spring project- wood shed

[micaaronfl]

i was thinking of doing a decent wood shed, but i have a couple of questions.
due to the size of the backyard i wanted to do two piles deep, taking this into account, can anyone give me an estimate on long and tall the shed should be to hold a cord?

Also as i have never created a structure before or used cement how far down do the posts have to go?

anyone have any wood shed blueprints? googled but found nothing.

i am looking to be a simple shed with a roof so nothing intricate.

Thanks

 

[grateful]

Well it looks like everyone went to bed early in your area.
A cord is 4'X4'X8' and the depth will be the length of your wood Xs 2. Around here wood is usually cut to 18". Two stacks of 18" wood equals 3'. The rest of the equation is up to you - how high do you want to stack your wood? Once you know that then you can determine the length of your shed. A cord is 128 cubic feet. My shed is about 20' long X 8' wide and 8' high and it holds about 7 cords. Some of the wood is stacked with each layer of wood in the opposite direction so it will age faster and the rest is stacked in piles with all of the wood in the same direction up to 7' high. Call the local lumber yard and they will tell you how deep your posts need to be, probably 2'.
Perhaps there are plans for a canoe shed which is similar to what you want.
Good luck
Grateful

 

[soupy1957]

Holy Crap Batman.........7 cords? I only want a shed (we're getting one put in this summer, also), I only need to hold 3 cords max. I'm thinking I'd be stacking deeper and wider, rather than taller. Still working out the need here also (dimensionally).

Lowe's has a few sheds out in the yard (not interested in the metal ones), and so does Home Dippit.........we'll see.........

-Soupy1957

 

[xbunzx]

Just remember when its full your done. I'd go big. just saying

 

[mywaynow]

What I would be planning is a shed that could hold seasons of burning. Here's why; Good wood is best after at least 2 seaons (oak, elm etc), which means that you need 2 curing as you use the current load. You will be stacking rows that go to and away from your access point. This way you can replenish the consumed row in the off season and not have to worry about ease of access to the next row. I would even plan 4 years to that you can have an empty row to make access even easier. Confused? I may be??

 

[Martin Strand III]

Here's what you need, Bub.

Just scaler down to what works for you.

http://www.woodheat.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=44&Itemid=53

Enjoy,
Marty

 

[roxys dad]

I guess i'm from a different piont of view. My woodshed holds about 1-1/4 cords and is close to the house, Keeping wood in a shed that protects the wood from blowing snow and rain cuts down on the air circulation needed to dry it properly. I store all the rest of the wood further away from the house on pallets covered on top with rubber roofing material until seasoned then move it into the shed filling one side and using wood from the other side until empty that way i'm not burying most usable stuff.

 

[Martin Strand III]

I guess i'm from a different piont of view. My woodshed holds about 1-1/4 cords and is close to the house, Keeping wood in a shed that protects the wood from blowing snow and rain cuts down on the air circulation needed to dry it properly. I store all the rest of the wood further away from the house on pallets covered on top with rubber roofing material until seasoned then move it into the shed filling one side and using wood from the other side until empty that way i'm not burying most usable stuff.

I'm not in favor of seasoning wood by stacking it in a shed. The shed is for seasoned wood ready to burn.

Ideally, to season wood, splits should be stacked on a ridge in the sun where there is good air flow. Covering it is controversial.

Aye,
Marty

 

[muncybob]

I agree with Marty. I plan to continue to season my wood out in the open. Once ready to burn it will be transferred to my yet to be built shed(this spring I hope!). I'm planning to build one that will hold a year's worth of wood with a bit of a buffer, so for me that will be 4.5 to 5 cords. I also plan to use one end of the shed to store some tools, etc. There are conflicting view points on putting the posts into the ground or not. If I do bury my posts I will dig below the frost line(around here that will be min 3') and either put the posts directly into the ground or build concrete footers to rest the posts onto. Do a search and you will come up with some good ideas on shed construction...some real beauties have been posted here.

 

[firefighterjake]

Random thoughts . . .

As mentioned a cord is 128 square feet (or another way of thinking is wood stacked 4 feet high by 4 feet wide by 8 feet long) . . . to build a shed that would hold a single cord of wood you would want something that would fit those dimensions . . . just remember that depending on the construction type (i.e. using a traditional wood stud wall like I did for example vs. large corner posts) you may want to build the shed a dite larger since you will lose some of that space due to the construction (i.e. due to walls I lose 8 inches or so on the sides and 4 inches on the back wall.)

I'm also a believer of going larger if you can afford to do so and if you have the space . . . I find it is always a good feeling to look into a shed and have wood left over by the end of the burning season vs. being left with nothing or having to dig out wood from under the snow. Any wood left over from one year can always be used in the next year . . . plus a larger woodshed means you may use it for other purposes (i.e. I added a snowmobile lean to shed on to my woodshed for my brother in law to store his sleds.)

If you truly only want to build a shed for one cord of wood and are looking at two rows of wood you have to decide how tall you want to stack the wood, how long you want your shed and how deep your wood will be . . . I generally figure my wood to be about 2 feet long -- namely since I use 20-22 inch wood and like most guys tend to round up when talking about wood -- I suspect a shed 4 feet wide by 6 feet tall and 6 feet long would work for you . . . but again . . . if you're building and using standard 8 foot lumber you might as well go 4 feet wide, 8 feet tall and 8 feet long . . . it will give you more headroom, more storage for wood and fewer cuts.

Building a woodshed is a relatively easy project . . . it's a simple box or rectangle with a half sloped roof on top . . . of course there is a little more to it than that . . . such as making sure your corners are good and the whole thing is tied together . . . but honestly, it's a relatively simple construction project . . . and the true beauty is that since it is "only" a woodshed it can be as fancy or as simple as you want . . . if you do a search you'll find woodsheds cobbled together out of pallets or scrap wood and other fancier ones that are stained or painted with fancier roof lines and even electricity . . . the truth of the matter is that simple or fancy . . . they all do the same job -- keep the wood high and dry and allow you to avoid using tarps or other covers.

Foundation . . . as Muncybob mentioned some folks dig holes and use "sauna" tubes to create footings below the frost lines . . . others just use blocking above the ground . . . some of this depends on your terrain and soil which may limit how much the frost will move the shed . . . and sometimes it just is a matter of folks not caring if the shed is not perfectly level ten or twenty years down the road.

Being able to go to Lowes or Home Depot and get a shed has a certain appeal . . . but I'm not sure if the floors would be up to the weight of the wood . . . wood is heavy . . . which is why many folks go with concrete, gravel or rock pads . . . or use pallets for the floor . . . you can use wood . . . but in my opinion it should be plenty beefy to carry the weight of the wood.

Best advice . . . do a search on this site for woodsheds . . . and if you see a shed that you like and it seems like the right size or you can scale it down . . . ask the builder if they could give you more details on how they built it since there truly are a lot of ways to build a woodshed.

 

[Martin Strand III]

Random thoughts . . .

As mentioned a cord is 128 square feet (or another way of thinking is wood stacked 4 feet high by 4 feet wide by 8 feet long) . . .SNIP.

I'm sure you mean a cord is 128 cubic feet. Three dimensions is cubic; 2 dimensions is square.

The Devil is in the details...

Aye,
Marty

 

[kettensäge]

Set the posts in concrete. The firewood will push them off of footers when you stack against it. Concrete will keep them from rotting.

I also season and store 7 cords in my shed, 6'X8'x22', off the ground, tin siding for a roof, fully open sides. It all dries over the summer, shaded lot.
Would not want to move it twice.

 

[firefighterjake]

Random thoughts . . .

As mentioned a cord is 128 square feet (or another way of thinking is wood stacked 4 feet high by 4 feet wide by 8 feet long) . . .SNIP.

I'm sure you mean a cord is 128 cubic feet. Three dimensions is cubic; 2 dimensions is square.

The Devil is in the details...

Aye,
Marty

D'oh . . . math was never my strong point . . . I keep forgetting . . . thanks for keeping me on the straight and narrow and good path Marty.

Oh yeah . . . that reminds me . . . I also agree with Marty about not seasoning my wood in a shed . . . I season my wood outside for a year prior to putting it in the woodshed . . . and then it gets an extra year of "seasoning" as I do not use that wood that year but take from the wood that was left over from the previous year . . . personally I think the wood seasons a bit . . . but since it is stacked tightly and doesn't get as much wind or sun I'm guessing it doesn't continue to season quite so quickly.

 

[gpcollen1]

No way around it, you are going to have to do some math. Or take the easy way out...

http://www.maine.gov/ag/firewood.html

My 'wood shed' is currently one of those a-frame canopies that was 10x20 when I started until a big wind flipped it and bend some poles. Now it is 10x12. It sits on top of a pallet base and has a tarp that I string up for 3 side walls int he winter. I stack about 6-8 feet high so I get about 6 or more cords in there. I am hoping to hit the ground running this spring and get the area excavated for a new wood shed. I plan on going 8x16 long and 6 ft high = 6 cords on the button. That is about what I use in a bad winter right now. I plan on using less once I finish fixing the house...

Search through this forum and you will find plenty of pictures and builds of woodshed from users of this site...

 

[kettensäge]

I'm not sure I would go much higher on the inside than 6 or 6 1/2' (measured from the top of the floor). You want to be able to walk around with out bumping your head but still be able to comfortably stack and unstack without a stepstool. Add capacity by going longer/wider.

If you buy 8' posts and have 6' interior height, and a 4" thick floor you will be setting the posts 20" into the concrete, more or less, depending on roof framing. Should be more than enough. I don't think frost is a big factor with a wood shed, There are no windows or doors that will bind or drywall to crack. You just want enough of an anchor for the posts not to get dislodged.

 

[roxys dad]

another consideration for woodsheds is lighting, accidently put mine by an outdoor floodlight on a motion detector shines right into the shed, short winter days mean plenty of times your getting wood in the dark.

roxys dad

 

[Martin Strand III]

No way around it, you are going to have to do some math. Or take the easy way out...

http://www.maine.gov/ag/firewood.html SNIP...

"Doing math" to figure wood cordage is no biggie. No fancy electronic gadgets or searching web sites are required.

You already know 128 cu ft is a full cord of stacked firewood (4' x 4' x 8'). Ignore air spaces you're worried about.

1. Measure your stacked wood: 8'3"L x 5'8"D x 4'6"H

2. Multiply those figures IN FEET: 8.25'L x 5.67'D x 4.5'H = 210.5 cu ft

3. Divide by 128 (the cu ft in 1 cord): 210.5/128 = 1.6 cords of wood

Surely big boys like you can do this.

Aye,
Marty
Grandma used to say, "Don't work harder. Work smarter."

 

[kettensäge]

If W X H is 6'x6' each foot of Length will hold about .28 cords (6x6/128) Use your calculators' constant function to find capacity by multplying .28 (or whatever you decide as W and H,) by the L dim.

.28 x 5' long =1.4
.28 x 7' long= 1.9
.28 x 9' long= 2.5 cords.

A 4x6 WxH profile will yield .19 cords per foot of length.

Decide your H first, then W, calculate L for desired capacity.

 

[Martin Strand III]

Sometimes working with numbers can be weird. Like that last post.

Ponder on this one a bit:

If tonight is supposed to be twice as cold as last night, which was 0* F,
what will the thermometer read tonight?


Aye,
Marty
Grandma used to say, "Just thinking does not make it so."

 

[kettensäge]

Weird how?

 

[mecreature]

I like the looks of this. It will match its surroundings.
I am figuring 12ft long by 3 ft deep give or take a foot or 2...

the rest is on skids or stacked on boards and covered on the top.

I get out and about all winter so restocking the shed will be no biggie

 

[shawneyboy]

I like the looks of this. It will match its surroundings.
I am figuring 12ft long by 3 ft deep give or take a foot or 2...

the rest is on skids or stacked on boards and covered on the top.

I get out and about all winter so restocking the shed will be no biggie

No Biggie untill there is a foot of snow on the ground, or like what we had this year a foot of snow with a half inch ice on top.....

Shawn

PS here is my wood shed....

 

[micaaronfl]

thanks guys i was looking to do a 7 foot tall and 15 foot wide shed. someone said on the thread i should go 2 feet deep? so i guess 9 foot posts. also to concrete the thing in,after i dig the holes do i pour cement in and then push the posts into the center hole? sorry first time working with concrete too. also any certain type of concrete?

 

[roxys dad]

Going to try and post pictures of my shed built 2 years ago went 4 foot wide two rows of 16" splits, I pull the tarps over when bad weather in the forcast, used fence for sides and back gives the wood a little more air and knocks the snow and rain down, cemented posts and poured cement floor on a pitch to run any water out. I'm sure alot of carpenters will laugh at my efforts but it works for me.

 

[shawneyboy]

Buy Sono (sp) tubes at Lowes/HD... Dig hole, set tube, insert post, secure post after plumbing it, pour concrete.

Be SURE to use something like a metal rod to be sure no air pockets exist in concrete. Stick it in and out, all around the post.

Shawn