# Wood rack idears



## nate379 (Jul 29, 2011)

Last year was my first year burning at my house (been heating with wood almost all my life though).

My cords are in the back yard by the lot line, about 300ft from my house.  I have a cart for my tractor, so I'd fill the cart, park it by the front door and pull off that.  I have a wood box in the house that holds a couple days worth of wood.  The cart was good for about a week or so.

This year I want to try something different.  Instead of having to haul a load of wood every week, I want to cord some wood on the porch, a row, 3-4ft high about 10ft long.  Should give me enough wood for a month or so, I won't need to leave that cart parked in front of the house, and the best part will be that I will be able to haul wood to the house when it's nice out instead of -20 and 70mph winds.

Porch is a concrete slab so weight of the wood is a non-issue.


I am looking for ideas on how to build a rack.  I have some ideas, to include one I made last year, but photos of others might result in having something that works out better.


----------



## Danno77 (Jul 29, 2011)

I bought one of those cheap "just add 2x4s" kits at the big box store. It seems to work well. If I had a nice porch, I think I'd use one of those metal racks that you can buy. 'course for the price of a small one of those you could buy a dozen 2x4s!


----------



## nate379 (Jul 29, 2011)

I am thinking just out of 2x4s, total I want to spend on this is ~$20.


----------



## DexterDay (Jul 29, 2011)

I used the "Add 2x4's" Kit from Rutland. They are Stack-n-Store Racks. Sold through Northline.com. Build them 12 ft long and 4-4.5 ft tall and you have half cord racks (at 16" length). I cut to 18" so they are just a hair over a half cord (at 4.5 ft tall too).


----------



## nate379 (Jul 29, 2011)

Might make similar rack but just put a couple bolts instead of those brackets.  Did you have to put a top bar to stop the sides from coming apart?

Doesn't matter the size of the rack as far as 1/2 cord or whatever, just the fact that there is a decent stack to last a while.  Probably around 10ft would be enough to where the porch is still usable.... though 1/2 a cord would be good for about 2 months of burning.


----------



## North of 60 (Jul 29, 2011)

NATE379 said:
			
		

> though 1/2 a cord would be good for about 2 months of burning.



How many days a week are you away?


----------



## nate379 (Jul 29, 2011)

Did the head math wrong, meant a month.

I burned 3 cords last year, over 6 months.  Just heated with wood and kept house at 75* ish... had to open a window or the door to the garage a couple times cause it got a little too hot.


----------



## DexterDay (Jul 29, 2011)

NATE379 said:
			
		

> Might make similar rack but just put a couple bolts instead of those brackets. Did you have to put a top bar to stop the sides from coming apart?
> 
> Doesn't matter the size of the rack as far as 1/2 cord or whatever, just the fact that there is a decent stack to last a while. Probably around 10ft would be enough to where the porch is still usable.... though 1/2 a cord would be good for about 2 months of burning.



I added the top. Can be built without. I wanted a place to put some Sheet Steel that I have left over from the Barn that I built. Going to cover for the winter months and wanted something to bolt or screw to. Could I have set it on the wood? Yes... But with the neighbor next door, I have to keep the Yard up (Keeping up w/ Jones). I want the stack area to look the same everyday, just with more or less wood. 

As for the brackets. They may not necessarily be needed. If you use enough screws and lag bolts, you should get along just fine. One Forum member had an idea of putting Casters under the racks after he seen them. That way you could wheel it right up to your door from the wood area.


----------



## Wood Heat Stoves (Jul 29, 2011)

The kits where you add the 2x4s works great and if you don't need the rack for a while it's easy to store without taking up a lot of space.


----------



## billb3 (Jul 29, 2011)

I've made a few cheapie racks  similar to the Stack-and Store things using  triangle  gussets in the corners instead of the plastic  .
plywood and  trim boards - all cut-offs and leftovers from building a garage.

Instead of the 2x4  on edge like you would do for construction loading I put them sideways to maximize square inches so splits don't fall thru. 

They work, if you make the corner gussets too small the end uprights will start spreading out.


----------



## oldspark (Jul 29, 2011)

Mine looks like dexterdays's except I just bolted the 2 x 4 together, works good.


----------



## Danno77 (Jul 29, 2011)

oldspark said:
			
		

> Mine looks like dexterdays's except I just bolted the 2 x 4 together, works good.


If I had it to do over I'd either bolt it or deck screw it. The brackets are handy, but not really necessary.

Two 1/4 to 3/8 jolts should be plenty big on each joint. A board across the top, or some other method is pretty necessary IMO. 

Supplies for one rack could essentially be:

3 of the 2x4x8s (one for each end, cut in two. Plus one for cutting into pieces for the boards that keep the appropriate depth of the rack)
3 of the 2x4x10s (two on the bottom, one on the top)
8 1/4"x4" bolts + washers and nuts
Handful of screws


----------



## Jack Straw (Jul 29, 2011)

I have made quite a few wood racks. Instead of buying the metal brackets I use plywood or small 2x4s cut at a 45 deg. angle to hold the upright ends to the bottom rails. Maybe you could paint or stain the wood to dress it up.


----------



## granpajohn (Jul 29, 2011)

Wood Heat Stoves said:
			
		

> The kits where you add the 2x4s works great and if you don't need the rack for a while it's easy to store without taking up a lot of space.



Agree.
Reason I kept using Stackit-Brackets...
1.The rack perfectly fits the area I have.
2. I take it apart in the spring and store it with ease in the shed.

This is just for the single rack by the door. The rest of my piles are the usual conglomerations.


----------



## Backwoods Savage (Jul 29, 2011)

NATE379 said:
			
		

> My cords are in the back yard by the lot line, about 300ft from my house.  I have a cart for my tractor, so I'd fill the cart, park it by the front door and pull off that.  I have a wood box in the house that holds a couple days worth of wood.  The cart was good for about a week or so.
> 
> This year I want to try something different.  Instead of having to haul a load of wood every week, I want to cord some wood on the porch, a row, 3-4ft high about 10ft long.  Should give me enough wood for a month or so, I won't need to leave that cart parked in front of the house, and the best part will be that I will be able to haul wood to the house when it's nice out instead of -20 and 70mph winds.



We did something similar until last year. I'd haul wood to the porch on nice days and could stack enough on the porch for several weeks. I did not make any sort of a rack but just stacked it on the porch the same as I stack it out in the open. Cross stacking on the ends and then filling in. This was in a carport and when we get snow we usually have wind from NE, E or SE. So, I hung a tarp on the east end just to keep the snow from blowing in on the porch and, it also kept snow off the wood so we did not have to sweep it off before carrying it into the house. 






On the north end I stacked the wood right on the concrete so it went below the porch. I usually quit bringing wood to the porch sometime in February and it usually worked out that by the time we quit burning wood for that year the wood was gone from the porch or very nearly so. 

This year we will do similar but to a different porch and I won't be stacking as much. I will probably make a small rack but it will be a matter of opening a sliding glass door (on south side of house), grabbing wood and just inside the door there sits the stove.


----------



## DexterDay (Jul 30, 2011)

Danno77 said:
			
		

> oldspark said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I believe I used anywhere from 26-30 3/8 x 2 1/2 Lag Bolts. I could go count, to be exact, but a box of 50 almost did 2 every time.. The very 1st 2 I made in the beginning of May, I used 3" screws.. Can feel a difference when I shake them. The Lag Bolts do a Much better job. Bought them by the box. I have about $55 in each rack. Only bought them 2 at a time and did it every other week (Pay-Day) to alleviate the pain of all that money.... Just so it wasn't $440 (Racks Only) all in 1 Hit. Also the landscaping Timbers (18 x $4.00= $72), plus the River Rock (4 yard @ $27 a yard= $108). Plus $40 in Delivery for Rock. For a Grand total of $660 in the Wood area (Not counting the Shed/ Originally a Dog Kennel/Yrs ago). It looks good though. The Wife wouldn't have it any other way. Now She gets her cake (Clean yard) and I get to eat it too (Wood storage and Wood-Stove). 

I like the Racks. At 12 x4.5 x 18", they work out to .63 cord of wood. I always though them to be 1/2 cords (Never took into account my wood is 18" over the standard 16" measured for a "Standard Cord") My 8 racks, I used to think were 4 cord. Its actually a hair over 5 cord (5.04) in the Racks. Plus the Pine and a lil bit of Sugar Maple I have put up in the shed and what I brought home on the trailer   https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/77056/  yesterday. I should have close to 8-9 Cord now.. WooHoo All since May 14 th (last pic was taken then)

Break-Down of the Racks and the cost involved $55.00 Total
5 - 2x4x12's @ $5 a peice = $25
30 - 3/8x2 1/2 Lag Bolts = $10
Rutland Stack-n-Store Rack =$20 http://www.northlineexpress.com/item/5RU-30360/Stack-N-Store-Log-Rack-Brackets


----------



## weatherguy (Jul 30, 2011)

Ive made racks with the stack and store but just made a rack with pallets, the trick is to get pallets in good shape, I got a bunch from a freighter company at the airport. This rack hold almost two cords, Im going to build another one this weekend since Ive filled all three racks and have about 3 cords to split.


----------



## raybonz (Jul 30, 2011)

DexterDay said:
			
		

> I used the "Add 2x4's" Kit from Rutland. They are Stack-n-Store Racks. Sold through Northline.com. Build them 12 ft long and 4-4.5 ft tall and you have half cord racks (at 16" length). I cut to 18" so they are just a hair over a half cord (at 4.5 ft tall too).



I like those racks Dexter they look nice and neat! The top 2x4's are a good idea and will make tarping work pretty good with a smooth even surface and should reduce tarp tears.. If you could get hold of something like metal roof mat'l on top you could leave that on there permanently and it would save the 2x4's as well..

Ray


----------



## raybonz (Jul 30, 2011)

NATE379 said:
			
		

> Did the head math wrong, meant a month.
> 
> I burned 3 cords last year, over 6 months.  Just heated with wood and kept house at 75* ish... had to open a window or the door to the garage a couple times cause it got a little too hot.



Are you telling me you heat your house 24/7 in Alaska with only 3 cords?? Man you must have bionic firewood! I use that much here at least and it's much warmer than Alaska!

Ray


----------



## jimbom (Jul 30, 2011)

DexterDay's picture with the propane tank surrounded by the neat wood stacks is absolutely the best "Picture is worth a thousand words" image.


----------



## DexterDay (Jul 30, 2011)

raybonz said:
			
		

> DexterDay said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I do have metal left over from when my 40x30 Barn was built. The sheets are 36" wide by 12' long. That was another reason I built them 12' long. Only gonna cover them in the winter. And of course... Pics will follow


----------



## nate379 (Jul 30, 2011)

I did last year anyhow.  Fired up the stove full time in October and shut it down in March.  Went through 3 cords, 2 of that being birch and the other cord a mix of cottonwood, spruce, 2x scraps from my shed build and some old oak flooring.  Now that I think of it, no one was home during Christmas for 2 weeks though, but otherwise, just heated the place with the stove.

House is fairly small, only around 1400sq ft and well insulated.  Blaze King runs nearly all the way choked down to not overheat the place.

Not counting the stove cost, it cost me about $600 to heat last year.  Year before was natural gas and I spent about $1000 in heat.... AND that was with keeping the T Stats at 65-68, where the wood stove keeps the house at 75 and I don't worry.



			
				raybonz said:
			
		

> NATE379 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## raybonz (Jul 30, 2011)

NATE379 said:
			
		

> I did last year anyhow.  Fired up the stove full time in October and shut it down in March.  Went through 3 cords, 2 of that being birch and the other cord a mix of cottonwood, spruce, 2x scraps from my shed build and some old oak flooring.  Now that I think of it, no one was home during Christmas for 2 weeks though, but otherwise, just heated the place with the stove.
> 
> House is fairly small, only around 1400sq ft and well insulated.  Blaze King runs nearly all the way choked down to not overheat the place.
> 
> ...



Sorry I remain skeptical about how much wood you burn.. It doesn't make sense in an arctic climate..

Ray


----------



## Stax (Jul 31, 2011)

Here are some pics of the racks I built with metal brackets that I purchased through Ace Hardware.  The brackets were something like $20 bucks.  They're pretty heavy duty.  I have 3 of these racks that I built with using PT lumber from Home Depot.  The dimensions are 16'x1'x6.  Each rack holds approximately 1 cord of wood.


----------



## gzecc (Jul 31, 2011)

NATE379 said:
			
		

> Last year was my first year burning at my house (been heating with wood almost all my life though).
> 
> My cords are in the back yard by the lot line, about 300ft from my house.  I have a cart for my tractor, so I'd fill the cart, park it by the front door and pull off that.  I have a wood box in the house that holds a couple days worth of wood.  The cart was good for about a week or so.
> 
> ...



Wood rack idears- Your watching too many Orange County Copper episodes!


----------



## nate379 (Jul 31, 2011)

Nope, just english not my first language and "ideas" is "idears" when I say it I guess.  Just thought it was funny.

To the fellow doubting what I burn, dunno dude... it's what I burned.  Not sure how I could "prove" to you.  Not the arctic here anyhow.  If it hits -20* that's about the coldest it will get.  Just get nasty nasty winds... have seen 65mph sustained with 100mph gusts before.


----------



## raybonz (Jul 31, 2011)

NATE379 said:
			
		

> Nope, just english not my first language and "ideas" is "idears" when I say it I guess.  Just thought it was funny.
> 
> To the fellow doubting what I burn, dunno dude... it's what I burned.  Not sure how I could "prove" to you.  Not the arctic here anyhow.  If it hits -20* that's about the coldest it will get.  Just get nasty nasty winds... have seen 65mph sustained with 100mph gusts before.



Interesting Nate what is your primary language? I understood what you meant and think your english is pretty good.. We all make bloopers now and then..

Ray


----------



## DexterDay (Jul 31, 2011)

NATE379 said:
			
		

> Nope, just english not my first language and "ideas" is "idears" when I say it I guess.  Just thought it was funny.
> 
> To the fellow doubting what I burn, dunno dude... it's what I burned.  Not sure how I could "prove" to you.  Not the arctic here anyhow.  If it hits -20* that's about the coldest it will get.  Just get nasty nasty winds... have seen 65mph sustained with 100mph gusts before.



 100 MPH winds YIKES  About the amount of wood burned. Having the Blaze King has a lot to do with the amount burned. Those things will burn forever (So I hear and read). 3 Cord is pretty good. Most use about 3-5 around me. Using some old smoke dragons (Not all are, but most). Cheers. . . .


----------

