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Fire wood shed

Started by Slab Slicer, March 08, 2013, 09:03:22 PM

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Slab Slicer

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.  :)
2016 LT35HDG25, Kubota L2501 w/ FEL, Kubota BX1500 w/FEL and custom skidding rig, Stihl MS 500i, Stihl MS362-25", Stihl MS250-20", Stihl MS192-18",  2001 F250 SD 7.3, GMC Sierra Dually 6.0 gasser, Peaqua 16" 10K trailer, Sur-Trac 12' Dump Trailer 10K
Chuck

Happycamper

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.
Wether you think you can or you can't you're right

thecfarm

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?
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

beenthere

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.


 
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Slab Slicer

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.
2016 LT35HDG25, Kubota L2501 w/ FEL, Kubota BX1500 w/FEL and custom skidding rig, Stihl MS 500i, Stihl MS362-25", Stihl MS250-20", Stihl MS192-18",  2001 F250 SD 7.3, GMC Sierra Dually 6.0 gasser, Peaqua 16" 10K trailer, Sur-Trac 12' Dump Trailer 10K
Chuck

Slab Slicer

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.
2016 LT35HDG25, Kubota L2501 w/ FEL, Kubota BX1500 w/FEL and custom skidding rig, Stihl MS 500i, Stihl MS362-25", Stihl MS250-20", Stihl MS192-18",  2001 F250 SD 7.3, GMC Sierra Dually 6.0 gasser, Peaqua 16" 10K trailer, Sur-Trac 12' Dump Trailer 10K
Chuck

GAB

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
W-M LT40HDD34, SLR, JD 420, JD 950w/loader and Woods backhoe, V3507 Fransguard winch, Cordwood Saw, 18' flat bed trailer, and other toys.

doctorb

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.
My father once said, "This is my son who wanted to grow up and become a doctor.  So far, he's only become a doctor."

beenthere

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.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

MJD

 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.

Slab Slicer

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. :)
2016 LT35HDG25, Kubota L2501 w/ FEL, Kubota BX1500 w/FEL and custom skidding rig, Stihl MS 500i, Stihl MS362-25", Stihl MS250-20", Stihl MS192-18",  2001 F250 SD 7.3, GMC Sierra Dually 6.0 gasser, Peaqua 16" 10K trailer, Sur-Trac 12' Dump Trailer 10K
Chuck

muddstopper

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.

Sonofman

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.
Located due west of Due West.

Logging logginglogging

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.

breederman

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
Together we got this !

GAB

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
W-M LT40HDD34, SLR, JD 420, JD 950w/loader and Woods backhoe, V3507 Fransguard winch, Cordwood Saw, 18' flat bed trailer, and other toys.

Slab Slicer

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?
2016 LT35HDG25, Kubota L2501 w/ FEL, Kubota BX1500 w/FEL and custom skidding rig, Stihl MS 500i, Stihl MS362-25", Stihl MS250-20", Stihl MS192-18",  2001 F250 SD 7.3, GMC Sierra Dually 6.0 gasser, Peaqua 16" 10K trailer, Sur-Trac 12' Dump Trailer 10K
Chuck

wood monger

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.

SLawyer Dave

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.

beenthere

Dave
What species do you use for firewood?
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Stinny

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...   
Suzuki 4x4 on Tatou tracks tugging logs in winter

doctorb

sounds great.  Don't even consider the tarp walls.  They are, for the most part, overkill.
My father once said, "This is my son who wanted to grow up and become a doctor.  So far, he's only become a doctor."

Slab Slicer

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.
2016 LT35HDG25, Kubota L2501 w/ FEL, Kubota BX1500 w/FEL and custom skidding rig, Stihl MS 500i, Stihl MS362-25", Stihl MS250-20", Stihl MS192-18",  2001 F250 SD 7.3, GMC Sierra Dually 6.0 gasser, Peaqua 16" 10K trailer, Sur-Trac 12' Dump Trailer 10K
Chuck

Ivan49

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

Stinny

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. 

Suzuki 4x4 on Tatou tracks tugging logs in winter

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