Slab rack

OneWithWood · October 13, 2014, 01:08:39 PM

After years of stacking slabs on poorly made wooden forms I thought I would make some proper slab racks.

I used 1 -1/4 angle iron for the supports. Here are some pics of the setup:

a pic showing the 'foot' arrangement for support and to located the 4'x4' pallets

The racks full of 12' slabs

I band the slabs just before I chainsaw the pile in half. Once halved I move the stack to a location for storage:

These slabs are longer than what I normally saw so the pile is a bit heavy to one side. It is all my JD4520 with a 400CX loader can do to move the pallets of slabs. It isn't so bad when loaded with 9' logs, which is what I prefer to saw.
When it come time to fire up the OWB I will move the slabs a pallet at a time to the boiler, use a chainsaw to cut the slabs in half again, and then load the wood into the boiler. We burn all the slabs early in the heating season, saving the split wood for the colder weather.

The metal cage to the right is how I handle the scraps from manufacturing stuff.

drobertson · October 13, 2014, 02:10:04 PM

Not a bad idea!

beenthere · October 13, 2014, 03:08:14 PM

Looks like it will save a lot of work handling.

QuoteThe metal cage to the left is how I handle the scraps from manufacturing stuff.

That would be "stage left", right? ;D

DeerMeadowFarm · October 13, 2014, 03:34:49 PM

I like it! dancing-jack

Tree Dan · October 13, 2014, 05:54:30 PM

I like It too....You are smart and like to be organized.
I need to get me one of those strapers.

Cheers

WmFritz · October 13, 2014, 06:15:02 PM

I love anything that helps double handling stuff. Nice idea OWW.

Now how about a picture of that Chevy yard truck? ;)

OneWithWood · October 13, 2014, 07:27:49 PM

Quote from: beenthere on October 13, 2014, 03:08:14 PM
Looks like it will save a lot of work handling.

QuoteThe metal cage to the left is how I handle the scraps from manufacturing stuff.

That would be "stage left", right? ;D

you would be correct.

Fixed it. Thanks.

Peter Drouin · October 13, 2014, 08:14:19 PM

So you make a new pallet for each one to pile on?

GDinMaine · October 13, 2014, 08:17:08 PM

I would be curious how long of a chainsaw bar it takes to cut that stack in half... Neat system I like it.

ozarkgem · October 13, 2014, 08:36:30 PM

I like the wood on the pallets. Yeh how long is the bar on your saw? Do you let it dry for a while before burning?

OneWithWood · October 14, 2014, 03:21:50 AM

I made a bunch of 4'x4' pallets that I use for the slabs and to stack split firewood on (thanks to Beenthere for that idea). The pallets get recycled once the wood is burned.
The pile is cut in half using a MS660 with a 36" bar, coming in from both sides.
The slabs are left to dry until we fire up the boiler. When I am producing in the heating season the slabs get burned relatively quickly. The OWB burns green wood just fine and I get the pallets back for more slabs.

MikeON · October 15, 2014, 07:15:29 AM

OneWithWood - those are nice straight slabs to work with.

Here is my small scale approach. The slabs will be used in a small indoor boiler. The gap between the double uprights is where the chainsaw goes through to cut to proper length (from both sides). The bottom 2x4s that sit on the ground are pressure treated. The joints where the bottom of the verticals meet the horizontals are glued for extra strength. I top it off with split wood. I've made 5 of these so far and plan to end up with 16. When filled, they are about the optimum weight so I can stack them 2 high with the JD4310.