Corded wood racks for longevity

[Joe Kidd]

I'm wanting to build a stout wood rack that will last for years. Maybe build it to accommodate at least three cords. How about three "T" post every 8ft inline for a 24ft length. That will allow me to stack three measured cords end to end. Wood cut@16" three deep for the 4' dimension. On the ground I'll use treated 4x4's laid on asphalt singles. That will keep the 4x4's off the ground and hopefully minimize the fire ant mounds. Input welcomed.

 

[Beefie]

Sounds like that idea should work. Just put up enough t-posts so the wood dosn't fallout as it dries and shrinks. Maybe consider putting some old steel roofing on top to keep the pile some what drier.

Beefie

 

[gr8scott72]

These are several years old already. Just treated 2x4s. 12' long, 6' tall. I did have to go back and put a support across the top as the angle pieces didn't hold it.

 

[teatersroad]

Not t-posts I say. I've handled hundreds of them for miles of fence around here. Some are stronger than others but none are really very strong. Bend to heck all, all the time.

 

[JAL]

I use pallet racks for stacking my wood and it should last a very log time. The racking is cheap and I got mine FREE.

http://www.arboristsite.com/showpost.php?p=1380988&postcount=30

 

[tex]

I used some galvanized chain link posts. They are working fine for me. I only used them cuz they were free, but they may be comparable in price to the "t" posts. Don't know. You may have to run a length of dog chain accross the top of your posts to prevent them from bulging out over time. As the wood settles, it will push pretty hard on the sides. You may also want to put in 5 posts per side instead of 3. Trust me. If you have a lot of bastard, knotty, split like crap, crooked grained, won't stack evenly stuff like I do, it will want to twist its way out from between three posts. :censored:

 

[computeruser]

Pressure treated 2x4s 8' long sitting up on 4x8x16" concrete blocks set up on edge so they're 8" tall works great and allows airflow from beneath, cuts down on bugs/vermin, and lets the neighbor cats play underneath, keeping the mice away. Criss-cross stack the ends and they will self-support without end pieces installed.

 

[daleeper]

Pressure treated 2x4s 8' long sitting up on 4x8x16" concrete blocks set up on edge so they're 8" tall works great and allows airflow from beneath, cuts down on bugs/vermin, and lets the neighbor cats play underneath, keeping the mice away. Criss-cross stack the ends and they will self-support without end pieces installed.

Wow, those look great, but I don't think they would stay upright around here, soil moves too much. What do you have under the concrete blocks? Besides that, I never have got the hang of stacking the ends that way.

 

[TreePointer]

Pressure treated 2x4s 8' long sitting up on 4x8x16" concrete blocks set up on edge so they're 8" tall works great and allows airflow from beneath, cuts down on bugs/vermin, and lets the neighbor cats play underneath, keeping the mice away. Criss-cross stack the ends and they will self-support without end pieces installed.

I agree--those do look very nice.

I also think I might try a few of those. Are they held together by deck screws? How many cross pieces did you insert between the 2x4's on an 8' rack?

 

[Adam_MA]

I use basic pallet racks. They may not be the best looking things in the world, but they are cheap, easy to stack in, and easy to build.

 

[HuskyMurph]

best way

I use basic pallet racks. They may not be the best looking things in the world, but they are cheap, easy to stack in, and easy to build.

i stack all my wood on pallets i get them for 1buck a piece. i look through the stacks to find the oak pallets. they are not quiet 4 by 4 think the pallets are 3.5 by 4. i dont use any uprights. you stack the wood nice it will never fall over. i cover with a billboard sign tarp. good luck
way more stable then stacking a bunch of single rows. just moved one oak pallet that was a year old still solid no rot

 

[Adam_MA]

i stack all my wood on pallets i get them for 1buck a piece. i look through the stacks to find the oak pallets. they are not quiet 4 by 4 think the pallets are 3.5 by 4. i dont use any uprights. you stack the wood nice it will never fall over. i cover with a billboard sign tarp. good luck
way more stable then stacking a bunch of single rows. just moved one oak pallet that was a year old still solid no rot

I refuse to pay for pallets, I just get the free ones that are left at dumpsters, but as you do, I pick and chose only the best ones. I stacked the way you do my first year. Though the stacks were nice and stable and didn't fall, it would take me almost twice as long to stack a cord as with these racks. With my most hated task of wood burning being stacking, I really appreciate them.

 

[HuskyMurph]

yeah i agree. im still getting all the kinks worked out. the best way i found is three guys. one plitting one getting wood for splitting and putting splits in wheelbarrow and one stacking. it actually doent take to long when you get rolling.

 

[Adam_MA]

Agreed, but I'm doing it all on my own. Anything to save time is a help!

 

[giXXer]

I use pallets mostly. They are free for the taking and very plentiful where I live. I also run into a lot of small poplar either on my property or free from people who want them gone. The pallets get put on leveled ground and I use a post hole digger to get a couple of feet into the ground for the poplar posts. I also typically use metal bailing wire to string the posts together at the top.

I still stack a lot of wood like this, but have been playing with pallet type boxes to store and dry wood in. That way they can be easily moved with the tractor.

One of the best systems that I have seen for my application was on a recent thread on AS and used two chain link fence posts bent to form a "U" shape. The two posts were "tied" together using a couple of short pieces of pipe (12"-14") and welded. There were also fork pockets on the bottom so the racks could be moved with a tractor. I'm still scouring the countryside looking for fence posts as I refuse to pay $8-$9 per post from Home Depot or Menards.

I tried T-posts, but they cost money and don't seem to be very heavy duty.

 

[Streblerm]

I just stack with laced ends every 8-12' as others have mentioned. I have been experimenting with perpendicular stacks every 8-12' as well. We'll see whether laced ends or perpendicular stacks are easier to "unstack". I don't really see any reason to use posts. My stacks seem plenty sturdy.

I stack on free pallets and my ground isn't terribly level. I don't worry about making the pallets level, I just make sure they are supported however they may lay. I try to make the wood stacks as level as possible and stack them so they "lean" on themselves. My stacks are 4 rows deep and about 50' long. I do have a little dip in the middle, oh well. I'm also experimenting with tarping vs not.

I live on the top of a hill and have excellent drainage. The trees they are stacked under allow sunlight to hit for about half of the day. The trees also significantly cut down on moisture from rain.

 

[StihlyinEly]

Besides that, I never have got the hang of stacking the ends that way.

I cross-stack my ends. Just make sure you use half rounds, not quartered rounds. Make sure they are as even and uniform as possible. Doesn't matter how gnarly the stuff is stacked between the cross-stacked ends as long as the ends themselves are solid. Make sure the cross-stacked wood is not knotty, and that the split faces are flat or slightly concave so they don't rock back and forth.

I go through about 10 cords a year of mostly black ash with some birch and other stuff mixed in, and it's a very simple matter to toss the uniform half-rounds (ash is best, but lots of good birch, too) into one pile and all the rest into another pile.

For sure, not all the stackable half-rounds are the same size, and you do occasionally get a leaner here or a rocker there, but it's simple to lay the next level using different-sized pieces to level out the lean. Takes a bit of finagling but is a great way to avoid having to jack around with support posts.