Pallets or...

[Dalmatian90]

So starting to clear off my concrete pad to stack firewood (pad is large -- think barn sized.)

My current pallet supply is iffy -- they're all well over six years old, and I won't have my truck up and running for probably a couple more months to pickup more, when you can find them (although I think I have a lead on a good supply).

Options / Questions for the Brain Trust:
1) It's a concrete pad. Just stack the wood and fuggadaboutit. The water drains off quick, I don't see ponding except during spring when snow may be blocking it from draining off immediately.

2) Pallets are still your best option. Even if you need a pickup to get new ones every few years.

3) Use pressure treated 2x4s with a couple lateral pieces 2' in from either end to keep them from spreading apart. Put that on top of four concrete blocks. I'm penciling out a cost of $15 per 8' long frame, or $45 per cord -- but I'm thinking PT wood kept out of ground contact should pretty much last my lifetime and I know some of you are spending more than that on woodsheds

4) Editing to add one I just thought up -- 8" x 16" are about $1.50 each. 8" wide x 96" long line of them would be $9 ($27/cord) and I'm thinking 8" in the middle of my wood would be sufficient to keep it stable? Most of my wood is cut to 16" but some goes up to 22" (my stove can burn long logs). Maybe double-wide on the blocks on the end so I can cross-stack the ends. Is this completely nuts?

(Would be awesome to have one of those metal carports over that pad as a woodshed..but that's not in the cards for a few years.)

 

[Marshy]

Idk, if I had pallets I would use them even if they were about to fall apart. Anything to get a little air space between the pad and the wood. Save the best pallets for the ends and put the worst ones in the center.

 

[sawjunky23]

+1 You need to keep it off the ground to get the air flowing. The other issue with concrete is it sweats when the weather changes and you will have moisture issues. I think concrete would actually be one of the worst surfaces to stack directly on the surface. If it were me which it's not, I would save the pad for processing and stack somewhere else. I have crushed rock under my stacks and it seems to work pretty good.

 

[jrider]

Right on the concrete...it's just firewood we are talking about.

 

[cigmaker]

I'm sure you've seen them but the racks built like the one in my avatar are 30 bucks 16"*16'. Five 8 inch blocks 4 landscape timbers and 2 ten foot 2by4s.

 

[Babaganoosh]

I'm sure you've seen them but the racks built like the one in my avatar are 30 bucks 16"*16'. Five 8 inch blocks 4 landscape timbers and 2 ten foot 2by4s.

This is what I use. You can bring the cost way down if you wait until they go on sale for around 1.50 at home depot or lowes

 

[zogger]

So starting to clear off my concrete pad to stack firewood (pad is large -- think barn sized.)

My current pallet supply is iffy -- they're all well over six years old, and I won't have my truck up and running for probably a couple more months to pickup more, when you can find them (although I think I have a lead on a good supply).

Options / Questions for the Brain Trust:
1) It's a concrete pad. Just stack the wood and fuggadaboutit. The water drains off quick, I don't see ponding except during spring when snow may be blocking it from draining off immediately.

2) Pallets are still your best option. Even if you need a pickup to get new ones every few years.

3) Use pressure treated 2x4s with a couple lateral pieces 2' in from either end to keep them from spreading apart. Put that on top of four concrete blocks. I'm penciling out a cost of $15 per 8' long frame, or $45 per cord -- but I'm thinking PT wood kept out of ground contact should pretty much last my lifetime and I know some of you are spending more than that on woodsheds

4) Editing to add one I just thought up -- 8" x 16" are about $1.50 each. 8" wide x 96" long line of them would be $9 ($27/cord) and I'm thinking 8" in the middle of my wood would be sufficient to keep it stable? Most of my wood is cut to 16" but some goes up to 22" (my stove can burn long logs). Maybe double-wide on the blocks on the end so I can cross-stack the ends. Is this completely nuts?

(Would be awesome to have one of those metal carports over that pad as a woodshed..but that's not in the cards for a few years.)

Used RxR ties are useful as well. The whole idea of raising the wood is to get air under it and through it better. I do ties with pallets over that, about eliminated any termite action and the wood dries much better, and the cats can get under there and deal with rodents.

Either way, starting with a good draining concrete pad is an excellent start! Pallets directly on the ground don't last, tried it, and I would rather have them last as long as possible, so I can get years ahead.

If you got the loot and want to go permanent with pressure treated and blocks as well, heck ya, go for it! Like you said, a lifetime project, do it once right and be done with it.

 

[Fred Wright]

Agree with the mention of used RR ties. Dirt cheap and they last longer than pallets.

Is always a good idea to keep stacks off the ground or pad as this method allows more air flow throughout. Rain may not pool on the concrete but if you stack directly on the pad, the bottom of your stacks will get soaked just the same. That moisture will remain there awhile since there's no air movement under the splits.

 

[Del_]

Old cement blocks if you're got a source. Excellent air movement and they last forever.




Blocks also can hold vertical end boards. Pictured are 1/4 cords stacks that are sold as smoking wood.

 

[sawjunky23]

I do like the cinder block idea that looks like it would work ok but does it seem to get enough air flow?

 

[sawjunky23]

Right on the concrete...it's just firewood we are talking about.

I see your point, but some guys have some really long wood stacks, think how much wood is going to waste due to moisture if you figure a long stack that the bottom row or rows are wasted... that could really add up, not to mention if you are talking about stacking for several years down the road and your bottom row gets punky you start having issues with your stacks falling over.

 

[Del_]

I do like the cinder block idea that looks like it would work ok but does it seem to get enough air flow?

I've been doing it that way for 35 years now. In the woodshed I allow two years for seasoning.

 

[muddstopper]

I have been using one of those metal carports for a few years now. I am changing the way I stack under it this year. I usually just lay out a few rows of landscape timbers and stack on that. this year I am laying pallets on top of the landscape timbers to get the wood a little further off the ground. Not sure the size of my carport, but 4 cords s/s will fill it about half full and last me one winter. I cant ever seem to get far enough ahead to fill it all the way. Getting the wood to fill it isnt the problem, finding the time to process it is.

 

[zogger]

I see your point, but some guys have some really long wood stacks, think how much wood is going to waste due to moisture if you figure a long stack that the bottom row or rows are wasted... that could really add up, not to mention if you are talking about stacking for several years down the road and your bottom row gets punky you start having issues with your stacks falling over.

Not only that but wet wood means termites and ants and fungus. Even up on concrete.

 

[Dalmatian90]

Del_ ...I'm really liking your concrete block system!

I thought of stacking like that as option #5 after I posted this yesterday...supporting either end of the logs on blocks, and sharing middle rows of blocks between rows of wood.

I have to check -- a local plant used to sell their seconds cheap. Then it's a matter whether the limited number I can buy at once with my car and that they're probably only open when I'm at work has to be balanced with the convenience of Lowes.

 

[NSMaple1]

Could just go cut some hardwood poles & stack on those.

Won't get much cheaper...

 

[Wood Doctor]

The only major squawk I have about pallets is that many of them are built with the slats too far apart. These are just the right spacing to get my foot caught between them. And, many of the slats are cut so thin that they break under my weight or when I drop a heavy round on them--it doesn't take much.

On the other hand, the price is right. Some stores gladly give them away.

 

[Jimbo209]

I have mine on corrugated sheets sitting on 3 house bricks and 600mm concrete slab

 

[Oldman47]

Is that 3 house bricks tall?

 

[mallardman]

Have about 70 pallets at work my boss wants to get rid of and I don't have the room to take them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk