Why build a wood shed?

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neverbilly

Burning Hunk
Dec 27, 2015
177
Arkansas, USA
Granted, in this area (arklatex) wood-burning isn't a necessity, but we like a fireplace fire and also burn one outside more than inside. A backyard campfire in the firepit. We do it a LOT. And quite a few people do burn here, I see wood stacked in people's yards quite a bit. Of course, this winter is mild but we have some winters that are 'cold' for weeks at a time. Even icy. And NOBODY around here builds a wood shed. I don't know if I've ever seen one! The most common method I see around here...

- stacked between two trees
- no covering!
- no floor, bottom layer is just firewood

Now, I just started one between two trees, and I am using discarded landscape timbers my gf threw away a couple years ago that are just rotting away... as runners to lay the bottom layer of firewood on. They are two on top the other, bolted together, so, they are about 7" tall. So, my wood is 7" off the ground. I also plan to find some old tin sheets to cover it with. If I can find some pallets, I will use these for others.

On a sidenote, I saw a contractor tear down an old barn here and it made me sick, he just smashed it with a trackhoe/excavator. Burned all the wood (which I would love to have had for different things, including kindling), and smashed up all the tin. There was a barn full of tin there!

So, my drying stack is close to 'free.' Why do people build wood sheds? I guess they are safer, a wood pile could fall. I've never seen one fall around here, lol. Maybe it's the moisture that glues them together, lol. I am sure a wood shed dries wood better, but sheesh, if I were to spend $500 on a shed... say I was buying firewood... the firewood I would 'lose' due to rot on the bottom, or top... that $500 would pay for a lot of rotted wood.

Another thing, this might sound silly, but firewood stacked between trees looks rather homesteady, lol. Wood sheds look nice, too, though.
 
A few things I can think of.

First, try to find some bricks or block to sit your landscape timbers on. Raising them 3-4" will allow air to flow under them keeping your wood dry. Just sitting them on the ground will stop air from flowing underneath and your timbers will stay wet, and so will the bottom layer of fire wood.

I don't have a woodshed, but wish I did. The good thing about a woodshed is it keeps the snow/rain, leaves/junk off your wood which keeps it dry. Dry firewood makes burning wood much easier and the experience much more enjoyable.

If wood is your main source of heat managing your fuel source becomes a top priority. When you live in areas with heavy snow it keeps the stacks accessible without having to clean 1-3ft or more of snow off it. In Indiana we have a mix of snow/rain during winter. It may start raining then turn to snow. If you don't keep your stack top covered you may find all the pieces are frozen together and you have to use a sledge to knock it loose. When you use top covers like tarps you have to mess with removing the tarp, getting your wood, then re-securing your cover. After doing this multiple times a winter for multiple years the thought of a shed that you walk into, grab wood, and walk inside is very appealing. Never mind the fact your wood will be in primo shape to burn, no exterior moisture.
 
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Firefighter938 said:
A few things I can think of.

First, try to find some bricks or block to sit your landscape timbers on. Raising them 3-4" will allow air to flow under them keeping your wood dry. Just sitting them on the ground will stop air from flowing underneath and your timbers will stay wet, and so will the bottom layer of fire wood.

I don't have a woodshed, but wish I did. The good thing about a woodshed is it keeps the snow/rain, leaves/junk off your wood which keeps it dry. Dry firewood makes burning wood much easier and the experience much more enjoyable.

If wood is your main source of heat managing your fuel source becomes a top priority. When you live in areas with heavy snow it keeps the stacks accessible without having to clean 1-3ft or more of snow off it. In Indiana we have a mix of snow/rain during winter. It may start raining then turn to snow. If you don't keep your stack top covered you may find all the pieces are frozen together and you have to use a sledge to knock it loose. When you use top covers like tarps you have to mess with removing the tarp, getting your wood, then re-securing your cover. After doing this multiple times a winter for multiple years the thought of a shed that you walk into, grab wood, and walk inside is very appealing. Never mind the fact your wood will be in primo shape to burn, no exterior moisture.
Click to expand...

Well... good answer, lol. Snow/cold changes things for sure! I wish I would have read your post about 24 hours earlier. I've already stacked about half of a 20 footer on those timbers, lol. Wish I would have put bricks under them. The timbers are kind of rotten in places; I wouldn't be surprised if it falls down eventually! But even buying just new lumber/timbers/bricks would cost a bit. I need to find some pallets to stack on; that would be cheap.
 
Bragging rights.

bob
 
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Why a wood shed? In our area, we get either snow or rain on half the days in the winter. A shed protects the wood that you have spent many hours cutting, splitting and stacking. I built 300 sq ft of sheds for under $500 and I think it is money very well spent. Prior to that, I was stacking wood between trees with a tarp covering and got peed off when the stacks fell over and the wood started to rot. Soooo much nicer!
 
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Yup. Snow. Last year, the first snow storm we had blew the tarp up over the woodpile and then, continued to blow fine, powdery snow dust sideways into every nook and cranny through 6 cord of firewood. I spent the rest of the winter knocking snow and ice off every piece of firewood I brought inside. I built av woodshed last summer. Enough of that crap.
 
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A shed helps keep the firewood dryer by limiting the exposure to the elements. The stake is higher per say for people that burn wood in a stove for heat (especially using newer wood stoves) then burning wood in a fireplace. A woodstove has limited or restricted air supply in comparison to a open fireplace, wet wood will burn easier in a fire place than woodstove. Now for the warning brother, if you are using your fireplace a lot, don't be fooled into thinking that you have a hot clean burn because you have a lot of flames, check your chimney for build up periodically and clean it as needed, burning wood with a higher moisture content will leave a larger build up faster than you would think.
 
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Snow, ice and rain.

Not having to deal with tarps or bang the snow and ice off the splits.

This is why I have a woodshed.
 
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firefighterjake said:
Snow, ice and rain.

Not having to deal with tarps or bang the snow and ice off the splits.

This is why I have a woodshed.
Click to expand...


This is also why I have a woodshed. Two weeks ago I was looking at 24" of snow in my yard and just as much piled on top of my seasoning stacks. I was very happy that I didn't have to deal with tarps. That was also the first snow fall with my new wood shed and I'm happy that the snow didn't make a 5 ft+ drift at the opening of my woodshed.
 
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barmstrong2 said:
Yup. Snow. Last year, the first snow storm we had blew the tarp up over the woodpile and then, continued to blow fine, powdery snow dust sideways into every nook and cranny through 6 cord of firewood. I spent the rest of the winter knocking snow and ice off every piece of firewood I brought inside. I built av woodshed last summer. Enough of that crap.
Click to expand...

This right here. Plus keeping the rain off after the wood is dry.

I clearly remember one year I had burrowed under the tarp to get at the cord wood, got my boot stuck in a gap between two pallets, had an armload of wood. Twisted around trying to get my foot out, got a shirt full of snow off the tarp down the back of my neck, dropped the wood, twisted my ankle trying to stop from falling, it was brutal.

No more.
 
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See...up north, mother nature has this funny trick she plays. She turns rain white or sometimes very hard and crusty. It doesn't run off. It stacks on top of itself, often for days or weeks at a time......oh, never mind.:p
 
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20160202_134938.jpg

This is why I want to build a woodshed....
 
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Heavy snowfall is the main reason for building a wood shed. It's pretty much a necessity where deep snows are common. No one wants to dig through 2 to 3 feet or more of snowdrift to get firewood. With a shed, you just need a path to the shed door.
 
kennyp2339 said:
I agree with you, I personally don't like wood flakes in my coor's beer
Click to expand...

That's the only way i will drink coors! So many better breweries around here!
 
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neverbilly said:
Well... good answer, lol. Snow/cold changes things for sure! I wish I would have read your post about 24 hours earlier. I've already stacked about half of a 20 footer on those timbers, lol. Wish I would have put bricks under them. The timbers are kind of rotten in places; I wouldn't be surprised if it falls down eventually! But even buying just new lumber/timbers/bricks would cost a bit. I need to find some pallets to stack on; that would be cheap.
Click to expand...
Cut some small saplings 4" to 6 " they are free
 
We don't have a lot of snow here in SC TN. What we do have is a lot of rain. Rained a couple days ago, supposed to rain this weekend. No way I'm playing the "two steps forward, one step back" with rain on my wood. It gets cut, split and then stacked in a woodshed until I need it. Once it's split and stacked, it's never going to see water ever again.

May take a little longer since it's not out in the sun, but whoopie, that's what the 3 year plan is supposed to deal with.

And Crap! on restacking wood! Once is enough!
 
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My take on this is "Why not" build a wood shed?
 
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