Hey all, I am new to woodstoving. I got my stove installed last January and my wood was delivered when there was already a few feet of snow down, so my wood got stacked haphazardly. Eventually I want to build a wood shed but it's not in the cards just yet. I recently saw someone make a rack out of cinder blocks and 2x4's that required no screws or anything, I think he just had the 2x4's laid in the holes of the blocks and it created a bit of a V-shape, held together with the weight of the wood. Is is feasible to do two of those, each able to hold a cord? Or do they have to be smaller? One more thing - I live in an extremely windy place (we had a couple storms this winter where our winds were over 140 km/hr, 88mph for my American friends). Would something like this hold up with wind hitting it broadside or are they sketchy in that regard?
Mostly depends how tall you stack em. When you're talking about a cord do you mean a full 4x8x4 stack? Edit: oh yeah, and welcome.
I have several racks similar to the one Jeff posted above. They work fine. I do try to have the end 2x4's be as vertical/plumb as possible. I fill in around the 2x4's with crushed stone i have around.
Thank you sir! And yes, your photo is exactly what I saw. Ideally I could fit a cord (4x8x4 like you said) to each rack but I have a feeling that might be overkill for something like this?
How much wood does each one hold roughly? I'll only have a total of 1.5 to 2 cords at any given time to be honest.
You can make them any size/length. You just need to have cinder block supports under long spans. I prefer 8ft long racks. 3 cinder blocks including one under mid-span. Landscape timbers can be less $'s than 8ft boards. One 8ft rack is 1/3 of a cord.
Is Newfoundland your year-round home? It's cold there, correct? I use 3-4cord a heating season in my woodstove. If you dont have the time/resources to get to the 3yr plan, or live there part-time, then I fully understand.
Welcome Newfoundland_ . Those are quick and easy racks. Agree with the comment about landscape timbers being a cheap option and will provide more stability under a heavy load. You won't get a cord on one of those.
Welcome to the forum! There are many ways of stacking wood, even without a wood shed. I have dealt with firewood and heating with stove for over 75 years now. So how do I handle the wood? Here are just 2 pictures to give you an idea: I simply stack wood on small logs that I have in our woods. At present I have several pines that have died and I cut these into 9 foot lengths. Simply lay the logs on the ground and start stacking. By cribbing the ends I don't need anything else to keep the stack good. I stack wood where it will get good air movement (sounds like that is not a problem for you) and this will dry the wood nicely. Also it helps to give the wood sunlight. By the way, we normally leave our wood in the stack 3 years or more. You will no doubt be hearing more about the 3 year plan and this is a good thing. You might be interested in this: Primer on Woodburning by Backwoods Savage | Firewood Hoarders Club I would like to advise you to start getting wood well ahead of the time when you will burn it. You will find that you will get more heat from the wood if it is properly dried. Also, I never believe wood sellers when they say the wood is "seasoned." 99.9% of them cut the wood and sell it as quick as they can. After all, if they had to get their wood dry that would mean handling the wood much more which causes them more work and would lower their profits. In addition, for drying wood there is a lot of variance in how long it takes to get the wood dry. For example, where I live I can cut oak, which is great firewood, but I never think of burning it before it has been split and stacked for 3 years. On the other hand, we have soft maple (red maple) and with good drying conditions it can be ready to burn in less than a year. Most wood needs a minimum of a year but longer time is better. You will get better fires and even burn less wood. Good luck.
A simple and effective log rack. I made one once and it worked great. You can go any length you want just be sure to put extra blocks under it. 8 or 10' 2x4's cut in half are perfect for the ends. I wouldn't go higher as the stacked wood puts too much stress on the ends and may make it more unstable leading to tip overs. Be sure the ground is firm and the blocks are level. IIRC going 8" long it will hold a 1/3 (face) cord EDIT: didn't see you wind comment (helps if I read the whole thing) If facing into the wind go short on height. You maybe able to get longer blocks than a standard 16". This will add stability. If you must go higher then maybe have the length of the stack parallel to the prevailing wind.
Welcome to forum!! Yep, I have many like this. I usually put another cinder in the middle and if am using 2x4's I turn them up for more support. I've used 2x4's and landscaping timber across the bottom as well. Either or works great and they are stupid simple to slap together, no fussing with cribbing or pallets which in my area are prone to termites and get chewed up in a few months unless they are plastic. I had an abundant of cinder blocks just laying around the property. I think one rack is a face cord, 3 = 1 cord of wood. I usually stack two together (of course this pic only shows 1, but there are two stacked together next to it partially shown)
A shed is a nice to have for wood storage. Many FHCers will dry wood in a stack and move to a shed in the Fall. Many skip that step and go directly into a shed. Keep in mind an enclosed shed slows down the drying process. I built a "shed" (its basically a huge pallet with a roof over it) from reclaimed lumber, but rather than walls I left it open so it gets air flow (important for drying wood) from any direction the wind is blowing. The ends have vertical 2x4's to stack the wood against. One other reason is access to the dryest wood. Being open I can access the dryest wood. I fill from back to front.
