of them to be fully converted and eliminate stacking & then loading into the "boxe's" I use now. That's r/s hemlock and still near $80 in materials It will be a lot easier to cover (and uncover in the snow), and I should be able to stack 2 high. It's just a little expensive IMHO. I'll see how these work out and maybe If I slowly transition into these it'll be like payments They're about 100 cu/ft each, about all I can reasonably move at once. I'll get a pic when loaded.
Skid steer the thought of getting away from stacking is a great dream for me. I don't mind any other part of firewood but man I hate stacking. Once I'm done I love the look and continue to enjoy it for the years it takes to season.
If you are contemplating costing $80 each, how about a nice Alaskan mill and quit buying the lumber? You would still need to buy the hardware though.
Rough sawn I reckon. For $80 a pop couldn't you get a monkey and train them, add in some other junk chores?
We use what are called "tree crates". Small, potted trees are are imported in them. The nurseries sell them off as they're not worth shipping back. We pay €12.50 (~$13.50 at the moment) for them. They're not as sturdy as yours but generally last a few years if kept under cover. According to the FHC calculator, they hold just over 0.25 cord. I'm not sure if there is a US equivelent but if you search for "pallet boxes", something might turn up.
The r/s (rough sawn) 2x4x8 are only $2.05 - 10's $3.33 & 12's @$4. It's those stinkin GRK screws that I'm addicted to that add a lot of cost. The hemlock is pretty good out in the weather and I put 4 2x4 p/t where it sits on the ground. I really would like a bandmill, been kickin around the idea of building one for a long time.
Those are nice, my problem is I cut my wood at 26" and that dimension does not work with all of the "regular" pallet's that I've been scrounging for my stacks. Believe me I'd love to find a cheap or free pre made pallet that I could use. I've seen some guy's make real nice box's made from standard pallets, but most of them are using 16" firewood.
They sure do. When subject to movement, (like hopefully carrying around these box's until they rot), I find screws to be far better than nails. Believe me I looked at my nail gun real hard while making these 2 up.
Nice. That Gehl is a friggin BEAST! Nice tractor Jack Straw. Ummm. What was the subject of this thread again?
fuelrod, I like the wooden crates. Any time you can decrease the amount of times you handle each piece of firewood is a win to me.
I got a late start on filling the 1st one this afternoon, I placed it right behind me standing at the splitter. As I took each split off the splitter, turned around and put it in the crate, all the time thinking that I won't have to touch that piece for a year of so, and that will be to burn it, the cost of building it started to make sense. I made a sawbuck out of this material at least 6 years ago, it's been outside ever since and shows no sign of giving up yet. Once filled, I'll be putting old roof metal on top of these for storage and that will keep the bulk of rain off of it making a 10+ year use realistic making the cost a lot more reasonable. (do y'all hear me talking myself into this "system"?)
I use free pallets as the base, R/S pine for the uprights and tops, (or salvaged wood when I can get it), free aircraft cable for connecting the tops (company threw out an entire roll). Holds approx. 56 cubic feet which is about my max for the tractor. I made jigs to put everything together.
Well I think I'll be building these for all future firewood made. The machine moves them with no trouble and it should be a big time saver in several step's. I like to top cover and I really have to pile a lot of crap on both metal and rubber roofing to keep the wind from taking it off. I threw some rubber roofing on them today (all my metal was froze into the snow & ice) and I'll be able to throw a few screws through the rubber into the firewood at the corners to keep it on. Then there's uncovering it, usually with at least a foot of snow & ice on it, oh and I like to stack my double row up to about 6' tall, so it's a real pita to uncover & load into my box's I use now to carry to the house. "Pulling" off a 6' tall pile makes for a long taper and is a pain to deal with during the whole process (building, covering, uncovering, loading & re-covering. Since I haven't figured out how to get any younger, these box's will be more appreciated every year. You can see my stacks in the upper pic and building the inner row with my mechanized system is also hard with only about 9' between the rows, and that slight slope turns to ice, in fact I busted my a$$ today just walking through at lunch time, with the box's I can split & cut out in an open area or anywhere on the property for that matter. I'll see how it go's but so far I think it's worth it.
Very nice fuelrod ! A wise old guy Stinny , once told me if you sit in the snow in your shorts and t-shirt you will at least feel younger for a while. You can also try running around in the snow in your bare feet for a bit. I've done that before. Then get inside quick. That will make you feel young again!
I made one of these to hold nearly half a cord... http://petersonsawmills.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/press_articles_general28.pdf But it was heavier fully loaded than I wanted to carry with the front loader and drive from the woodyard to the house (I was concerned about the front axle). I've been considering a 3pt hitch set of forks. But is sure is a lot of investment in materials for the 8 cord/yr I've been burning.
Hi Fuelrod, Have you considered these? They are IBC totes without the plastic liner. The dimensions are 40"x48"x46"tall. I just purchased a bunch of these off craigslist for $25/ea. I haven't had a chance to use them, but am hoping the will be a great long term option.