OK, so here's what I'm thinking. I have metal roofing, 5 pieces that are 3' wide by roughly 11' long. I have wood stacks. Where I stack they are nice and straight (or straight enough for me), and each straight row contains 1 year's supply - roughly 4 cords. 5' tall x 40' long, double stacked. I aim to be 3 years on hand by spring's end. I have 2 plus the remnants of this years. Current system is to throw the metal roofing on it, anchored with some patio blocks, and bitch and moan when the snow falls and I have to actually remove a metal section. This *might* be 1 step up from tarps, but I'm not convinced. A couple year's ago, the front row (this year's heat.) Last year or so, 2 rows, showing the other end. And finally a roof view from perhaps last year? The area is cleared out much more now, with all the underbrush gone and the white pines trimmed 15' up or so as well as that maple on the right. If you look closely, in the back center left, you can see some stacks covered with the metal I'm talking about. My idea... Create a pitched monoslope roofing system, more than likely with pallets bases to cover the entire row. This is the easy part. I'd like them to be light enough to pick up by hand, so perhaps pallet widths and I'll cut the metal to fit. 2"x4" PT posts, every 8'. These can be screwed into the "floor" pallet, or when I am using plastic pallets, I could use the bottom splits. This is my hope to keep them anchored to the ground (wind). They can also be screwed to the "roof." The roof can get some 2"x4" rafters to support multiple pallet roof sections. ** The entire roofing systems is portable, to move to next years stack. Screws and manpower make breakdown easy and cheap! Whatdya think? What did I miss?
Wow, editing is not exactly simple on this software. My concerns are screws vs nails - screws make for portability but can they withstand snow loads like nails? No... so will they last 1 season? I tried going uncovered, and its not happening. Soggy wet wood, even with a couple days indoors to dry out, just plain sucks. The access to the front row is easy, I could make big roof panels and move with the FEL. The problem is the rows behind where I can't get the tractor in there to move stuff. Anyways, this has been in my brain for a while, and I need to just give it a go but thought other creative minds could give it a go.
Great looking stacks! Don't take this the wrong way but for some reason, I would love to run full speed into them and knock them over. Jealousy I guess.
No problem using screws vs nails and metal covering is great. John, the rubber roofing will work and many love it. We've used it but I still prefer the solid roofing over the flexible rubber. Besides, that rubber roofing gets pretty heavy too!
I am trying corrugated fiberglass just laying it on top of the stacks, pitched slightly downhill with pallets on top to stop them from blowing away ( splits and heavy small things haven't worked ) these are some long pieces the long way I've tried 54" pieces across rather than down the row of splits and that should work better for unstacking taking the wood for use. 15% or so of this is a little punky. Waterlogged and frozen is a PITA. these used greenhouse walls were thin, old and brittle and tend to break being a bit too long unsupported. The snow didn't break the plastic a falling branch did.
Yes, one is immediate availability of material and relative low cost of what I don't have. I haven't come across used rubber roofing anywhere. The second would be that it is rigid, the snow on top can stay on top.
Also after posting and in the car (the second best place I do my thinking) some carriage bolts would be better on the roof for snow load.
I think you might be onto something, I had a similar idea though I stack my wood on pallets, I have a 40' run, a 20' run and two 12' runs. I'm thinking of a way I could slide roofing on and take it off when I get fresh wood that I don't want covered. Still throwing ideas around in my head, might use pvc piping and metal roofing. Maybe if you had your 2 x 4 s anchored every 8 feet and could support the weight of snow you could leave them on while you pull from the stack. Let me know if you come up with anything.
A different ways to hold things down would be to run a length of rope under and around your pile and through each roof section. That way you won't be cussing when your battery drill is dead and it will also allow for easy adjustments.
Yes, that is the idea, to have the 2"x4"s that are vertical act as removeable posts! That way the whole system is rigid until I break it down and move it to the next years stacks after the heating season is over. Otherwise, I am no better off than just using metal and patio blocks to hold it down. That's an idea, but again I am looking for a rigid system that supports itself. I think my description must be poor, as most feedback is reflected on a portable roofing system. This should be thought of as a portable woodshed. I build the woodshed over existing stacks. No stacking the wood more than once!! It's build is primitive, which makes for its ease of portability. However, it is self supporting, the covered wood slips in and out of the stacks without mucking with the top cover. Clear as mud? I just gotta build this thing and post some pics, but that's for after summer (doesn't summer sound great right now?!)
Sounds like you want to move cover around to current years supply? A 2x4 nailed across the pallets, or running through them to get one across the middle of the stack, then nailed to your vertical posts will anchor it down by the weight of the wood on the pallets, and give you room to work around the width of the stacks. That takes care of it blowing off, but now you have to worry about holding up snow weight. I dont see any way around it but building a solid roof structure. a 2x6 bolted to each side of a 4x4 will hold a lot of weight used for the horizontal beams. 2x4, 12"-16" on center will hold the snow up using your metal roofing. Run these connectors to your horizontal beam, then with a 8 penny duplex nail. Build the roof in panel sections, drop the panels over the horizontal beams
