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General Forestry => Firewood and Wood Heating => Topic started by: Slab Slicer on March 08, 2013, 09:03:22 PM

Title: Fire wood shed
Post by: Slab Slicer on March 08, 2013, 09:03:22 PM
Deb and I will be building a fire wood shed this spring, and we're looking for some ideas. We burn wood for primary heat, so we'll need something that's a good size. We're tired of the skids, and tarps for storing wood. Not looking to build anything with a permanent foundation. Just something with a roof to stack in. I deas, and pics would be appreciated.  :)
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: Happycamper on March 08, 2013, 09:10:34 PM
If available build it on old RR ties. They will last and last. Space the boards that hold the wood in 3 or 4 inches apart for good air circulation. Good over hang on roof so rain cant blow in. Nice wide entrance so you can throw wood in from trailer. Plastic on the ground so you have no rot on bottom layer.
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: thecfarm on March 08, 2013, 09:14:53 PM
I would put up the boards green on the sides. Than when each one drys there will be a small air space for the wind to blow through. I would be in some nice gravel and get it up in the air some to keep you out of the mud in the spring.I also would try to put some sections in it. At least 2 or 3. By the way,about how many cords big you you need it too be?
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: beenthere on March 08, 2013, 09:25:09 PM
For a good number of years, I stored my firewood under a 24 x 24' pole shed with just trussed roof.
I changed to outside storage due to the proliferation of the raccoon population that decided this firewood in the shed was their community toilet and dump site. Couldn't believe the layer of that stuff that they had piled up.
Now that it is outside and I switched to loading pallets (for their convenience of moving the wood), I stack two high and cover with a rubber roofing material that just goes on top to shed rain and stop snow. No more raccoon dung to put up with.

But then since the time of the raccoon problem, I've discovered the coon koolaid which diminishes the population pronto.
However, the shed is now full of "toys" and no room for firewood.  ;D

Last fall I did add a 16' extension to this shed.
Here is a pic of it in progress. 26' trusses on 24" centers, with plywood sheathing and shingles.


 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10180/Finished_soffits_facia.JPG)
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: Slab Slicer on March 08, 2013, 09:40:49 PM
Quote from: thecfarm on March 08, 2013, 09:14:53 PM
I would put up the boards green on the sides. Than when each one drys there will be a small air space for the wind to blow through. I would be in some nice gravel and get it up in the air some to keep you out of the mud in the spring.I also would try to put some sections in it. At least 2 or 3. By the way,about how many cords big you you need it too be?

We burn around 7+ cords each season. Of course the last 2 winters here have been fairly mild. If the thing held 10 cords, I would be happy.
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: Slab Slicer on March 08, 2013, 10:10:54 PM
beenthere, I know all to well about the racoon soilet smell. We had 3 of then for about a year. they were orphaned when the mother got hit by a car. We took them in, built a small pen for them, and they made a heck of a stinky mess in there.

That's a nice lookin' shed ya got there. I don't have that much room to build one that size. We already have a 24 x 16, and we're building another one this spring. The wood shed will go next to them.
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: GAB on March 08, 2013, 10:35:54 PM
beenthere:
Concerning the following "I've discovered the coon koolaid which diminishes the population pronto."
Could you PM me that formula as I have an invasion of them and rodents.
If you have a formula for chipmunks, squirrels, moles, and mice I'd be interested in that also.
Thanks in advance,
Gerald
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: doctorb on March 08, 2013, 10:37:16 PM
Random thoughts on an excellent topic....

Ideally, you would have space for two heating season's worth of wood, if your burning oak.  That way, you are always ahead at a minimum of one year's fuel.  So figure how much you think you'd burn in a given year, add a couple of cords to that, then double that number and that's the number of cords that I would store in my ideal shed.

Wood put up that far ahead of time does not need cross stacking or significant space between stacks, as long as adequate air flow exists and time is on your side.

My ideal Shed would be a pole barn shed with trussed roof, as beenthere has stated.  The wood will not look weathered, if it's not exposed to the sun, but it sure will dry.

As far as the raccoons, I have a dog, and their bathroom is obviously somewhere else.
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: beenthere on March 08, 2013, 11:37:08 PM
Quote from: GAB on March 08, 2013, 10:35:54 PM
beenthere:
Concerning the following "I've discovered the coon koolaid which diminishes the population pronto."
Could you PM me that formula as I have an invasion of them and rodents.
If you have a formula for chipmunks, squirrels, moles, and mice I'd be interested in that also.
Thanks in advance,
Gerald
First I read about it was here.
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,2685.msg35226.html#msg35226
Reply #9.

Then a neighbor reminded me of the formula last summer. That was when I first tried it.
Mix about half a cup of Golden Malrin fly bait with Mtn Dew and they apparently like it so well they can't stop eating it. Find them within a few feet of the empty dish.
Some think it is cruel, but I find it less cruel than trying to shoot them in a live trap. And a whole lot less messy when picking them up and "burying" them.
Any pop that isn't diet, is what I have heard. Coke, Pepsi, Mtn Dew, etc.

The Golden Malrin fly bait is about $7 for a one pound can. It is very effective for flies too.

Some have told me that dogs don't like it. I wouldn't trust it and would see to it any dogs were tied up so as to not take any chances. The neighbor farmer said only the coons on his farm like it. Said he has dogs and cats around the farm and no problem with them drinking the koolaid.

Haven't found any other of the pests eating it, but there was a dead skunk about 30 ft from the bait last summer so figured it was susceptible. Died with no smell.
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: MJD on March 09, 2013, 06:20:39 AM
 a buddy of mine trapped over 400 coons this past trapping season and at the fur sale averaged over $40 a pelt (over$16000), trap em when prime and sell them.
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: Slab Slicer on March 09, 2013, 06:47:22 AM
Quote from: doctorb on March 08, 2013, 10:37:16 PM
Random thoughts on an excellent topic....

Ideally, you would have space for two heating season's worth of wood, if your burning oak.  That way, you are always ahead at a minimum of one year's fuel.  So figure how much you think you'd burn in a given year, add a couple of cords to that, then double that number and that's the number of cords that I would store in my ideal shed.

Wood put up that far ahead of time does not need cross stacking or significant space between stacks, as long as adequate air flow exists and time is on your side.

My ideal Shed would be a pole barn shed with trussed roof, as beenthere has stated.  The wood will not look weathered, if it's not exposed to the sun, but it sure will dry.

As far as the raccoons, I have a dog, and their bathroom is obviously somewhere else.

I found the same for red oak doc. That stuff takes 2 years to dry around here. I may not be able to make the shed large enough to store 2 years worth of wood, although I usually have that much heaped on the property. I figured that once I fill it with what I have, I can "backfill" as I start to empty it during the burning season.

As for the "foundation", I know locust would be a good wood to use, as it's rot resistant, but I don't have much to speak of, and don't have any coming in the future. I was thinking of buying PT wood from the local lumber yard, but if there is something I could mill that would work well, let me know. I'll be using stone to level the area, and setting the shed on blocks just to keep it a bit off the ground.

As for the coons, same as doc, I have a dog, and she does a good job of keeping them away. :)
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: muddstopper on March 09, 2013, 10:39:14 AM
I just use one of those metal portable carports. Its 19ft long, and I believe 12ft wide. I stack my wood in ricks head high the full lenght of the shed. I put landscape timber on the ground to keep the firewood up and will stack head high. I can put 2 rows on each side and still drive my gator thru the middle to load and hual wood to the house. I will use the two rows on one side up and replenish with fresh split to dry while I burn off the opposite side.
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: Sonofman on March 09, 2013, 06:04:35 PM
My shed is a lean to built on the back of one of my garages. It has 3 6x6's to support the roof at the low end. The roof is trusses on 24" centers. The 3 sides other than the garage are open.

To stack wood, I put down a flat solid concrete block, a regular concrete block then 2 2x12's, treated 4x4's, or some 8x12's that were used to hold guardrails along the road. The wood is stacked to the roof on these, as close as I can get them together. This far south, we have no problem with the wood getting dry over the summer. The flat solid block is so termites can not get into my wood without me seeing them.

There was a guy that lived up the road that worked for a company that replaced the guardrail when someone hit it. He was selling the ones thay did not reuse. He did not have them often, but I bought what he had the few times I saw he had some.
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: Logging logginglogging on March 11, 2013, 09:24:34 AM
I have a shelterlogic gararge in a box.... works very well, not too expencive and u can put it up in an afternoon. When the canvas finally dies Ill simply Tin the roof and walls.
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: breederman on March 11, 2013, 06:20:52 PM
My wood shed is just a pole building without any siding. Plastic under long pallets for a floor. Stack wood front to back and remove rows starting on one end this year and start on the other end next year. Refill in the spring with wood cut and split last year.  If you stack the wood the other way the stuff in the back never gets used
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: GAB on March 11, 2013, 07:26:40 PM
Slab Slicer for a foundation have you considered used railroad ties or telephone poles?
The last telephone poles my dad put in only lasted 36 years. (summer of 1965 to the fall of 2011)  Gerald
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: Slab Slicer on March 11, 2013, 08:13:18 PM
Quote from: GAB on March 11, 2013, 07:26:40 PM
Slab Slicer for a foundation have you considered used railroad ties or telephone poles?
The last telephone poles my dad put in only lasted 36 years. (summer of 1965 to the fall of 2011)  Gerald

Can't seem to find either that's in good shape. Not to mention that the telephone poles get hacked up into 3 foot pieces when they are replaced. Even if you ask them to save them for you. Any suggestioned on where to get either in usable condition?
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: wood monger on March 11, 2013, 09:09:18 PM
I got sick of the tarp thing years ago also. I built a simple lean-to on the south side of my garage. it's about 8 ft deep, 6 foot high and 24 ft. long. I used 4 x 4's every 8 ft. for posts, screwed some boards across those and put some metal roofing that i scavenged for free on top. it works out quite well. I burn probably 10 face cords a year, which isn't even two full bays. The bay I don't stack wood in is where my splitter lives.
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: SLawyer Dave on March 13, 2013, 02:20:33 AM
I have found that I don't really need to have a large enclosed wood storage shed to store and season my firewood.  Rather, I made some runners out of pressure treated 2x4s, and then stack the split wood on top of these runners in a 5' tall row against the cyclone fence.  A year sitting stacked in a row like this both seasons the wood and gives me some privacy from my neighbors.  I don't even bother with tarps and the like, as even rain doesn't do much but wet the outside of the wood once it is good and seasoned.  Then I have a small wood shed that is walled on 3 sides with a simple slant roof that I can fit about a cord into.  I keep this shed loaded by adding to it the wood from the fence line.  This gives the wood a few weeks to dry out any surface moisture that may have accumulated from the rain before I burn it.  Been doing that for over a decade without any problems.
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: beenthere on March 13, 2013, 10:57:36 AM
Dave
What species do you use for firewood?
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: Stinny on March 13, 2013, 12:20:14 PM
I plan on building our woodshed this spring and summer also... a pole shed. The area is beside a small shed, but will not be attached to it. The ground drops down about 2 feet, from one end of the woodshed to the other, in 32 feet of length. The face of the 32 feet faces perfectly into the south so it has plenty of sun and the whole thing will be backed up to a stonewall where a fairly large field is on the other side bringing lots of wind from the north. Going to dig holes at 8 foot centers (down about 2 feet... not a big deal if the frost moves it a bit), side to side and front to back, so it will have 10 poles along with diagonal upper braces. Will use 4x4 pressure treated poles to support the roof as well as a boarded floor with extra space between them for air circulation underneath. Then I'll run a flat metal roof down matching the ground slope so it will get rid of rain off the lower end. Will beef it up with extra boarding underneath so it can handle snow loads and make it 9' deep so I can use 3 sheets of dark bronze roofing to make the 32' runs. At 7' high, it should heat up under the summer sun to help dry the wood and keep the rain off too. If winds cause all of the wood to get soaked I'll add drop tarp "walls" to keep the rains out.

That's my plan anyway...   
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: doctorb on March 13, 2013, 12:46:31 PM
sounds great.  Don't even consider the tarp walls.  They are, for the most part, overkill.
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: Slab Slicer on March 13, 2013, 01:03:24 PM
Stinny, are you sure that you're not building that in my back yard. :D :D  I have just about the same type of area, and for the most part, have settled on the same sort of design. 8' x 20'-25' x 8' high. Tin roof with big overhangs to keep the watter off the wood. The only tarp I may use is on the front where the wind blows in. I can use that in the winter while we are actually burning, just to keep the wood dry. Make it a roll up style tarp.
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: Ivan49 on March 13, 2013, 02:38:05 PM
If you are building it so your wood burner can be loaded from the end leave the wood stove 3 or 4 foot from the building and build a roof out to it. Save having the building from filling with smoke when you load it.Mine is 12 foot wide and 20 foot long with a 9ft wall on one side and a 7 foot wall on the other. This summer I am going to add 10 foot to the end. I have a double swing door on one end and I can drive my skid steer into it. If I was to do it over I would buy a carport type building. When I did mine I had a sawmill so I have very little cost into it. I have a 12 sliding door on one side and I leave that open in the summer because with a clear fiberglass roof it gets hot insideI am sure not much lives in there in the summer
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: Stinny on March 13, 2013, 05:07:36 PM
Slab Slicer... "great minds"... and all that. I know I wanted the metal roof to be flat, for the most part, but with a slight pitch to get water off, and the ground slope helps. The sun ought to heat the panels up pretty good on 90 degree summer days... I might even try to trap the heat using the tarps or clear plastic... don't know. I didn't want to build a woodshed building, just a roof over the cribbed stacks of firewood. I've got a fair amount of red oak so it'll need as much help drying as possible. I'll probably split it into smaller pieces as well.

I know I'll use a rear "wall tarp" to block the winter snow from blowing into the whole storage area during the winter. Don't know where you are located, but here in Maine, the snow covering an outdoor woodpile is not fun. It's my inspiration to get this woodshed built before too long so I can get my wood out of the weather. Tarps aren't great but they do the job.

Good luck with your woodshed. 

Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: SLawyer Dave on March 13, 2013, 07:17:46 PM
Pretty much whatever I can get.  I have an original 1910 natural gas homebuilt floor furnace that I haven't even tried to run in the last decade.  All of my heat comes from our woodstove.  I live in an area that has several large residential areas, as well as many thousands of acres of fruit and nut trees, with thousands more acres of farm and range land, all bordered by mixed deciduous and evergreen forests.  We also have had a series of federal, state and private tree farms and experimental tree gardens over the last 100+ years in the area, that have brought in trees from around the world.  Many of these non-native trees have been extensively cultivated in the area since.  So we probably have more variety in types of trees planted within 50 miles of me than just about anywhere in the U.S. 

I put ads on craigslist looking for people who have downed trees, or trees they want removed, and that is where I get the bulk of my wood.  Usual suspects are oak, (black, blue, valley, tan, live), eucalyptus, ash, walnut, almond, cedar and pine.  I have also burned a lot of madrone, olive, elm, mulberry, catalpa, maple, sycamore, and privet.  The eucalyptus is the hottest, (btu) burning firewood around, (even better than manzanita), and leaves a lot less ash due to its high burning point.  The oak and almond tend to be your longest burning high heat wood.  I know many don't like burning pine, but I love it for starting a fire, as you don't even need kindling, just a couple of pieces of paper and it burns nice and hot.  The rest tend to fall somewhere between pine and oak, giving varying lengths of burn and heat.   So while I stack the wood in the order I cut and split it, (so I generally will end up with clusters of different species), I generally will pull from several locations along the row so that I can get a good mix of wood in the covered shed.  This allows me to build the fire with quick and hot burning pine, which will quickly heat my house and then serve to keep a hot fire going with the other types of wood.   I especially like the oak and almond for burning overnight, as with the air turned down on my wood stove, they will burn all night long and leave me good coals in the morning, (which means my wife doesn't kick me out of bed in the middle of the night to add more wood to the fire).  =)

The other reason I don't want to store wood for long periods of time inside a shelter is because you are much more likely to create a wood destroying pest infestation, with the beetles, termites, etc., transferring from the firewood to the structure.  I saw that happen way too many times while I was working as a state licensed structural pest inspector.  While you may not think much of beetles or drywood termites infesting a small and cheap wooden structure, once they get established there, it is that much more likely that they will infest your house.  Most of these types of wood destroying pests can only be totally eradicated by tenting the house and fumigating it.  This can costs tens of thousands of dollars, so I generally don't recommend that any wood be kept inside any structure for more than a few months.

Hope this info helps.

Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: CTL logger on March 28, 2013, 09:12:40 PM
This is my wood shed it is a 24x24 ft building with slat sides just got stock trusses at lumber yard put them 4' on center and metal roofing.

 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22200/IMG_20130328_185733_273.jpg) 

 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22200/IMG_20130328_185800_991.jpg) 

 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22200/IMG_20130328_190015_171.jpg) 

 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22200/IMG_20130328_185909_962.jpg)
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: thecfarm on March 28, 2013, 09:21:05 PM
Nice building,cement floor and all. I would like to do something for my OWB too. Nothing as big as that,just don't really have the room out back like that. I kinda plan on making a hood,vent for the smoke to go out into. I have a light on mine that I turn on so the blowers won't come on when I'm feeding it. I want to hook up a box fan to the switch too.This way any smoke will go up into the hood and vent it outside. I hope.
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: doctorb on March 28, 2013, 09:22:31 PM
Very nice facility.  Very nice, indeed!
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: CTL logger on March 28, 2013, 09:52:24 PM
Thanks guys it took a few years to get to this point, I cemented half the floor at a time when time and funds would allow I've never had it full at once but it will hold 40 face cord. I want to ad a hood to push the smoke out but haven't got to it yet. 
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: doctorb on March 28, 2013, 10:15:15 PM
I would think that all you would need is an exhaust fan up toward the point of those eaves in the wall behind the OWB.  Ad a protective outside louvered cover and you're good to go with the smoke.
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: thecfarm on March 29, 2013, 04:27:50 AM
I'm just more concerned about everything turning black over the years. I just want to keep it looking good. Not enough smoke to make it bad for me inside.
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: buckgrunt on March 29, 2013, 02:31:35 PM
This is very similar to my set up.  My CB Dealer came to visit me last year and upon seeing my shed, he scolded me regarding enclosing the furnace inside a shed. He has heard of several OWB owners accidentally setting fire to their sheds from embers ending up on combustible material.  He does have a point, but just be careful.
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: CTL logger on March 29, 2013, 08:57:38 PM
Quote from: buckgrunt on March 29, 2013, 02:31:35 PM
This is very similar to my set up.  My CB Dealer came to visit me last year and upon seeing my shed, he scolded me regarding enclosing the furnace inside a shed. He has heard of several OWB owners accidentally setting fire to their sheds from embers ending up on combustible material.  He does have a point, but just be careful.
I suppose your dealer really wouldn't like the CB at my shop we took the roof off and slid it mostly inside the building, been this way for 11 years haven't had any issues yet. The floor in the woodshed is heated and helps dry the wood, we never cut wood til fall and it burns great. Put the smoke hood over it with fan and it pulls most of the smoke outside.

 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22200/IMG_20130329_191616_342.jpg) 

 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22200/IMG_20130329_191800_596.jpg)
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: thecfarm on March 29, 2013, 09:03:40 PM
That will shut up the nay sayers about going outside to fill an OWB.  :D And a heated woodshed floor too. Nice looking hood. Mine won't look that good,but the same idea.
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: CTL logger on March 29, 2013, 09:12:50 PM
Quote from: thecfarm on March 29, 2013, 09:03:40 PM
That will shut up the nay sayers about going outside to fill an OWB.  :D And a heated woodshed floor too. Nice looking hood. Mine won't look that good,but the same idea.
Thank you I had a local sheet metal shop make it I think it cost 75 bucks had a cheaper fan that melted some parts in it first then put in a barn style with all metal parts and it's been going strong for 9 years. It is great I've never shoveled snow or had froze together wood and my insurance company looked at it and have no issues with it.
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: thecfarm on March 29, 2013, 09:17:12 PM
Melted some of the plastic parts,  :o  so my box fan might not work.  :(
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: CTL logger on March 29, 2013, 09:44:41 PM
Quote from: thecfarm on March 29, 2013, 09:17:12 PM
Melted some of the plastic parts,  :o  so my box fan might not work.  :(
I'm going to say no. I think we had a heavy duty exhaust fan for a kitchen or large bathroom it had a nice steel hood but the plastic parts didn't make it too long. A steel blade is needed.
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: thecfarm on March 29, 2013, 09:57:24 PM
Guess I better start looking for one. Maybe a fan inside the exhaust pipe might do it too. One of those 6-8 inch round fans made for moving air.
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: Engineer on April 01, 2013, 06:02:26 PM
My Wood Shed.  This photo is a few years old, I've since replaced the pallets on the sides with vertical boards on the outside, and centered the posts on the blocks a little better by relocating the blocks.  It's 8 x 16 and holds about six cords head high.  I'm building another one this spring as I just ran out last weekend and it only lasted since November 1.



 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10843/wood_shed_dec08_04.JPG)
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: John Mc on April 01, 2013, 09:12:07 PM
Hey, engineer, is that shed just sitting up on the blocks, or do you have some of the posts sunk into the ground or otherwise fastened in place?
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: gearman on April 02, 2013, 11:39:58 AM
Bigger is better, I built 16x36 and wish I had gone 24x36.  I burn about 10-12 pulp cord/season. CB 6048.  I used green cedar boards as siding and 4x4 treated posts for support.  Would have used 6x6 posts, but the added weight (just the wife and I building this) made them difficult.  It was easier to add a few more posts.  If you have extra space, it will soon be filled with you plow blade, brush hog, skidding winch, tiller, etc.  I used a barn door track and can cover 2 of my 3 bays at any time.  I was worried about blowing snow, but have not had any problems with one bay being open to weather.  Open eaves and about 1 foot air space at ground level.
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: John Mc on April 02, 2013, 12:09:12 PM
Never enough space. 

I built a lean-to out of green hemlock off the back of my garage/barn about 5 years ago, thinking it would be firewood storage. I burn less than 3 cords/year (woodstove is my primary heat), so I figured storage for 6+ cords or so would be plenty.  Of course, the lawnmower and other miscellaneous stuff has taken up almost half the space since day one, and my wife and kids end up eyeing the rest of it each spring as the wood pile shrinks (my incentive to stay ahead on firewood).

One of these days, I'll build something else, and let this lean-to become equipment storage
Title: Re: Fire wood shed
Post by: Engineer on April 02, 2013, 09:06:51 PM
John Mc, the shed is just sitting on the blocks.  It's self-supporting, built out of 4x4 and 5x5 timbers I sawed on my old WoodMizer.  It can be picked up and moved if necessary.