Tom here today guest posting on my wife’s blog.
I’m constantly seeking out free burnable wood. I even look on Facebook marketplace and Craigslist for chunked wood that I can pick up in a trailer and take home to split.
Why? Because we live in Buffalo, NY where it’s cold most of the year. Heat is expensive. During the day we heat our home almost exclusively from our wood burner.
But you don’t just want to split wood and burn it. Too fresh, too green.
It’s best to let the wood sit for at least a year to season if not two years before you burn it.
This makes the wood dryer which allows it to burn hotter which ultimately prevents creosote which is toxic and can cause a fire in the chimney or on the roof. Bad!
Therefore it was time to build more racks to allow the wood to season properly. For our family’s safety if nothing else!
Question. Why not just buy a rack? The main reason is that this rack can be built exactly to the size you need plus it will last you longer than those cheap metal racks that rust.
And I wanted two racks right now and over time will likely make a third. Three racks are pricey!
So here’s how I built an easy DIY log rack. If you burn wood or know anyone who does, this is the post to read.
This easy to build DIY log rack will help you season and store firewood year-round!
Supplies needed to build an easy DIY log rack to season wood
- Mitre saw or circular saw or jigsaw (or any saw that you can cut a 2 x 4 with
- Treated 2 x 4’s. Height (4) recommended 8′ or less, length (3) recommend 10′ or less, and depth (4) recommended 14″ or less.
- Drill or screw driver
- Exterior wood screws (only a handful needed per stack a few more if the provided screws with bracket kit aren’t quality)
- Log storage wood bracket kit (should be four in a pack) I bought one at Home Depot for $15.
Prepare the area to build easy DIY log rack to season wood
You will want to elevate your wood rack unless it is being placed directly on stone or cement.
Unfortunately critters like mice and rats are attracted to wood piles that are in direct contact with the ground.
I used cement blocks. You can see based on the pictures below that you need to have your base level in both directions.
If you are propping your wood stacker up against your house or other structure like a shed, make sure you come out from the wall about 5-6 inches.
This gives you ample room for your logs on both sides of the stacker.
Depth of log rack to season & store firewood
Cut your 2 x 4’s to desired depth. Most recommend 14″ or less.
Your top two can be shorter than your bottom or you can make them all the same like I did.
Slip two log brackets onto the opposite ends of the pre cut 2 x 4’s. Thread screws through pre-drilled log brackets and secure to 2 x 4.
Repeat steps for the other side
Slip two pre-cut 2 x 4’s into the log brackets as shown.
Thread one screw through each pre-drilled hole in log brackets and secure to the 2 x 4.
I used the full length of a 2 x 4 x 8. Be advised that most people would find this too high and you’d likely go shorter when building yours. Unless you don’t mind using a ladder. Being tall, this doesn’t bother me. Just a warning the taller your stack is the less secure it can become.
Repeat for the other side
Add your length 2 x 4’s
Add depth support
The manufacturer of the bracket kit recommends staying under 4 feet in height. I like going bigger so I can store more wood.
If you decide to go bigger you need to add support 2 x 4’s for depth and length.
Add length support
Use your outdoor wood screws to secure 2 x 4’s.
You can use the same dimensions as the base.
At this point it’s much easier to tip wood stacker on it’s side to complete this step.
Where to place your DIY log rack
Do your best to keep the rack protected from the elements like snow, ice and rain.
Try not to overload the racks and stack and distribute the wood evenly.
If you notice you’re 2 x 4’s wear out over time replace them.
If you notice it leaning forward, readjust your stacker before it falls. The taller the stack the more picky you need to be choosing wood that is even and doesn’t have any knots..
And obviously, this stacker propped up against a wall is probably best. Then you can lean the logs slightly back towards the structure.
You could place this stacker in between two trees, too.
Or any spot where you have the space, but you don’t want to build it too high as there’s no structure to give it support.
Do as I say not as I do…
The weight here was not evenly distributed and it’s best to use wood that doesn’t have knots.
Make a separate smaller stack for uneven wood.
Some people put a lose tarp on top of the wood to protect the wood from rain, sleet and snow.
The tarp will also help season the wood keeping it dryer.
Why cut wood in summer?
So why are we so wood focused now when we have months again before hardcore wood burning? For one, we make lots of outdoor fires in our fire pit making s’mores.
Also, if you wait to long, wood becomes high demand and you’ll struggle to find free wood even on Facebook Marketplace.
But in late summer…..lots of people are taking down trees, chunking them and loading them curbside. Yours for the taking.
Plus, once you split the wood, it can start the seasoning process. The sooner, the better!
Happy building!
Looks doable as a DIY project
We no longer use firewood, due to my allergies. However, our neighbors are quick to claim the trunks and larger limb cuttings from oak trees we’ve thinned out over the years. It’s a win-win situation. We grind the leaves and smaller pieces to use as garden mulch. Your log rack for firewood storage is a strong & practical build that I admire. In the past, when we still lived in Missouri, we seasoned our firewood for a year or more before burning. Happy 1st Day of Fall!
this is a great idea
What an awesome project this is. So many uses for this at home and camping. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for sharing this awesome post.My uncle in Northern Michigan may appreciate this post.
Love this idea! My neighbor is always wanting the volunteer trees we are always cutting down!
I believe you have to season wood for at least a year.. It helps dry the wood so you don’t have all the spits and sputters from moisture that’s inside of it.
I love your blog
Smart idea and good instructions
I love outdoor projects especially gardening! I hope I win the succulent sweepstakes! Wish me luck!
I like this project. I don’t have a fireplace in my home, but I have friends and family with wood piles in their yards and this would be great for them.
Wow, how cool is that! Congrats! Thanks for posting!
That is such a great way to stack wood! we just had it all up against the house each year and not very attractive too.
awesome project
Good instructions! Pictures always help. No fireplace 🙁
So smart
Fantastic prizes on this website!
I live in Florida now so I don’t have to worry about fire wood anymore.
Great idea!!!
Marvelous idea! Wish I had a real fireplace!
That’s definitely a handy way to make a rack, quick, fast and in hurry.
Looks great. But we had our fireplace removed so we don’t need wood anymore.
I like this one better than the one we made
Great design! Need to keep it off the ground.
looks awesome.
Great job on a practical project!
Great Design!
This would be so great and helpful this winter. Thanks much.
Such a wonderful FYI project!!
This really looks great!
If I used wood, I would definitely make that!! a great idea!
I love this DIY. Thank you for sharing.
Neat idea
Good tips in this article.
This looks rather easy to construct, which is good.
Great idea!
When I had a fireplace i never used it
Neat idea!
Awesome! I wish I had a fireplace.
This is a great idea. It is practical but also a focal garden feature in itself.
This is a great idea!!
My father has so much firewood. This would be great for him to build!
I don’t have a fireplace or a wood burning stove. All in all if I had one and had to build a firewood holder it rains a lot here so I think I would need something that is more covered. My wood would never dry.
Yes we burn wood. It really is a ‘hobby’ year round so to speak if you live where it is cold! We find all free wood too.
I like your DIY it works and is clever. We homemade ours too. Whats nice is ours was a freebie! There is a couple window places here in town and also a countertop place. The pallets they use are about 6 foot high (just about as tall as I want to stretch) and with two braces top and bottom it worked great. What was even nicer is that they are A frame shaped which made tarping a breeze!
It is always nice to get your heat for free- it is sweat labor sometimes when you least feel like doing it but always so nice to see stacks drying and ready for use.
Good ideas and tips i like the design and look. Nice tips thank you
I really love to try it
What a great tutorial. I could probably do this without any help from the hubby! The only thing is the hubby is a sloppy firewood stacker, if he even bothers to stack. So I would have to get him to promise me he would use it.
Nifty idea. Like the step-by-step instructions!
Fortunately, my days dealing with firewood are gone.
Good instructions. Very neat!
We need to make one of these.
I wish I could build things like this so cool!
Great for winter coming up!