Drying rack

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

I am in the habit of standing some wood in front of the stove to dry it off a bit before it goes in, particularly if it got a bit damp from the rain. Anyone have a better system to use their stove heat to dry their wood out? I'm thinking I might make a metal rack on casters that I can just roll out of the way before I load.

 

[Rickb]

I have a small rack that holds 3 days worth of fuel........

 

[Mike Z]

I have a rack on each side of my stove. They're not big racks, but they each can be stacked to hold about a day's worth of wood. I don't really do that with drying in mind, just laziness...I'm a big fan of this kind of laziness. It does mean that anything that comes in the house with a little dampness gets a day in the house to dry and warm up. For anything that gets really soaked, you're best leaving it exposed to sun and air to dry off (I'm lucky in that regard, since my use faces south with an overhang in the front that's ideal for the next week's worth, keeping rain/snow off, but letting the sun and wind do their thing).

 

[ADK_XJ]

I have one of those big circle racks that holds 3-4 days of wood depending on the weather in the same room as the stove. Seems to take the remaining damp out of anything somehow still moist after sitting in my "Rick" rack out on the back screen porch.

Don't see it as actually drying moisture content out of the wood, just dotting the T's and such...

 

[Firefighter938]

I have two copper tubs on each side of our insert.

This is not the exact one I have but you get the idea. I keep wood in it to let it warm up or dry off.

 

[Applesister]

Log hoop

Its a cheap fake one but holds 4-5 days worth and its the proverbial 18" distance.
Picked it up at a garage sale for 6.00 and it is a gem in the rough.

 

[Jeffm1]

Log hoop
View attachment 171657
Its a cheap fake one but holds 4-5 days worth and its the proverbial 18" distance.
Picked it up at a garage sale for 6.00 and it is a gem in the rough.

$6, Schweet!

 

[Applesister]

Maybe if I win the 900 Million I'll buy a wrought iron one. Lol.

 

[Jeffm1]

Well, now it's up to 1.3 billion. ... I'll split it with ya!

 

[Hasufel]

Well, now it's up to 1.3 billion. ... I'll split it with ya!

With that much $$ you could afford to buy a solid gold firewood hoop for each member of this forum. Not that I'm hinting or anything...

 

[FaithfulWoodsman]

I just built a small rack out of scrap that holds 1/4 chord of wood. About a weeks worth when things are cold and the stove is 24/7. Sits next to the stove and seems to work much better than the tubs we were using. The longer it sits next to it the dryer it gets it seems. I like your caster idea.

 

[Kristen]

My insurance would not be happy with more than a couple of logs stacked near my boiler ... I have a log-room adjacent to the boiler room (fire resistant wall/door between) which Insurance is happy with ... it stores about 3 weeks [during really cold weather] logs, and means if we get deep snow or illness etc. that there is some wood nearby rather than having to get it in from the barn. If not ill / snow then I get logs in several times a week and re-fill log store to maintain it "full".

Doesn't help with drying though. Temperature is warm enough, but not hot, so if I put damp wood in there mould will grow on the walls!

I wonder if I could put the air-inlet for the boiler in there, so the fresh air came though the log store into the boiler room ... probably a fire risk having an opening from Boiler Room into Log Store though ...

 

[baseroom]

I've got a copper tub as well. Depending on weather and how much I stack on it holds a day or two.

 

[gerry100]

Drying and warming a few days supply of firewood really wont improve quality as fuel, but around here it cant hurt to evaporate some moisture into the air, especially this time of year

 

[BigFir]

I just stole a cardboard crate (28"x48")from work and put a couple holes in it for air flow. With a fan near the fire it improves quality of the wood drastically. You can see the cracking in the splits in the second pic after 2 days of being inside.(before and after). I am only allowed by the wife to have something this ugly because our stove is in the basement...... Got a hoop in the shop.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Drying and warming a few days supply of firewood really wont improve quality as fuel, but around here it cant hurt to evaporate some moisture into the air, especially this time of year

I was thinking that I was adding some humidity to the air, I like the 2 for 1 deals like this! Admittedly I am not trying to season green wood, just get the dampness off of wood that was already well seasoned, but dampened by rain. I have noticed some real significant additional splitting at the end grain if I really warm them up.

 

[kevin85]

I use this Gorilla cart to get my wood from the garage across the house to the stove.

 

[FaithfulWoodsman]

This is mine I just scratched up a couple weeks ago. Like u said, does a great job drying the dampness off and helps them light quick. Holds close to 1/4 chord if heaping. Wood is cut 22-24".

 

[firefighterjake]

I have a woodbox next to the stove . . . not really a drying rack . . . since my wood is pretty much seasoned well before it gets into the house . . . but it does allow any wood that may be wet from hauling it inside from the woodshed (I do this very occasionally) to dry off before it finds its final resting place.

 

[Chimney Smoke]

I stack my wood under the stairs in my basement and then bring up a few armloads at a time to keep in a steel tub next to the stove. Under the basement stairs holds about 2-3 weeks of wood for me.