Firewood Racks
Photos of Firewood and Racks
For those who are still stacking their firewood for next winter, here are some photos I took of the firewood racks I used to store the two cords of wood that I got in April 2006.
The photo in the upper left shows the full two cords - one stack in back (not on rack) and two racks in front. The upper right photo shows just the stack in back and how I crisscrossed the ends. First time for me and I'm pleased to say that the stack is still standing as of today.
I used some old 2x4's under that back stack to try to keep it off the ground. The ground was sort of soft, so it didn't really work very well. The bottom row of firewood is showing signs of major dampness.
The photo on the bottom right shows the ends of one of the firewood racks, so you can see how it's put together. That piece of wood under the righthand bracket is just to make the rack more level.
Making the Firewood Racks
These racks are made using Stack-It Brackets, which you can get at many hardware stores. The brackets (see bottom right photo above) are for the corners. The 2x4's I used for the structure are pressure treated lumber, so they'll last quite a while.
Tip: Try to keep the pressure treated 2x4's dry until you make the racks. If the 2x4's get wet and swell, it can be hard to get them to fit into the corner brackets.
After making the longer rack on the right (see top left photo), I decided it was a little unwieldy and changed my method for the rack on the left. Most of my firewood is 18", so I figured out how long each rack would need to be and how high I'd need to stack the wood to get 1/2 cord on each rack. That way I can see at a glance how much wood I have left.
I ended up cutting the bottom 2x4's to 14' each (they weren't available in that size precut). Then I cut a couple of 2x4x8's in two to make the four upright pieces. The smaller pieces that sit on the ground (perpendicular to the long bottom pieces) I cut to about 16 or 17". And I added some of those 17" pieces under the middle of the bottom pieces to give more stability.
They say you don't have to nail any of the pieces together, but that it's an option (they leave holes in the metal corners for the nails). These being the first racks I made, I nailed some of the pieces, but not the vertical ones.
I wasn't totally happy with the stability of these original racks, so on the most recent racks I built this summer, I used screws for all of the pieces. Now I've got a much more stable setup. And they're easier to move and easier to get level. (I just level them front to back, not side to side.)
I covered the firewood with pieces of polyethylene - just across the top. This kept the rain and snow off the top of the wood and left the sides open so the air could circulate around them.
The Results
All in all, I'm really pleased with how things worked out with the firewood racks. It keeps the wood off the ground and saves time stacking, since you don't have to make the crisscross ends. Also, I think the stacks are more stable. And, since all of the racks are the same size (except the first one), I can easily estimate the amount of firewood I have left.
See also:
Firewood Cart
Firewood for Woodstove
Wood Burning Stove
Wood Stove Accessories - part 1
Wood Stove Accessories - part 2
Wood Stove Accessories - part 3
Posted by Beth on Wednesday, May 2, 2007