Three Cord Wood Shed-Looking for ideas

[1project2many]

My sheds are about 3.5 cord each. They're roughly 8' X 8' inside. The floor is 5/8" PT decking with one inch between boards and sits 9" above the soil in front and 14" in the back. Sides consist of 8' by 2' plywood strips installed with 3" of overlap between strips. Where the strips overlap I used 1" blocks to create a gap. I put a shed roof on top using brown metal roofing with the roofing spaced 4" above the crosstie. The opening of the shed faces south and the siding is very dark. Rows are stacked with 2-3" between so ends are exposed. The rearmost row touches the rear wall.

As the sun warms the wood in the morning convection draws air up through the pieces. The sun on the roof heats the panels which causes air underneath to rise to the high side and exit. Airflow is noticeable on very sunny days. Around 12:00 to 5:00 airflow slows, but when the sun gets lower and the air cools, the warmer wood loses heat and moisture to the surrounding air which again begins to move through convection. In the evenings in summertime it's very easy to feel air coming out of the shed roof at the end of a warm day.

Generally one year storage is more than enough to dry anything stacked inside and two years storage in one of these sheds produces wood that really loves to burn. This year I was in a bit of a pinch as October rolled around and stacked thinly split Oak that was green in May. It's a little damp, but we're burning it now and getting plenty of heat out of it.

 

[kevin j]

Steve:
If you don’t want to invest much money because you might lose the lease, here is my idea.
I built a small open one side shed, but needed more storage ‘temporarily’ which has now been 10 years......Since I have a really small lot and bank account, I used a panel idea I had used before to cover wood stacked in the woods.
I set three 6x6 posts about 6 or 8 ft apart. I think they were 10 ft posts, and stick up about 7 feet. I made a center spine like a header beam across the posts, slanting some 1x8 for drainage off the spine and sticking out each side a couple inches from the spine. It ended up more complicated than needed, The pics show more boards than needed.
Eye bolts installed along the sides of spine.
I put down old concrete staves from a silo demolition, but patio blocks or pallets would work too.
Stack wood as needed. Then, I used panels of 1/2 inch green treat plywood, cut 32 x 48 inches. Reinforce underside with 1x4 and add eyebolts on top.
Each panel clips first to the spine, then panel to panel, with about 12 inches of light chain from eyebolt to eyebolt. The panels overlap a few inches like ‘scales’ and shed water really well. They flex all over to cover odd shaped piles.

To hold shape when wood is removed, ie. so panels don’t come down on your head, the next year I added some steel posts, made a welded bracket to hold some 2x4 to make another header across the steel posts. That holds the first row of panels on each side more close to horizontal, then the slopinug panels rest on top of stacked wood.

The panels get somewhat expensive, but you can take the whole thing with when you move and just leave the posts and spine behind.

I probably can get 2 full cords in the main part, not counting the loose pile next to it with panels over it.

I also made a small rack to store 2x4’s etc under cover and get the stock storage lumber out of the garage. They show in the top right of one of the pics

Pics below.

 

[svk]

Looks good Kevin.

When I say I might lose the lease I meant it's a 99 year lease which originated in the late 60's. By then my grandkids are going to be the ones that need to worry about hauling off the buildings.

 

[VW Splitter]

I stacked and tarped for over 30 years. Built my wood shed about 4 years ago. I should have done it 34 years ago. The shed is the way to go. I vote for wider and not so deep. Burn left to right one year, then right to left the next year.

 

[captjack]

I would design it in such a way that you have 2 or three bays. So when you burn one section you can start splitting and filling it while pulling from the next. I have found also that the cattle fencing from tractor supply works great for walls on a run in style shed. Its more than strong enough to hold the wood stacks with a few 2x' supporting it. It will also allow a lot of air to season wood quicker. I built 2 this way that are 24 L X 12 D X 8 H Just a simple metal roof style run in shed

 

[al-k]

Holds about 2.5 cords. 5 racks that I keep on the back as I use them. Easy to walk in and no bending over.Metal roof and plastic with stone on the ground.

 

[Erik B]

I would design it in such a way that you have 2 or three bays. So when you burn one section you can start splitting and filling it while pulling from the next. I have found also that the cattle fencing from tractor supply works great for walls on a run in style shed. Its more than strong enough to hold the wood stacks with a few 2x' supporting it. It will also allow a lot of air to season wood quicker. I built 2 this way that are 24 L X 12 D X 8 H Just a simple metal roof style run in shed

Got pictures?

 

[kevin j]

Ah, if you have another 50 years on the lease, then I’d build a real shed. Amoritized over 50 years, shed won’t last that long anyway, and its the gkids problem by then! But covered dry storage is definitely the best. I would then do a post and beam and sheet metal construction as the fastest and cheapest. I built a 12 x 16 post and beam metal roof only, no walls, for a picnic shelter at trials grounds a couple yearws ago for right at $1000 materials. It had soffets and trim and some other niceties. Wood shed would of course need girts and walls, so that adds cost.
Reinforce the inside as needed to hold wood weight, throw some concrete blocks or staves down, make several bays as noted above, have some space for storing splitter, or the stump and axe, etc. and enjoy.

 

[svk]

Just revisiting this as I’m mostly done with other projects around the cabin and would be nice to have dry storage for my wood. As I’m on the north side of a hill and it’s relatively shady, it takes forever and a day to dry wood that’s stacked and top covered.

I like the three bay idea because it’s easy to rotate and a lot tougher to have a pile collapse.

 

[Marine5068]

In my opinion, I would want a taller side wall to the bottom of the rafter as I'm getting old and fat and don't seem to duck so well anymore, but I'm 6'3". Also, I have found that if the wood that I stacked inside wasn't dry the inner most pieces tended to take longer to dry out as they don't get near the air movement to get dried. I guess I'm voting for the longer, narrower shed.

I tend to think like you Gusswhit.
If it's sized to me, everyone else will fit no problem...lol.
More air flow is always better for faster seasoning/ drying.
So if it's wider AND longer than the amount you want to store, then you don't have to pack it in as tight to get the 3(or whatever) cords in there.
Bigger is always better.

 

[Woodchuck71]

Wow,just realized how much easier it would be if I alternate sides every year

 

[Cowboy254]

Just revisiting this as I’m mostly done with other projects around the cabin and would be nice to have dry storage for my wood. As I’m on the north side of a hill and it’s relatively shady, it takes forever and a day to dry wood that’s stacked and top covered.

I like the three bay idea because it’s easy to rotate and a lot tougher to have a pile collapse.

I have a three bay shed. Two bays are for a year's worth of wood each, the third bay is a little narrower and was intended to be for uglies, kindling, tools etc.

Overkill for what you are after, it is made of steel on three sides on a concrete slab and 7.5ft high at the front. But there are a few things that became apparent over time. It gets hot in there in an Aussie summer and there's no probs with all 9 rows drying. However, if I don't burn all the wood in a bay (which I don't) then you either have wood that never gets burned or you need to pull that out and restack at the front of one of the other bays which is a PITA. So, access from the back would have been handy. Also, concrete is good in many respects but rounds in contact with it sometimes didn't dry fully (they weren't bad but there was a little sizzle in the heater).

So, I think the slatted floor that someone came up with is a good idea for air flow down low. Bays are good and shallow ones are a good idea if you're not planning to access from the back as well. TBH, more bays may be better than fewer and might reduce the restacking associated with failing to get close to using up a bay.

 

[svk]

I was looking at building rules again for this site (I’m on leased land) and it specifies I need to have 3” gaps between slats on the walls. As others have mentioned, might be a good idea to do the same on the floor.

Still toying with the idea of wide versus deep. If I did wide it makes access to the wood easier. If I did a square shed it makes access to the wood a bit more difficult but then If I wanted I could park a wheeler in there next to the wood.

 

[Marine5068]

I was looking at building rules again for this site (I’m on leased land) and it specifies I need to have 3” gaps between slats on the walls. As others have mentioned, might be a good idea to do the same on the floor.

Still toying with the idea of wide versus deep. If I did wide it makes access to the wood easier. If I did a square shed it makes access to the wood a bit more difficult but then If I wanted I could park a wheeler in there next to the wood.

You could do one bay deeper and put some kindling along the back wall and then roll your 4 wheeler in there and then make your other bays narrower for the wood.
Best of both ideas and customized to your needs.

 

[sirbuildalot]

You could make a rectangular shed that you drive through the center of and stack a row on each side. Say it was 12’x20’ and stacked 7’ high. If each side had one row of 16”-18” length wood, you’d have your 3 cords and could have a 9’ wide row down the middle to drive down with a quad, tractor, truck, trailer, etc

 

[alleyyooper]

Best wood shed I have had is a fully inclosed building with dark sides to draw the suns heat one side againest the house no need to go outside to get wood.. Put green wood in there in March and aApril and it was cracking and splitting by burn time in Novenber.

Second best was a 10x10x10 horse stall in the pole barn gets down right hot in there during the summer.

But I found I didn't care for the extra handling. haul it in and throw in th epen then once a week fill the trailer and haul to the basement.

Just call me lazy can't see all that handling of the wood, is bad enough to fill the trailer in the woods then unload it at the house.

I have my winter pile about finished I believe .

A couple years ago. Once finished drag a big blue tarp over it. Ive been cutting dead standing for over 20 years now.

At first when I had to stop useing the horse stall I did this.

Put some tin on top.

Decided screw that noise I could be fishing or shooting squirrels or takeing a nap. those nice pretty fall stacks just got tore down during the winter any way. Decided just pile and go hunting.
OR fishing.

Al

 

[Sandhill Crane]

I mentioned earlier I gave away many of these wood racks.
They are each 4' x 4' x 6' high inside, 3/4 cord each.
This is what one guy did with three of them. Another family has eight of them, and another took ten racks. I'm glad they are getting used.

 

[spike60]

Lotta cool storage ideas in this thread.

Here is a basic 10 x 10 I built. If I fill down the middle it holds a little shy of 5 cords. Went with a left/right orientation, so it's kind of a this year/next year set up. One side by itself isn't quite enough for a season, but I have 4 of those face cord racks and they allow me to only have to pull from one side in a season. Actually I haven't even finished a full side the last 2 years; only got about half way through the 3rd row. Second pic is from the back deck, so not very far from the house. About 40ft. Ran a wire underground and can turn that light on and off from in the house, which is a really nice touch to have. Built this in 1997, and in 2017 for it's 20th anniversary, I had to replace the roof. Ditched the wafer board for some plywood this time around.

 

[svk]

Lotta cool storage ideas in this thread.

Here is a basic 10 x 10 I built. If I fill down the middle it holds a little shy of 5 cords. Went with a left/right orientation, so it's kind of a this year/next year set up. One side by itself isn't quite enough for a season, but I have 4 of those face cord racks and they allow me to only have to pull from one side in a season. Actually I haven't even finished a full side the last 2 years; only got about half way through the 3rd row. Second pic is from the back deck, so not very far from the house. About 40ft. Ran a wire underground and can turn that light on and off from in the house, which is a really nice touch to have. Built this in 1997, and in 2017 for it's 20th anniversary, I had to replace the roof. Ditched the wafer board for some plywood this time around.

View attachment 758625

View attachment 758626

I really like this layout!!

 

[lefturnfreek]

I would air on the larger side of 3C cause having too much is good, not enough .... and if anyone questions it's size, doubt it, chalk it up to the wife measured and marked, I cut ....

Keep on .... Runnin' Loads !!