Indoor wood rack rant!

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I think wood racks are a pain. There is a debris field that increases every time you move the wood or the dog/cat loses a toy under it. Cleaning under it is no fat lady's dream, either. But that's JMO. So many women I know complain about the "mess" associated with stoves; the clutter, the debris, the ashes.

Me? I'm into "containment". We use an old copper boiler in the house and I use a cheap, plastic storage bin in my workroom. The latter holds 2 days worth of firewood and all the debris is contained for later use as "tinder enhancement"/kindling. I would really like to make a nice woodbox that matches the woodwork in my workroom, but it's unlikely that will happen any time soon.
 
I bought one of the ones mentioned above, ( http://www.northlineexpress.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=5MM-WDH-24 - or 2’ wide ) from a local shop for a $30 more than Northline has it. But no shipping or waiting or worries about damage. Holds about 2-3 days worth depending how much I burn. But that is now, in Nov., and I have only had the FP insert for a couple of weeks, so I am a newbie.

Since I need to store the wood in a public place, I want a wood holder that has at least minimal aesthetic value, so the self made ones I see here, made from 2x4, plywood, etc, would not suffice. I I could store it in an attached garage os an enclosed porch, they would be spiffy.

I have an old cedar chest in the basement with a top that is split and needs restoring, so I may get that fixed up and use it. That would hold 2 or 4 times what my current one holds, and contain the mess between reloads. And provide a table or place to sit.
 
Last year our local supermarket closed-out the Rutland rack brackets for $3.95 a set. I bought three sets, one for a 4x4 rack on the enclosed porch and two with PT 8' 2x4's for the outdoors. Couldn't be happier.
 
http://www.northlineexpress.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=5EN-LR5


We have this one. Like it a lot. Holds *about* 2 days wood for us. I have thought about making it a bit wider with some bar stock I have laying around..

I agree storing wood in the house has it's own issues, but I live in the woods, with 175lbs worth of golden retrievers in and out and in and out and in and out everyday... we vacuum as often as three times a day sometimes, so, I was going to be doing it anyways...

But I am of the mind that "wood heat" is not for those who think temperature management is a non-interactive process..

It's messy, it's uneven, it needs way more attention then setting a thermostat to "XX" and walking away until spring.

which is part of the draw.
 
BrowningBAR said:
My neighbor is an iron worker and runs his own forge. I think I might stop by his place tomorrow with a case of beer. A case of Guinness should go far.
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This is my vote. Why settle for someone else's idea of size or style?

Why buy something from a Chinese importer/job slasher. If you have some money to spend, spend it in your own comunity.

Don't forget, the blacksmith next door can work sheetmetal too!

No need to let dirt fall to the floor below the rack.
 
Dune said:
BrowningBAR said:
My neighbor is an iron worker and runs his own forge. I think I might stop by his place tomorrow with a case of beer. A case of Guinness should go far.
Click to expand...

This is my vote. Why settle for someone else's idea of size or style?

Why buy something from a Chinese importer/job slasher. If you have some money to spend, spend it in your own comunity.

Don't forget, the blacksmith next door can work sheetmetal too!

No need to let dirt fall to the floor below the rack.
Click to expand...


This is a good idea. There are a lot of small metal-working shops around. Look in the yellow pages if you still have any, or the local weekly ad paper and you can find them. There was a local guy near me I that normally does metal railings for porches and such. I spoke to him about a custom aquarium stand, he was willing but I never followed through.

One of the black-iron stands in the links above would work well if they were taller. Say a 2-3 foot wide rack 4 feet high or so would probably hold a weeks worth of wood, look good, and be simple to make.

Heck, if you local school has a metal shop your kid or a neighbors kid could cook one up as a class project.
 
I just picked up an old galvanized 100 gallon water trough. This thing is able to hold plenty of wood. The best part is my wife loves the rustic look. 20$
 
I built my own woodbox . . . I can close the top door for company . . . it contains the bark and dirt that invariably falls off . . . room for kindling and hooks for my tools . . . and while not a fine piece of American craftsmanship my wife even gave the blessing to allow it to stay in the living room year round even though I told her I would haul it to the garage if she wanted me to during the off season.
 
Skier76 said:
Browning,
I have the small one here: http://www.plowhearth.com/Decorative-Firewood-Racks_p8891.html

"Small Decorative Woodrack": Small 23" x 12" x 23"H You can see it in the pic they have in that link. It's small, but it holds enough wood for us. It certainly saves on the trips outside when reloading the stove. You can't go wrong for $30.
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Nice looking rack for the money.. Too bad they don't have a size between small and medium as I think 3' high and wide would work out good for me..

Ray
 
TomW - the cedar chest is an idea I have been toying with. Yo ucan pick them up lookng decent for $40-100 at garage/estate sales. Also CL. One thing that would have to happen (at least on the few we have scattered around the house) would be to shore up the bottom. Easily done and you are right - mess contained and a great place to sit. One thing I am not certain I like is no air passage - I think if I do it I will drill a couple holes to allow things to breath.
 
I went with chrome shelves like these: http://www.bjs.com/honey-can-do-4-tier-chrome-storage-shelves.product.48098

The one I bought had wheels and the option to build it as two 1/2 height units with 3 shelves on each. This has worked out well for me as the one is on the wheels and I move that to the back door to refill. I can get under with the broom to sweep up droppings and the wire rack design allows for great airflow in case the splits come inside wet. I like having multiple shelves to put the wood on as this way I have lots of easy to grab pieces to stuff the stove - no digging in the rack/pile/box to find the right shaped piece.

Downside of course is the look if you don't care for it (it worked for us) and the fact that it does nothing to contain the critters.
 
Skier76 said:
Browning,
I have the small one here: http://www.plowhearth.com/Decorative-Firewood-Racks_p8891.html

"Small Decorative Woodrack": Small 23" x 12" x 23"H You can see it in the pic they have in that link. It's small, but it holds enough wood for us. It certainly saves on the trips outside when reloading the stove. You can't go wrong for $30.
Click to expand...


Thanks! The look and price of that one struck me. I just purchased the small one, which will fit in the kitchen. If it works out I will purchase either 2 medium racks or one medium and an additional small rack.
 
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