# Covered Wood Bin



## Dave A. (Oct 17, 2013)

Lots of info here about storing splits and logs, but am seeing nothing about how to store lumber scraps, and that's my problem.

Up till now I've been buying just about all my firewood.  But last spring that sort of changed. I had run out and all I could get was still a bit wet.  So I tried mixing the wetter stuff with some dry pallet scraps and free cut lumber that's available locally.

And lately not wanting to dig into my stacks, I again went after the free lumber and have been pretty satisfied with burning it in uniform piles almost like bio bricks -- (pieces right now are about 3x5x1 but the size can vary.) Stacked tightly in rows they burn slowly, like splits.  In fact, since the supply seems reliable and close by am thinking about using a lot of it this season.

Up till now, I've just been getting what I can in the spare 30 gal trash cans I have around and loading the wood stove from them and keeping them in the house. But they are filled up and I want to stock up so need a way of storing more outside. Can't just put it on pallets like my regular stacked firewood.

I looked around at Walmart and they had some less than $20 50 gal plastic storage boxes, but I really need more storage than that.  So am thinking I'll have to build something outside to store the cut up lumber in, Ideally covered, since a lot of what they have is in cardboard boxes that I keep to use for storage and transport of the pieces.

Tried searching here and am not seeing a lot that's applicable. Want something that's going to store at least about a cord. Likely I'll have to make my own layout, but I'd like to get some ideas by seeing or hearing about some examples.  Maybe there's another term other than covered wood bin.

What I really need is a system.  A type of container (s) I fit in my van or hatchbk to take over to pick up the wood. Then transport that from the vehicle to the outside storage and then from there into the house to the stove. Finding something free or inexpensive would be the best way, but I'm handy enough and don't mind building something not too complex.


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## Bluerubi (Oct 18, 2013)

Likely too large, far away, and more than you'd want to spend, but just as an idea I recently posted some industrial pallets that are used to hold about 2000lbs of material.  They are collapsible, can be stacked four high,  and can be moved from all sides by a fork truck or pallet jack.  There are smaller versions out there as well that might fit in your vehicle, but are a lot of cash brand new.  Pretty cool design, but excessive for what I originally intended them for.


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## HDRock (Oct 18, 2013)

You could make something like this rack, out of pallets , put a back and a top on it .
This rack is 4'x12'


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## Missouri Frontier (Oct 18, 2013)

HDRock said:


> You could make something like this rack, out of pallets , put a back and a top on it .
> This rack is 4'x12'
> View attachment 114904
> View attachment 114905


Those are sweet. Good thinking!


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## HDRock (Oct 18, 2013)

Dave A. said:


> Stacked tightly in rows they burn slowly, like splits.


That's what I have been thinking of doing , cuz I found a source for free boards ,some 2x4s and full 1 inch thick boards 6" wide and all this stuff comes 15ft long.
I burned some of it but, haven't stacked em in the stove like you are talking about, I have to cut more of it up yet , most likely I will store it in that same rack with the split wood oor make another one, I will just put a tarp on top

This is a load of some of it, the crates I use for uglys and odballs


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## USMC80 (Oct 18, 2013)

I just got a real nice crate from work, pretty big with lid.  I'll have to take a pic, gonna use it for kindling and uglies


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## Ashful (Oct 18, 2013)

HDRock said:


> You could make something like this rack, out of pallets , put a back and a top on it .
> This rack is 4'x12'
> View attachment 114904
> View attachment 114905


This is exactly how I store my firewood, but I have 20 of those pallet racks, each 40" x 8' footprint.


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## Backwoods Savage (Oct 18, 2013)

Dave, since these are cut-offs, they should dry pretty quickly but they no doubt will still need drying. Therefore I would not want to be storing them in plastic containers. You need something what will allow for air circulation. Treat this wood as you would fresh cut firewood. Stacking it can be a problem and perhaps the biggest problem but whatever you do, I'd certainly want to have that wood outdoors getting dry.


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## weatherguy (Oct 18, 2013)

Check craigslist, I got some collapsible plastic pallets for $50, they look like something bluerubi has. They have all 4 sides and some have tops too, nice thing about them is you can store them out of the way when you don't need them, can also leave them outdoors and just dump your wood into them and let the wood dry out.

I store my wood in racks just like HDrock's, like he said you could put sides on and just deposit your wood into the bin and cover the top to keep it dry.


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## Dave A. (Oct 18, 2013)

Backwoods Savage said:


> Dave, since these are cut-offs,



Okay, then "cut-offs" is the name for them.



Backwoods Savage said:


> they should dry pretty quickly but they no doubt will still need drying. Therefore I would not want to be storing them in plastic containers. You need something what will allow for air circulation. Treat this wood as you would fresh cut firewood. Stacking it can be a problem and perhaps the biggest problem but whatever you do, I'd certainly want to have that wood outdoors getting dry.



You're right, Dennis I was just realizing that as I was considering those walmart boxes I mentioned.






This is something like what I saw in the Walmart store, but the size of what I saw in the store I thought were 50 gallon boxes.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-45-Gallon-180-Quart-Wheeled-Latch-Storage-Box-Set-of-4/20699659

The price is right and I could just get one or two for transport if I buy them in the store.  But no, I can't store the wood in unventilated boxes, even when it isn't wet from sitting in the rain, it still needs drying, I can smell what I have in the house, when I first bring it in.

I really like Bluerubi's idea of the collapsible's, but they wouldn't be ventilated very well either.  So maybe taking HDRock (and Joful's) idea of putting the pallets upright would work, making  them into a square 3 sided box (open front for access) though I would need a back and pallets would have to be very tight or I'd have to reinforce them with chicken wire or something because the small pieces would just fall through, you can't really stack this stuff.

Ideally I could figure out a way to stack them (when I find them uniform size) into a log type shape as I pick them up and bind them quickly with something inexpensive, rope or twine (but do it fast somehow) to make handling easier from the site to the stove. 

Today I went over late after 4 when they'd been picked clean, all there was was a lot of scraps with nails in them, some bigger boards, didn't even fill up one can.  On a non-heating day like today they have even less. Hard to systemitize it when it's like that.


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## HDRock (Oct 18, 2013)

USMC80 said:


> I just got a real nice crate from work, pretty big with lid.  I'll have to take a pic, gonna use it for kindling and uglies


 yeah , I am likin that rack , going to make more of em


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## HDRock (Oct 18, 2013)

Dave A. said:


> This is something like what I saw in the Walmart store, but the size of what I saw in the store I thought were 50 gallon boxes.


 I just got one of these, for the back deck  and filled it with already dry kindling and splitter trash.
50 Gallon Rough Tote With Lid Rough Tote W/ Lid $17.97


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## weatherguy (Oct 19, 2013)

> I really like Bluerubi's idea of the collapsible's, but they wouldn't be ventilated very well either. So maybe taking HDRock (and Joful's) idea of putting the pallets upright would work, making them into a square 3 sided box (open front for access) though I would need a back and pallets would have to be very tight or I'd have to reinforce them with chicken wire or something because the small pieces would just fall through, you can't really stack this stuff.


 
I store some small stuff in one of my pallets bins and I did just that, I lined it with chicken wire, stuffs cheap enough and pallets are free, that would be your cheapest way out.


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## Dave A. (Oct 19, 2013)

HDRock said:


> I just got one of these, for the back deck  and filled it with already dry kindling and splitter trash.
> 50 Gallon Rough Tote With Lid Rough Tote W/ Lid $17.97
> View attachment 114941



Wish we had Menards around here.


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## HDRock (Oct 19, 2013)

Dave A. said:


> Wish we had Menards around here.


I saw these at the HD the other day , Rubbermaid 54 Gallon Roughneck Hi-Top Tote $19.97
I like the rounded lid on the one I got , rain runs off good


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## Dave A. (Oct 19, 2013)

weatherguy said:


> Check craigslist, I got some collapsible plastic pallets for $50, they look like something bluerubi has. They have all 4 sides and some have tops too, nice thing about them is you can store them out of the way when you don't need them, can also leave them outdoors and just dump your wood into them and let the wood dry out.



So they're ventilated (Bluerubi's don't look ventilated), how big, and what are you looking under? Am getting nothing for collapsible plastic pallets on CL.  For $50 for a roughly 4x4x4 industrial grade bin, looks good, used or new?



weatherguy said:


> I store some small stuff in one of my pallets bins and I did just that, I lined it with chicken wire, stuffs cheap enough and pallets are free, that would be your cheapest way out.



Looks like it. Now realizing would have to put chicken wire part way up on the front too to keep things in.

But back to those bins, how do you get things out from the bottom -- does the front fold down or open, or do you have to dig in from the top over the front side.


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## HDRock (Oct 19, 2013)

Dave A. said:


> But back to those bins, how do you get things out from the bottom -- does the front fold down or open,


Some of those types of bins do have the top half that unlatches and folds out and  down ,usually on 2 sides.  U can see the fold down front in Bluerubi,s second pic
Usually called parts bins


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## Dave A. (Oct 19, 2013)

HDRock said:


> I saw these at the HD the other day , Rubbermaid 54 Gallon Roughneck Hi-Top Tote $19.97
> I like the rounded lid on the one I got , rain runs off good



The price is coming up $22.50 for me.  Picked up one 25 gal at HD few weeks ago and asked if they had anything bigger -- she insisted that was all they had.  I think I'm going to return it.  It's too small.


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## HDRock (Oct 19, 2013)

Dave A. said:


> The price is coming up $22.50 for me.  Picked up one 25 gal at HD few weeks ago and asked if they had anything bigger -- she insisted that was all they had.  I think I'm going to return it.  It's too small.


I don't know where they might be at your store, I saw them at the front of the store , no other bins by them.
Did U check store inventory ??


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## Dave A. (Oct 19, 2013)

HDRock said:


> U can see the fold down front in Bluerubi,s second pic



I see the folded IN front on his first pic, but that wouldn't do any good unless it folds out too. And his look like solid material, no ventilation for drying wood if covered.



HDRock said:


> Usually called parts bins


thought parts bins are for small things, bins you stack, put on a shelf.  I want something around pallet size abt 4' high.  Just tried "parts bin" on CL and got nothing like Bluerubis.  But no problem, I'll look around.


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## Dave A. (Oct 19, 2013)

HDRock said:


> I don't know where they might be at your store, I saw them at the front of the store , no other bins by them.
> Did U check store inventory ??



That's where I saw mine, in the front. Maybe that's all they DID have at that time. Not a problem, in fact, hadn't even seen the ones I later liked better at walmart. But I'll stop in at HD again and see if they have these, which look good.  Thanks for the tip.


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## HDRock (Oct 19, 2013)

Dave A. said:


> And his look like solid material, no ventilation for drying wood if covered.


 Yeah , those would not be good unless the stuff was already bone dry.
I like the pallets n chicken wire idea


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## Dave A. (Oct 19, 2013)

So the ones you got for $50, likely aren't ventilated either  --- no point my looking around for them then, I guess.

Edit: Must've got you confused with weatherguy, sorry about that.



HDRock said:


> I like the pallets n chicken wire idea



It is cheaper, but needs to hidden more, where the other could get by more out in the open.


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## HDRock (Oct 19, 2013)

This is how I cut up the boards , with a chainsaw


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## Dave A. (Oct 20, 2013)

Interesting wagon. Looks like you're cutting pretty short pieces, they might fit my Century N/S.  Have seen some bucking devices on youtube, yours looks better made.

Still trying to figure out a way to bind the cut-offs together so thay they could be handled like logs or splits, so  wouldn't have to manually stack them tightly in the stove (which only works when I'm doing cold starts, anyway).

Was looking on Grainger for some kind of binding tool to wrap them with like plastic strips, but the tools were too expensive (in the $hundreds).  Thinking like how I've bought, lets say ceramic tiles and they bind up maybe 20 or 30 of them with a plastic band and the tool/machine that does it must seal the band and cut it off, but I would want to use something that burns like rope or twine, can't be burning plastic in a stove.  So I've got my eyes open for a tool that does that. Would be handy to have around for other things too. Though have no idea what it looks like or what its called.

Btw,  those crates (in an earlier pic) look nice, gonna haveta keep a look out for some like that.


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## weatherguy (Oct 20, 2013)

> So they're ventilated (Bluerubi's don't look ventilated), how big, and what are you looking under? Am getting nothing for collapsible plastic pallets on CL. For $50 for a roughly 4x4x4 industrial grade bin, looks good, used or new?


 
I'll take a pic of the one's I have when I set one up, right now they're folded and out of the way but I use them in the burning season.


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## HDRock (Oct 21, 2013)

Dave A. said:


> Interesting wagon. Looks like you're cutting pretty short pieces, they might fit my Century N/S.  Have seen some bucking devices on youtube, yours looks better made.
> 
> Still trying to figure out a way to bind the cut-offs together so thay they could be handled like logs or splits, so  wouldn't have to manually stack them tightly in the stove (which only works when I'm doing cold starts, anyway).
> 
> ...


  Yeah I like the wagon I got ,a birthday gift from last year ,  this one   ( http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/groundworkreg;-heavy-duty-utility-cart-1000-lb-capacity )
 I have used it for a lot around the yard and that's how  I bring the wood up to the racks I have on the deck in the winter

 I was thinking of using jute twine, like bailing twine ,   with the right kind of knot you could cinch it down tight and have a little extra to carry it around with.

 Those crates were a really good find especially for free ,I found them on Craig's list ,and the place I got them  ,they keep putting out more of them.


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## Dave A. (Oct 21, 2013)

weatherguy said:


> I'll take a pic of the one's I have when I set one up, right now they're folded and out of the way but I use them in the burning season.



A pic'd be nice, but rather would just like to know -- if they're ventilated or not and what heading/category you found them listed under, how big are they.  I gather they were used.  Just if you have some idea where to look for them, even a link to some new ones, to get an idea what they are called.

But if you have other things on your mind atm, don't worry about it.


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## Dave A. (Oct 21, 2013)

HDRock said:


> Yeah I like the wagon I got ,a birthday gift from last year ,  this one   ( http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/groundworkreg;-heavy-duty-utility-cart-1000-lb-capacity )
> I have used it for a lot around the yard and that's how  I bring the wood up to the racks I have on the deck in the winter
> 
> I was thinking of using jute twine, like bailing twine ,   with the right kind of knot you could cinch it down tight and have a little extra to carry it around with.
> ...



I think it's time I graduated from wheelbarrow 101, that looks like it would carry a lot more but still fit through a gate opening. And could it be possible you can tow that behind a truck or van (probably too small not legal) must be for hitching up to a lawn tractor. Closest TS isn't all that nearby, looks like Allentown, NJ maybe something similar is around stores nearby, will check. Definitely like the idea of it.

See you've got the x25, just got mine, haven't used it yet, but labored long over the decision between it and the x27.

Yeah, I guess I should learn to tie knots (left the Boy Scouts just as we were getting to knots).  But I always like having a good excuse to buy a new tool . Though thinking more about it, not sure the whole idea is worth it -- I mean so I can toss the tied together stack of cutoffs into the stove like a split, but then the cord/twine is going to be the first thing that will burn off letting the pieces fall apart loose right away, though prolly still better than tossing them in one by one, or in handfuls, just have to be more careful placing them,and keeping them close together, worth a try, good excuse to learn some knots.

Went looking for the pallets today to make up the bin, nada, everything was 8' or 10' long, but again I got there too late, gonna havta look around for some more sources of free wood, can't just rely on this place, nearby as it is.

Those wood crates are nice, gotta start checking more at CL for things.


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## weatherguy (Oct 21, 2013)

I'd grab the 8 or 10 footers if you can get them home, you can make a nice rack with that length.


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## Ashful (Oct 21, 2013)

Dave A. said:


> Closest TS isn't all that nearby, looks like Allentown, NJ maybe something similar is around stores nearby, will check.


Quakertown?


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## HDRock (Oct 22, 2013)

Dave A. said:


> I think it's time I graduated from wheelbarrow 101, that looks like it would carry a lot more but still fit through a gate opening. And could it be possible you can tow that behind a truck or van (probably too small not legal) must be for hitching up to a lawn tractor. Closest TS isn't all that nearby, looks like Allentown, NJ maybe something similar is around stores nearby, will check. Definitely like the idea of it.
> 
> See you've got the x25, just got mine, haven't used it yet, but labored long over the decision between it and the x27.
> 
> ...


Not exactly the same but they have the buggies at HD and other places, I really like the wagon, some people don't like em ,not sure why but I will say load ratings are over rated
The handle on mine U can switch to hook on the tractor, definitely wouldn't want to hook it to a truck , It would be scrap metal ,  if there was anything  left of it 

The 8' or 10' long, ones  will work ,to make the sides, just a few cuts and U can make them any height U want
The 15' stuff I get ,I take a cordless sazz all and cut to 10' to fit in trailer
Many videos on YouTube how to tie knots
, the jute wont last long in the stove , but would make handling much better


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## Dave A. (Oct 22, 2013)

Joful said:


> Quakertown?


I meant other than TS. The NJ TS stores look closer than Quakertown with better travel times too, I suspect.


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## Dave A. (Oct 22, 2013)

HDRock said:


> The 8' or 10' long, ones will work ,to make the sides, just a few cuts and U can make them any height U want The 15' stuff I get ,I take a cordless sazz all and cut to 10' to fit in trailer


I have room to carry the 10' ones, and there were some 12's.  Pretty sure I can get the short squarer ones I want so why go to the trouble of cutting them.  But thinking  those longer ones would be good for stacking regular split hardwood, rather than put three or so pallets together like I've been doing. So when I take my van over I'll get some 8 or 10 footers.

I have cordless saws, I just wouldn't want to use them there.  There are people who live within 50' or so of the place.  Their dogs come out barking at times, then they come out.  I know I've got every right to be there to pick up the wood, but using power tools to cut it up there?? -- not ready to test that at this point, not until I see someone else doing it, anyway. 

Had a lot of cut offs today, so I filled up the hatchbk. (got to get my camera working).  Was looking at the bins they have there --- they put out some new ones. What's nice about them is they're raised up about a foot or so, made nicely with chamfered edge 3" x 3/4" lumber tightly spaced (less than 1" gap) with 2x4 framing, back, 2 sides, half open front for reaching in, about 48" cube.  All it would need is a cover.


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## HDRock (Oct 22, 2013)

Dave A. said:


> Was looking at the bins they have there --- they put out some new ones. What's nice about them is they're raised up about a foot or so, made nicely with chamfered edge 3" x 3/4" lumber tightly spaced (less than 1" gap) with 2x4 framing, back, 2 sides, half open front for reaching in, about 48" cube. All it would need is a cover.


 Well, shoot !   there ya go


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## Dave A. (Oct 22, 2013)

They're not free, can't take them.  I would have to build one (or more) like them.  Buy the materials and build them.  Not sure I want to do that.  But anyway, as far as this thread goes, I think I've got the info I need now, just have to make a decision.  And I want to thank everyone for the ideas and suggestions.


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