BEST FIREWOOD RACKS ???

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jstallone

New Member
Sep 11, 2006
15
New to whole stove thing and now need to get some sort of firewood storage.

Any opinions as to whats best... I see you can spend very little for make your own by just purchasing brackets and using 2x4s or go hog wild with those nice looking racks from Woodhaven which are quite expensive (230 bucks for a 12' rack holding only 3/4 of a cord). That gets expensive since I would probably need 2 of them. I do like the way the covers come only part way down to allow air circulation below while keeping the upper rows dry. I also wonder how risky it is to place one of those circular racks on my front porch so I don't have to go to the wood pile as often with respect to termites and carpenter ants. Is it true that it is safe in the cool months because the insects are dormant? What if some of them get loose into the house during the wood transfer. Might they wake up and start trouble later on if there are enough of them?

Thanks...
 
jimny said:
New to whole stove thing and now need to get some sort of firewood storage.

Any opinions as to whats best... I see you can spend very little for make your own by just purchasing brackets and using 2x4 or go hog wild with those nice looking racks from Woodhaven which are quite expensive (230 bucks for a 12' rack holding only 3/4 of a cord). That gets expensive since I would probably need 2 of them. ..

They all work great , If you want the style of the fancy one becasue its going to be out front then the nicer one might come into play. For normal wood storage then the 2x4 rack style is fine. I own th cheaper style and they work great and mine sit on my side porch. If there going to be tarped or covered then the fancy one kinda lost is value .

I do like the way the covers come only part way down to allow air circulation below while keeping the upper rows dry.

To help keep snow or rain off the pile is a good idea , if under a porch then not that big of deal. As for letting the wood air dry the wood should already be dry in the first place so the covers are just to keep off the extra before coming in the house.

I also wonder how risky it is to place one of those circular racks on my front porch so I don't have to go to the wood pile as often with respect to termites and carpenter ants. Is it true that it is safe in the cool months because the insects are dormant? What if some of them get loose into the house during the wood transfer. Might they wake up and start trouble later on if there are enough of them?

You can spray your wood pile a few times a year with SEVEN pest control and helps keep the bugs away and the SEVEN is also used in the garden so its safe when used a little ahead of time. ( at least 1 week before burning ) Normally the pet problem is down to nothing one the first freeze happens , you can bring a day or two worth of wood in at a time into your home in say .........A Rubbermaid container ( like use ) and this helps to keep the dirt , bark and such off the floor and to keep the house clean. ------------------> picture post of the SEVEN below.
 

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I was thinking of answering the more interesting question about hot racks. Something about Jessica Simpson or .....

Nevermind...

I have one of the wood hoop racks that a previous owner of the house left here. It's in the garage and manages to hold a wopping 3 days of wood. Kinda sucks to have to go get wood every 3 days, so I manage to extend that a day or so by also loading up the wheelborrow. I've seriously been thinking of putting a pallet in the garage and moving a half cord at a time. This wouldn't allow me to mix the species of wood very well, but at least I wouldn't be getting wood all the time.

On the otherhand, the hoop isn't all that unattractive but I really don't find any pile of firewood the best house adornment.
 
My wood piles are ecosystems all to themselves.

I don't poison them with chemicals, because I like the little cool blue lizards that live in them.

I don't move the wood to one of those firewood loops by the back door until we had several hard frosts. I keep the piles
of wood at least 50 feet from the house during the off-season.
 
I almost bought the brakets for the 2x4's but saved a few bucks and drilled holes and used nuts and bolts backed it up with a few screws (probably overkill). I made another just with several deck screws as well (no bolts). My rack (is unlike J. Simpsons) it is 12 feet long and about 5 feet high and the racks are holding nicely.
 
Hi Jimmy-

I have some of those fancy racks that came with my house when I bought it. I also needed much more wood space, so I have used cinder blocks and pressure treated 2x4's. The cinder blocks and pressure treated 2x4's work just as well as those fancy racks, give a lot more storage space, and cost almost nothing. Next spring if I am motivated I may paint the cinder blocks so they blend in better with the landscaping.
 
I'm a cheap bugger, I just turn the splits around on every couple of rows to "tie" the stack together and don't use racks. I usually stack around 7-6 ft up just to maximize storage, haven't had (much) trouble with the stack falling.

Bri
 
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