Wood supply storage question

[sloth9669]

I just got a new shed for all my stuff and had it put 7' away from the fence line giving me room to stack the wood. Underneath the 7' area and shed about 3 inches of dirt was taken out, landscape fabric put down, and back filled with gravel. Q: is it ok to stack wood right onto the gravel or would you pay the money and take the time to make some kind of wood rack. It's about 1.5-2 cords total. If you answer racks..... Suggestions on a design are welcome. Thanks in advance.
A,C,&J

 

[rmount]

I like to keep all my wood off the ground. You don't need any fancy racks, just old skids, sapling poles, scrap timber, anything that will let air circulate underneath the stack.

 

[branchbuzzer]

Might be ok on the gravel, but gravel can settle in pretty quick especially with lots of weight on it. Ya might still want to raise it up if it's a moist area.

 

[Fred Wright]

Yup, your wood should be stacked off the ground. Even if it's on a gravel bed, moisture will accumulate underneath. Aside from the benefit of better air flow, raising it off the ground deters rot and insect infestation from below.

Agreed with rmoun't mention of sapling poles. I've been stacking ours on sweet gum saplings. Cut 'em to the desired length, remove branches and drag 'em to the stack area. They're free and they work.

 

[Whitespider]

OK, a little different answer here…

It depends on what you mean by “gravel”.

Where I live “gravel” is crushed limestone, which contains a lot of limestone dust and sand. That dust and sand tends to fill in the gaps between the larger pieces, pack-in hard over time, and water will just sit on top of it.

We also have Pea Rock (often called Pea Gravel or Creek Gravel) which is small stone pebbles of Igneous Rock. Pea Rock is usually free of any dust or sand and remains loose, water will drain very well through it until the settling of airborne dust over time finally fills in the gaps. Often used in landscaping and walkways. If it's deep enough, anything placed on it will remain bone-dry.

And we have what’s called Road Rock (sometimes called 3-inch gravel), basically large size limestone that crushes down to the smaller limestone gravel (mentioned above) over time as you drive on it. Drains well when first put down but as it crushes up it packs-in just like the smaller stuff.

 

[stihly dan]

If your fence line has a solid fence, so both sides of wood have a wall it won't season in your state. Need more airflow. Just had that happen to me last year.

 

[greendohn]

I've always tried to keep mine off the ground with the top covered. Some guys say you don't have to cover the top. The one year i stacked on gravel it was to no avail as the wood trash pretty much buried the gravel and held moisture and critters. As mentioned before in this post, any old scrap lumber or sapling will work. I now use landscape timbers on the old-cracked cement floor of an old chicken coop, it works well for letting air get around under the wood stacks, they last forever and they are cheap.

 

[cheeves]

I just got a new shed for all my stuff and had it put 7' away from the fence line giving me room to stack the wood. Underneath the 7' area and shed about 3 inches of dirt was taken out, landscape fabric put down, and back filled with gravel. Q: is it ok to stack wood right onto the gravel or would you pay the money and take the time to make some kind of wood rack. It's about 1.5-2 cords total. If you answer racks..... Suggestions on a design are welcome. Thanks in advance.
A,C,&J

Go to HD. Out back are the pallets for the takin'. Grab some and stack your wood on them. Check out my Profile to find out how to do the ends.