New wood shed planned...

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Badfish740

Minister of Fire
Oct 3, 2007
1,539
Now that I've got something like eight cords scattered in various parts of the yard, it's time to build a serious wood shed. Some of you may remember this one that served me well for three winters:

New004.jpg


However, it started to fall apart after that, but I learned a few things:

1. Woodsheds don't need floors beyond gravel and pallets set directly on top. The weight of the wood turned my pallet floor into a topsy-turvy mess by the second year.

2. Pallets really aren't a great long term construction material.

3. In my town, accessory structures that are less than 100SF don't need any permits or approvals, and can be set back as little as 5' off of the property line.

Thus, I came up with this design:

Woodshed_zpsd574ed07.jpg


I wanted to come up with the most simple, cheap, sturdy design I could that would be within the 100SF limitation. The plan is to sink four 6 x 6 x 10 posts in the ground about 36" deep with 12" x 12" concrete pavers sitting on a 4" layer of gravel serving as footings. After that, two plywood box beams will be constructed to span 15'-9" between the front and rear posts so as to have a clear span. For some reason I can't seem to link to the PDF I found from the APA on construction and span tables, but I was able to attach the PDF here. In the document I was able to find a 12" deep beam constructed of 1/2" plywood webs and four 2 x 4 x 16 flanges (two top, two bottom) that will span 16' and carry 212lbs/ft. Snow load for my area is 30lbs/psf (I figured on 35 to be safe), so with a dead load of 10lbs/psf, + snow load of 35lbs/psf + the weight of the beam at 9lbs/psf, my beams will each see a total load of 201lbs/psf. Here's a great link on beam and header sizing and the calculations (not that complicated really) required to figure all of this out:

http://bct.eco.umass.edu/publications/by-title/calculating-loads-on-headers-and-beams/

This may seem like a lot of work for a building that merely needs to shelter wood from rain and snow, but my thinking is this. I don't have a large piece of property, so I'd rather build something that's not going to sag, settle, etc...after a few years like my other one did. This one should stay visually pleasing to the eye for years to come. Not sure when I'll start on it, but I figured I'd throw the idea out there in case anyone else is so inclined.
 

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  • Beams Plywood (1).pdf
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I like your design, attached is a similar design that I am pondering. I may build one & then modify it with a few ideas I would like to try. They are small movable sheds (when empty). I have heavy duty plastic pallets available to me, I may incorporate those & would like to reinforce the bottom frame and add metal runners (made from old machine guards) so I could tow the things around. The goal would be to design a skid/ski underneith that I could tow up to the garage area once the ground freezes.
 

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  • Shed.pdf
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attached is a similar design that I am pondering.

By the drawings, it looks like each unit was designed to easily accommodate 1 cord of wood (or a little more). Remember...thats gonna be 5000 pounds of just firewood, not including the structure. That is a bunch of weight to be skidding across a yard. Just food for thought.
 
Yeah, I figure that's a lofty goal, met only if it's a downhill pull & I can reinforce it enough. For now I figure I will shoot for just dragging the empties out of the way.
 
Looks good, Similar to my build. I would highly suggest added a front angled portion to the roof line. Would stop allot of water a snow from getting to the wood at the front. Hard to explain but a few pics floating around of others that have done it.
 
Looks good, Similar to my build. I would highly suggest added a front angled portion to the roof line. Would stop allot of water a snow from getting to the wood at the front. Hard to explain but a few pics floating around of others that have done it.

I think I get what you're saying-like salt box style?
 
Yes you got it. Wish I had done it with mine in hind site. Just a couple feet worth.
 
Well, it keeps evolving. I spotted this end cap that bolts onto a 2x4 & started thinking about the scrap steel I have lying around... I figure the basic modular design is good, but I can make it double wide for 2 rows of wood and then add a rail going across the top, to which I can fasten full 4x8 sheets across for a cover from the elements. Thoughts?
adjustable-log-rack-987.jpg
 
Well, it keeps evolving. I spotted this end cap that bolts onto a 2x4 & started thinking about the scrap steel I have lying around... I figure the basic modular design is good, but I can make it double wide for 2 rows of wood and then add a rail going across the top, to which I can fasten full 4x8 sheets across for a cover from the elements. Thoughts?
If you are going to make that then make the top portion you are talking about removable as well. Have it so you can slip it over top once the wood is stacked in. It would be a PITA to load if it already had a top on it.
 
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