I stack in a few locations on my property. The first is under a covered porch. I can fit over a cord under there as it faces east and gets plenty of sun exposure. It is dry as a bone all year long under there, and the wood dries nicely. I can walk out in simple footwear during a storm as the roof overhang keeps a clear path. No slipping risks, and it is pretty flat. The drawback is that when I get wood delivered, I have to load it in a wheel barrow, from the barrow, toss it under the porch about 15 feet to the farthest area to a pile, then re-stack the pile. Tossing it is not good for my tendonitis that flares up when gripping a lot of splits. Where it is built into a hill, I am crouching at the far end, sitting as I stack. It is not very efficient, all the extra wood handling, but, the area is a great for dry storage. The second location is in the yard. I made a few racks about 15 feet away from where the wood is delivered. Easy. Load the splits in the wheel barrow, move it to the stack and it is done. The drawback is that I will need to keep the area clear from snow, the wood will get wet and snow-covered, etc. The walkway leading to the yard stacks are brick and can get slippery. Stacking under the porch takes at least triple the time to move and stack it, but it is so convenient. Any thoughts? I think I need a mechanical device or a chute to move splits further under the porch instead of underhand tossing.
I would be looking at building a simple pole shed roof over the area in the yard. Under the porch, while nice and more convenient, is way too labor intensive. One way would be able to move a days supply from the yard to just under the porch i.e. wheelbarrow full and draw off of that. Just my thoughts.
Anythings gotta be easier than that ! Its taken me alot of years to take some footsteps out of my operation
I feel you on convenience but the price you pay for it is discomfort. I have convenience when I stack to dry but inconvenience when I stack it on my covered porch in October, I have to handle the splits 2x and restack it 2x. As long as I can physically do this I will, it's worth it to me in the end. But when my age becomes more of a problem I'll have to figure out another way to do it. As I type this I can walk out my back door onto the covered porch in my slippers and bring in dry wood. To me thats worth it. In October, bringing up 3 cord up a flight of stairs sucks but I know come January I'm not going out to the stacks in 10 degree weather.
A woodshed would be the ticket. I already have a few structures on the property, I am trying to keep it tidy. I can add a roof to the mud oven on the east side and stack close to a cord there. It would be very convenient there. Less handling is the goal. I also have added a small rack on the back porch that can hold a few barrows of wood. I have is stacked with lumber cut-offs right now from work. It is convenient there too, but yes, it will be moving wood twice.
I would keep the bulk of the wood in the yard, and just use the under porch area for dry storage. Maybe build a chute like bogydave uses? That would eliminate the tossing A wood shed in the yard is probably your best bet long term though
How much wood you need space for ? Wood shed/ wood port might make it easier over the long haul. 8x16 : Got any pictures ?
Pics of the area under the porch? The low headroom you describe reminds me of coal mining carts. If the area under there is where you'd really like to store wood... prolly lots of ways to git r dun.
Is there any possibility to get a trailer (an actual road trailer or possibly a utility trailer) under the porch? If so, you can load the trailer with wood, use a vehicle to drive it to the porch and leave the entire trailer and load of wood there as you use it. Even a utility cart behind a lawn tractor can move a fair amount of wood pretty easily although if used all winter, you still have the snow problem along the entire vehicle's path. A 'pickaroon' or 'hookaroon' really helps a lot with general wood handling. Not really for tossing the splits but picking them up and dragging them around a few feet. It is a real back- saver IMO. Brian
Here is the area where I just put the last cord. I could double the capacity here. I only have a 1/4 acre lot, so space is a premium. T posts and tarps would have to do, I don't want a wood shed here, although it is the best location. The areas on each side of the oven could hold a half cord each. I could make a small roof off each side. The picket wall on the right side can be removed to store some wood under the main roof. Those areas are not used for anything. I just use over a cord a year, so I don't need a lot of wood put up. I am looking to get maybe two more cords, and maintain from there. I won't ever be a big time cord hoarder. My neighbors stacks are just a few feet behind the roof, behind the brush. The porch is about 8 feet wide at the end. Single 6' x 24" door at one end. The further you go under the porch the ground rises up. It is not a huge area, but tedious stacking can fill it nicely. The area is too tight for any trailer. A mechanical device moving the wood under would be a huge help. I'm getting some ideas the more I think of it.
Don't forget that old fashioned jobs like moving firewood help some young folks out in many ways. Earn some money and learn about work at the same time. Over the last 20-1/2 years at this property there have been many times I have hired a nephew or two to help me move a bunch of stuff at one time to get it done quicker. Brush, stone, firewood. You might keep your eye open for a young relative or neighborhood kid who might want to earn some money every now and then. What even one more hardworking guy helping you can do is really impressive. Let alone two more. In a matter of two or three hours and a minimal amount of money you can get a lot done and then be able to do something else you need/want to do.
Photos of the porch and entrance area to it would be great if you care to post them- then maybe someone can come up with more precise ideas. Gasoline (or diesel) power and wheels go a LONG way to make any job moving a great deal of weight easier. I know people in VT who go through a lot of firewood and one of the methods they use is a tarp dragged by a snowmobile; it ain't pretty but with a coating of snow on the ground, which there is all winter long, it really works very well. I use a very simple utility trailer but attach it to the front end of a 4WD vehicle and can position the trailer w/in inches of where I want it; the precision really helps in tight spaces and I can get a full load of firewood in places using the front hitch that I would not even attempt with a rear hitch vehicle. In the end, I think it is all about the percentages.... if you can put 100 hours of labor into a project that reduces your firewood handling / storing effort by, say, 1/2, and that task takes 100 hours per year then you are even in year two and all the years that follow are pure gravy. Brian
for better or worse I have hired from craigslist. The first few we don't want at the house again but the last guy is a keeper!
There is one of these over on the farm but it looks like it hasnt been used since the 50's Wonder if something like this would help fishing?
Loon, that is a close idea to what I am thinking, but on a smaller scale. I am looking at the idea of possibly using an electric garage door opener. I have access to four complete sets including rails. I can weld the rails as guides, and I have plenty of Azek trim boards to make slides for the rails. I would need to weld some "dogs" every few feet to catch the splits and move them down the rails.
