Suggestions

[Autorotate]

Hello all, I was going to rip this shed down last summer that is unused in my side yard. I am glad that I didn't rip it down now that I decided on a wood stove.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I should store it in there? I was thinking maybe a few pallets on the ground? It has a concrete slab inside there and no doors.

Any suggestions would be

appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Jags]

Stack on the perimeter leaving an access path down the middle. Pallets would do you fine to stack on.

 

[Bspring]

That's what I was going to say. If you pack it tight the last in will be the first out so a path down the middle would be good.

 

[Autorotate]

Thank you much. That's exactly why I came on here asking. Makes perfect sense.

 

[Got Wood]

I wouldnt bother with the pallets since it has a concrete slab

 

[Autorotate]

I wouldnt bother with the pallets since it has a concrete slab

I didn't know if the moisture from the ground would affect the wood. I would assume that a certain amount would still come up through the concrete? Would you lay a tarp down first? Thanks!

 

[Wood Duck]

I would stack the bottom rows of wood on the concrete. Although a little bit of moisture will come through the concrete, I doubt it is enough to have an effect on the wood. There is no harm using pallets if you have them, I just don't think it is necessary.

 

[Jags]

That cement will sweat during parts of the year. Don't know if it will hurt the firewood or not.

 

[PDXpyro]

Don't know the size of your shed, but if (for instance) it were 8'x12', and if pallets took up 6" of that space on the bottom, that's 48 cubic feet of storage lost -- over a third of a cord.

I'd say that pallets are waaaay overkill for a concrete floor and wouldn't bother... as the shed got emptied, I'd just move individual pieces from that bottom layer on the floor into an airy spot for a week or two before burning them. That should be plenty of time for whatever small amount of elevated moisture they might hold to dissipate.

At the very most, if determined to get the wood off the floor I'd just stack on thin strips of 1"x2"s or similar to conserve stacking space.

 

[SKIN052]

Before my wood shed I packed wood in my detached garage one year that has a concrete floor. I simply laid down some 1 x 3 strapping to allow air circulation on the rows. Don't go directly on the floor but don't bother with pallets, too much unused space.

 

[Autorotate]

Great information. The 1x's definitely make the most sense. Thank you all again.

 

[Soundchasm]

Check the sides/walls of the building to make sure they'll handle any weight if you end up using the walls to stack against. I'm sure it's fine, but once you get going the tendency is to keep jamming more in there and going higher and wider, etc.

What's the diameter? How much can you get in there?

What stacking pattern might you use? My first thought is below (if you can understand it). Top view.

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[Hogwildz]

Cut another opening in back. Will also allow for air flow, cross flow

 

[Autorotate]

Check the sides/walls of the building to make sure they'll handle any weight if you end up using the walls to stack against. I'm sure it's fine, but once you get going the tendency is to keep jamming more in there and going higher and wider, etc.

What's the diameter? How much can you get in there?

What stacking pattern might you use? My first thought is below (if you can understand it). Top view.

llllllllllllll
--- ---
--- ---
--- ---

That's a great setup. I will see how that works out. I was thinking even putting the left and right wood N to W as well.

The shed is just about 9x9 with 7ft ceiling at its highest peak. The walls have steel supports so the thing is structurally sound.

 

[Frank625]

Pallets couldn't hurt it should improve air flow too.

 

[Soundchasm]

That's a great setup. I will see how that works out. I was thinking even putting the left and right wood N to W as well.

The shed is just about 9x9 with 7ft ceiling at its highest peak. The walls have steel supports so the thing is structurally sound.

My diagram should have looked like and upside down "U". That way the wood won't kick out and you'll have a path in the center. I'll try to edit that post. You can probably stuff three cords in there, and once you start packing it in there you'll hate leaving enough room for a postage stamp.

That diagram can't be corrected because the forum software throws out the extra blanks I used for spacing! Diabolical! A small consideration is leaving a path for access because I've found that the tops of a stack are always the driest, so I'd rather pull off the top of every stack than burn one stack and go to the next.

 

[Sprinter]

Cut another opening in back. Will also allow for air flow, cross flow

+1. Air flow is everything.

 

[PDXpyro]

I see that this thread has progressed, as many others have, into a blurring of the goals of "Drying the Wood Out" and "Keeping the Wood Dry."

This is a "shed," which in my terms is a place to keep the wood dry, not to dry it out. If it's properly seasoned to start with, airflow is a minor concern, and guarding against seepage and drippage is the main goal. Of course a LITTLE airflow is certainly good, since most firewood isn't both *perfectly* seasoned and completely surface-dry.

 

[Autorotate]

I did end up getting my seasoned wood. I loaded all into my temporary shed until I can rip that down and build an actual wood shed.

Since we did touch on the airflow (even though this is a temporary shed), I was going to start "Sawzall'ing" some openings. A door in the back for easier wood access and cross airflow, but what about the sides? Should I add some smaller openings on the sides? Thanks!

Original shed photo is at the top of the post.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

IDK, my opinion is if that stuff is headed for the stove this year, and that wood looks great and ready to go, I say why bother opening up to moisture.... Rain and snow will often travel sideways and if you get moisture in that room it will be harder to get it out being stacked so tight....
Now, if you are trying to dry this out and going to use it next year or later, then by all means poke some holes into it...

 

[Autorotate]

IDK, my opinion is if that stuff is headed for the stove this year, and that wood looks great and ready to go, I say why bother opening up to moisture.... Rain and snow will often travel sideways and if you get moisture in that room it will be harder to get it out being stacked so tight....
Now, if you are trying to dry this out and going to use it next year or later, then by all means poke some holes into it...

Thank you for the reply. This will be my first year with a wood stove (Waiting on delivery) and do not know how much wood I am going to go through. There is about 2 cords or so inside the shed. I guess I will have to feel it out and see what happens. The wood is already seasoned.