OH! So THAT's how it's supposed to run! Dry oak.

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.

JP11

Minister of Fire
May 15, 2011
1,452
Central Maine
I'm in the process of building a "toy barn" aka wood shed. I had to move ALL of my wood. Thank god for palletized wood. I moved over 20 cord in about 4 hours. Dad helped with spotting the dunnage for the ground. Stacked over 75 pallets along my driveway.

Anyway.. I had a couple of pallets that gave out. (pretty much just my construction errors from back when I started) So I put them down next to the house.. figuring I'd clean em up as I burned em up.

It's going on 3 year red oak. I started feeding a bit in tonight. I had some big chunks that resplit and tested in the low 20s. Some down at 20. I had some hemlock that was 17. I had some mixed ash and such that was all high teens.

WOW! off to the races! Half a firebox is running right up near rated output. I'm doing the dishes and the laundry. Wife's going to take a bath.. and I'll still probably top out the storage over 195.

Dry wood! There are several on here that preach it. I have seen the light!!!

JP
 
Let's see what your pallet system looks like, please. I have made a few, but always looking for a better way.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chris Hoskin
I agree! I stack my wood on pallets, but I cant move it that way. Would love to see how your setups work so I can plan ahead! (then its an excuse to look for another tractor....)
 
I do need to get out there and shoot a pic of the barn in progress anyway. WIll get some "pallet porn" for you guys.

At halftime of the pats game of course!!

JP
 
  • Like
Reactions: flyingcow
Here's the pics. Don't know why they are sideways.. fine on my mac.

anyway.. you get the idea. Moved over 75 pallets a quarter mile down the drive in 4 hours. Most of the time was just driving.


image[1].jpeg image[3].jpeg
 
z 041.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: hobbyheater
I do palletized wood also, but I have trouble every now and then with a pallet exploding.

What are you guys doing to secure your pallets? How are you nailing/screwing/etc?

I've been using 4 pallets, with a bunch of framing nails. I think I need X bracing like you guys have. Mine "parallelagram" when they fail.

ac
 

Attachments

  • Half Cord Front.jpg
    Half Cord Front.jpg
    195.9 KB · Views: 200
All the forces are OUT on the sides. thus my boards across the top. 2.5" sheetrock screws.

the bottom I'm only going thru the pallet top into the side rails of the bottom one. That's why I put the pallet "top" facing in. Then you have the ability to get in and screw from the outside thru into the bottom. the only real tough ones are those pallets with no side pieces (the one's with blocks) they give you less area to wind screws thru from side into the base.

JP
 
Someone start a wood pallet thread - I'll try to remember to take some pics of mine next time I'm working at the wood and contribute.
 
Too busy building wood shed. I'll try to remember next time I construct one to take a few pics. I've got a neighbor bringing over a few pallets. I'll try to get em.

Here's the "wood shed" progress. Last wall pour was today.

AVC.. how are they doing the flop if you've got em full of wood? I think the only difference would be the fact that you are using nails. I have busted a couple.. but ONLY when I was trying to put one on rough, uneven ground. I found that some junk 2x or even 1x goes a long way to making a stable surface to stack on. PLUS.. they wouldn't freeze in as much when I went to get them out of the snow.image.jpeg
 
They don't regularly just flop. I have over 3 dozen of them and I have only broken a few. They mostly flop when they are empty as the wood pretty much packs in and actually adds strength. I like your designs with the 3 pallets as I could turn my 3 dozen into 4 dozen by taking the roof off each.

ac
 
I am fortunate to have a whole lot of boards left from a beam building project. I'm using rough hemlock 1x8s and they are plenty rugged.

I've gotten 2 or 3 uses out of a few of them. Figure they will perpetually need "tune ups" but there's very little time or money invested in making one.

JP
 
That is going to be one sweet "wood shed"
What size is it? 36'x70'

Whats your plans with it?
Airplane hanger?

Are you going to have an attic floor with a set of stairs up to it?
How tall are the walls? and what is the roof pitch.

C'mon man, I need to know! I'm a framer and love this stuff.
here is one I just framed for a client.
it was 28'x50'

photo 1.JPG

photo 3.JPG

photo 2.JPG
 
  • Like
Reactions: hobbyheater
Your eyeball is very close.

36x72

Going with around 15 and change ceiling. No attic. Thinking 4/12 pitch.

front two doors are 12x14s. side wall 10x10. Back wall 12x14 probably.

For now.. Wood/Tractor/Implements/Truck/Summer Car storage. I made the change this week to get up to 14s on the doors. Seems dumb to build it 12 high. For resale value alone it's better to be able to fit ANYTHING that can go down the road in it. I got thinking in my later years I may want a motorhome.

Depending on budget. A two post lift. Not planning to insulate or heat it this year. I'm eventually going to use overhead radiant for just when I want to warm up stuff to work on, or melt snow off the club groomer or something.

Looking forward to getting my stash in there. I guess I'll plan on leaving a few rows outside, and a years worth of burn inside. I've got a nice pile of oak to buck. We were excavator logging yesterday. Knock em over. Hold it up with the thumb. Cut the root ball. limb and cut to 20' lengths and pile up. Went quick.

My body sure is sore from the concrete work. I'm ready to go back to flying to REST!

JP
 
Looking forward to getting my stash in there. I guess I'll plan on leaving a few rows outside, and a years worth of burn inside. I've got a nice pile of oak to buck
JP

So you're going to put freshly split wood in there? I'd be concerned that it will take to long to dry with No sun, no wind.
Especially since you just said that dry dry wood is the answer.
 
No no.. ( a "row" to me was about 25 to 30 pallet U) so near 10 cord.

I'm planning 2 years outside uncovered. I'd like to have two years worth inside. Depends on how the floor plan plays out. I'm thinking of using some pallet racking to have a row of wood on the floor, then my non current season implements on top. Tractor with forks can put stuff up the 5 feet pretty easy. 10' beam pallet racks good for several thousand pounds. I guess it's all just an idea in my head for how the building is going to work. We'll see once I start putting things in there and using them.

Looking forward to having my snowmobiles under cover, and not having to move stuff to get to stuff!

JP
 
Cool, cool, cool.
 
Sweet pallet racks fellas. I definitely would like to start going that route. But I would need a tractor with a 3 pt hitch on it, so now I want to get one of those too.... Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Coal Reaper
Get a loader... never touch a wheelbarrow again. :)

I use my forks, bucket and skid steer mount snowplow A TON. Certainly not a cheap toy.. but ultimately safer than buying a motorcycle or a sports car. Better depreciation than those too. I have to occasionally remind my wife that my tractor "hobby" keeps me close to home, instead of disappearing to play golf with the boys.

JP
 
If you can afford the right tractor, you'll never wear it out. A decent brand of CUT will out last your grand kids. I put off replacing my pickup for 4 yrs. And i usually only replace that about every 7 to 10 yrs.
 
Truck is an 01. It got a new frame, brake lines, fuel lines last winter courtesy of Toyota.

It, and all the cars live outside.

The new kubota is ALWAYS in the garage. It will depreciate much less than a car.

JP
 
  • Like
Reactions: flyingcow
Maybe it's just the old ones keep running so long. :)

LOL.. I know.. you do see a bunch of old faded orange ones. Especially the squarish metal hood ones. Course the deere I had before was awful faded too. BUT.. it was a 1966!

Mine has maybe spent two nights ever out of the garage. It will live in the new barn, so I'll have to start using the preheat plug. Anxious to get my garage back. lawnmower, golf cart, tractor and truck will all have their own doors to get out.

JP
 
  • Like
Reactions: flyingcow
Bought my first Kubota in 1980. When I sold it in 2008 in favor of a larger machine, I got just about what I paid for it, faded paint and all. The newer, larger tractor was a Mahindra (aka junk) lasted for 2 years. Back to a Kubota.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.