Wood Next to Fire

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Once the shoulder season starts winding down, how much wood to you most often keep stacked near the


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Vic99

Minister of Fire
Hearth Supporter
Dec 13, 2006
857
MA, Suburb of Lowell
Some people are set up for it with split holders and alcoves. Others do not want to ever take a chance on varmints getting into the house. Anyone have a picture of a snazzy set up with a split holder? I helped built a counter next to the wood stove. Underneath I will be able to store about 4-5 days of wood pretty easily I think. Will post pic when construction is complete.
 
I keep about a week and a half on the my back deck off the den where the stove is located and a day and a half in the house . I made a wood rack out of 2/4's and the powder coated wood rack brackets with a strip of plywood across the top and use a 12ft tarp under and up around the back and down the front and wood stays nice and dry during storms and not much lugging in the snow. I used screws to put it together for easy breakdown and storage for the off season and got the lumber as scrap out of a construction dumpster .
 
I fill my wood bin once a week +/- (depending on cunsumption for the cold months, wood species and how high I feel like rounding the top over ) but thats the average.


WoodButcher
 

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I keep a little less than a face cord in the garage during the coldest parts of winter. I have a space approx 10' long that I pile about 4' high in more of a pyramid shape. With my old stove this would last 10-20 days depending on how I was burning. With a more efficient stove I'm hoping to burn much less. I usually keep two days worth of wood in the house. I'm going to be learning as I'm going with the new stove so I'll have to adjust that amount. I like to dry out the wood for a day incase any snow or rain might have gotten on the surface. My new woodshed solves this but when I used tarps it was a different story.
 
Last year I kept about 3 days worth near the stove on some wire "baker's racks" - I chose to assemble them as two pieces with three shelves each, one stationary and one with wheels. This way I had a set of shelves that I loaded with wood and a cart with shelves to roll across the family room to the deck door and fill from the rack outside the door that would hold just over a week's supply (all times based on peak usage). The system worked very well for me - I'd fill up the stationary rack, then go refill the roller rack. I tried to always burn from the stationary one so that the wood would have a few days in the house to dry any surface moisture off. I could do it every day or two during the week and then on the weekends I refilled the deck rack (lots of steps to climb there).

I'll have to post pictures so that it will make more sense. The racks certainly are very non-traditional in appearance, but quite functional. I'm sure any interior designer types would cringe. If I ever get around to building a decorative back wall around the stove I'll have to upgrade my interior storage too I'm sure.

This year I'm hoping that I'll burn less wood (with the new stove and better seasoned fuel) and thus not have to pull in wood as often - although that may not be true as I only was able to burn about 16-18hrs/day since it kept burning out last year and now I expect to go 24hrs. We'll see.
 
Vic99 said:
Some people are set up for it with split holders and alcoves. Others do not want to ever take a chance on varmints getting into the house. Anyone have a picture of a snazzy set up with a split holder? I helped built a counter next to the wood stove. Underneath I will be able to store about 4-5 days of wood pretty easily I think. Will post pic when construction is complete.

Well I don't know how snazzy my woodbox is . . . but it does the trick and was decent enough that my wife didn't say anything about me having to move it out of the living room this summer. This holds a little more than a day's (24 hours) worth of wood. I've got some hooks in the side for some tools and a small area in the woodbox for holding the kindling. The one pic I took with wood in the box is a bunch of knarly looking, ugly wood . . . some day I should take some pics of some nicely split, straight ash or maple.




https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/28252/

I've seen some very nice (i.e. much nicer than mine) woodboxes and woodholders in past threads.


P.S. The cats in the pics aren't dead . . . they're just sleeping comfortably.
 
firefighterjake said:
Vic99 said:
Some people are set up for it with split holders and alcoves. Others do not want to ever take a chance on varmints getting into the house. Anyone have a picture of a snazzy set up with a split holder? I helped built a counter next to the wood stove. Underneath I will be able to store about 4-5 days of wood pretty easily I think. Will post pic when construction is complete.

Well I don't know how snazzy my woodbox is . . . but it does the trick and was decent enough that my wife didn't say anything about me having to move it out of the living room this summer. This holds a little more than a day's (24 hours) worth of wood. I've got some hooks in the side for some tools and a small area in the woodbox for holding the kindling. The one pic I took with wood in the box is a bunch of knarly looking, ugly wood . . . some day I should take some pics of some nicely split, straight ash or maple.




https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/28252/

I've seen some very nice (i.e. much nicer than mine) woodboxes and woodholders in past threads.


P.S. The cats in the pics aren't dead . . . they're just sleeping comfortably.


I remember when you posted those pics last year. I got a chuckle out of the cats then and now!
 
This is my setup. For some reason I just hate throwing ice old wood into my nice hot fire. so I for sure keep a days worth next to the stove.. I always fill it prior to going to bed as well and prior to leaving for work. I have a screened in patio just outside of my kitchen. I keep 4 cord of wood under it. nice to be able to step out to grab wood in my shorts, t shirt and slippers in the middle of a blizzard!
 

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i take a week's worth in at a time
 
Cave2k said:
Just be sure the wood is stored at least as far away from the stove as safety requires.

On average, just how far away is that? Will be our first wood burning season this winter and I plan to store a week's worth of wood in the basement probably 3 or 4 feet away...?
 
that is fine wiht a stove like mine, on older stove I dont know..My guess is though 3-4' is plenty
 
I have a small ring I keep in the house, about 1-2 days worth and keep a 1/2 cord on front porch to backfill ring with. Usually have to move wood about once a week from big piles in back to front porch,
 
I built a 2x4 wood rack that holds 4-5 days worth 2' from the stove. It fits nicely between the wall and hearth.
 

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This rack is about 5' away from the stove...maybe up to 4 days worth. the drawer underneath is for kindling. It sits on a plastic runner for easier cleanup. We got 3 of them 20+ years ago now we only keep this one in the house.
 
I was keeping 1/2 cord in my outer unfinished basement/work shop last season witch on average would last 2 weeks during the coldest part of the year. I'm going to be re-evaluating that this year due to better seasoned wood, larger splits, and a years worth of experience that I didn't have last year.
 
Whatever fits in the cart is what is next to the stove. Although, there is 7 cord within a 20 ft radius of the stove, so the cart doesn't have to go very far.
 
I can fit about 3 or 4 days' supply inside near the stove, and could fit probably half a cord just a few feet away on the porch. I guess I will give 3 or 4 days' supply as my answer to the poll.
 
I'll generally have a couple of three days worth inside, of course that depends on how cold it is outside!
 

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I have a wood burning furnace not a stove, but I have enough space to put 4 cords in the basement and another 2 cords very close by just outside the basement door. Unless we have a really bad winter I should never have to go outside for wood.
 
I got a rack inside about 3 feet from the stove and it holds anywhere form 3 days to a week depending on weather and such.
 
I am too paranoid to bring in more than a couple of clean pieces next to the stove. I guess I have repaired too many termite and carpenter ant habitats. I put it in a small trailer right outside the rear door. Probably 3-5 day supply depending.
 
Not to clear of a photo, but, we opened up our sunroom and use the existing fireplace we use for cooking as a wood storage.
 

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