Building a no-tools-needed firewood rackA stable, strong, easily-movable, cheap firewood rack is a thought-provoking project. This is what i have used for years and it works extremely well.It easily holds a face-cord of heavy, wet wood with no problem and is very stable.This is what you need:2 or 3 concrete blocks2 landscape timbers2 2x4s – 8 or 10 footers cut in half.total material cost about 20 bucksI think the pics say it all but some tips:- place 2 concrete blocks holes up on a stable surface, 3 if support needed in center (not often).- place timbers across outside edges of blocks with all width of each timber completely on block.- place 2×4 uprights in holes in blocks. If on dirt put a fewsmall rocks or pebbles in holes first to help drain water from 2×4′ ends.- its designed so the 2×4’s are leaning out at the top. it’svery strong like this. if you find the 2x4s are spread too wide, youcan tap them closer together on a full rack as there is not that much weight on them. the last pic shows my new double rack. one more block but 4 less 2×4 pieces and stronger because of center blocks. if you enlarge the last pic, you can really see how much weight this set-up will hold. and i could put a lot more on it but its over my head..hahahIf you have any doubts about whether or not this works like i say, just read a few comments from other members, real people just telling it like it is.I cut a piece of plastic tarp about 4′ wide and 10′ long to cover wood… i take a couple of holed bricks and tie light 3′ rope from one to the other and lay over tarped ends to keep tarp on in wind. all of this works really well together. rack gets stronger with more wood and is very stable. everything comes apart to move to another spot or put in storage (or use for other projects). Rack is high enough off ground to blow leaves from underneath or spray for bugs. Its nice to be able to easily move a woodrack as sometimes the ground under it becomes unstable and the rack will lean. Or sometimes you just find a better place and moving individual pieces is so much easier than moving the whole rack at once. One more thought: if you use 8′ 2x4s, if you cut them in half at a 45 degree angle, you get more length and also the angle will help them drain at the top.

Anyway, once you have set this rack up and used it a bit, its one of those things that you just grin each time you look at it and wish other things you make would work as well. Enjoy

Ok, this is some years later and just a couple comments:

Its great to see a lot of people have built the rack and are having success. Its like any basic project. You can add your ideas to it to make it work better for you. Nothing is set in stone…its just an easy, inexpensive way to make a solid, long-lasting rack that you will appreciate. One thought on how i cover the wood. I take a piece of standard 8×10 plastic tarp and cut it longwise into two strips…the wood still needs to get ventilation and this only covers the top and a bit on each side. then i take holed bricks…you know the cheap bricks with three holes in them…and tie a light rope from one brick to another…about 4 feet apart…and just drape one of these “bolas” over each end of the tarp…i use three on a double length rack..the tarps overlap in the middle and the brick holdown works great and they last forever with no maintenance…my kind of tool..hahah.. and they are plenty heavy enough to keep the tarp on in a wind or rain…and no ties to make or adjust or remove.Make sure when building the rack that the end upright 2×4’s are facing right…you get more strength if the wood is on end and you dont need the width there. If you have the room and the need, build a double length rack..you use less than twice the material. And it gives you lots more room to separate different kinds of wood or dryness or sizes..its very handy having a longer rack and you will appreciate it. so then you can stroll along your long woodpile on that chilly night and pick just the right piece for that beautiful fireplace. hahah, i love the sound and smell of a wood fire. My best to all. Clas

55 People Made This Project!

Did you make this project? Share it with us!

Recommendations

Colors of the Rainbow

Contest

Metal

Contest

Backyard

Contest

You must be logged in to post a comment or add an I Made It.

127 Comments

Just made this rack. 10/10 works great and is so simple.

Great idea! Thanks for sharing it with us. I will be making this for my father-in-law this weekend. He has enough scrap lumber, and all I need are a few blocks.

I have 10ft landscaping timbers from HD. What cover has anyone found online for this configuration? I have PT 2×4’s for the “arms”. They are about 36″ high above the ground. I would love to find a 10ft x 3ft cover. Most seem to be around 8ft x 4ft. Maybe I could cut me timbers down a wee bit.

What a great design! I don’t think I’ve seen so many builds on any other Instructable. Reading comments, I sense some lingering questions. Maybe I can help.Measuring wood – a cord of wood is a tight stack 4’ wide, 4’ high, and 8’ long, containing 128 cubic feet (4x4x8). A “face cord” is a single stack of wood 4’ high, 8’ long, and as deep as the length of your wood. Say your wood is cut 16” long (1.33’). A face cord would contain 4x8x1.33=42.56 cubic feet, or about 1/3 of a full cord (42.56/128). To determine how much your rack will hold, multiply the height of your wood stack times the average length (average the top and bottom lengths) times the length of your wood (in feet). Divide the result by 128 to get the number of full cords you can store. For example, say you make your rack of 8’ long timbers, the distance between the tops of the ends is 10’, and you cut your wood 18” long. Your 4’ long ends let you stack about 3 ½’ high. With an average length of 9’, you can store 9×3.5×1.5=47.5 cubic feet, or about 0.37 full cords – roughly a third of a cord.Three racks like that would handle a full cord of delivered firewood.Blocks – one response noted that you should use concrete blocks. Commonly available cinder blocks are smaller aggregate, weigh less, and are less strong than true concrete blocks. Also, concrete is relatively weak, especially in tension – pulling apart – when it’s fresh. Concrete takes a full 30 days to reach specified strength, and will continue to get a little stronger over time. If you get a cinder block fresh from the plant, you may have the cracking problem one respondent described. If all you have are cinder blocks, use older ones if possible. For a sure thing, find true concrete.Treating the uprights – in a pressure treated 2×4, the treatment penetrates the end grain well. If you place them factory end in the blocks, rot should not be an issue. If you cut a treated 2×4, you can see the treatment does not get into the middle of the wood. If you do this, or if you have untreated material you’d like to use, treat the ends yourself. The best way is to use a wood preservative, typically a water based copper solution, often green or brown. Using a disposable container like the bottom of a gallon milk jug, pour some preservative in, and then stand the cut ends in the liquid. Go do something else for at least 10 minutes, no harm if you forget them. The wood will draw in the treatment, and it will remain there after it dries. I treated the ends of mygreenhouse shelf legs 10 years ago, and they are doing fine on an often-wet gravel floor.Hope this helps you use this nice design.

Very Curious. What supplies would be needed to hold 2 cords of split wood? Thank you for your time.

Thanks for this idea. My husband made this about 3 years ago, and we placed it in our backyard by the back fence. Unfortunately our yard has a slope and although my husband built the base to adjust for the slope, now it seems like the wood stack is leaning forward. We stacked the wood as far back as we could, but it doesn’t seem stable. We have two little ones who love to run around in the backyard, so we’re looking for advice on how we could stabilize it or if we should just remove the wood and build a new rack. Thanks!

If set on a concrete slab, will the concrete blocks hold water, or does it somehow drain away after a rain?

classof56, on the bottom, will 2x4s instead of timbers be strong enough? Can 4x4s be used in place of timbers? My helper balks at changing from 2x4s at foundation, says they are support enough & will be laid on sides, not flat. If 2x4s are unsatisfsctory support, would nailing a 2×4 to each 2×4 to build 4x4s, be satisfactory? A commenter I believe used 4x4s. Lastly, have you noted any rotting of the ends of your upright 2x4s (ground level)? I’m mid60 age, I extend a project’s age-out if possible. The cut ends of lumber are untreated–I noted the legs of my sawhorses rotted at ground after unknown years. Would spar varnishing the ends of the upright 2x4s be an extra step that would add to wood longevity, e.g., avoid wood rot at the ground ends? We have a Minwax can that Lowe’s sold off of its discount rack for $3, so it’s in hand.

So how much wood does one of these set-ups hold? I’m laying out for 9 because we’re planning to start with 2-4 cords of wood this winter (may get 3 to start and then 1 or 2 later on). It “sounds” like a cord, but the dimensions are off. Wouldn’t you need 3 for a cord of 16″ wood pieces?

I am looking to stack 1.5 cord of wood. Will it hold that much as designed or should I build double-width? Also, you have any pictures of tarp tie-down – where you tie the rope? This is great design – so sick of dealing with pallets that split or that do not have ends to support wood! Thx!

I made this but instead of “landscape timbers” I used a 2×4 turned up on their side. the 2×4’s cost less and up on end dont sag much across 8 feet when the rack is full

Just had an old fisher wood stove put in. Love the wood rack! Question the 2×4 the goes in the block is the bottom straight cut and just the top angled? Also best wood to burn in order of preference. Thank you so much.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing this great idea! Love the idea of putting ropes through brick holes to hold down tarps as well. I am going to start building these racks today!

Just one question…when you say “landscape timbers” can you clarify exactly what you mean. I live in Canada, and I’ve never heard that term, but maybe we call them something different! Are they 2″ x 6″? 4″ x 6″? or something completely different?

I have TONS of wood that I would like to make use of rather than having to purchase anything, but if I don’t have anything suitable that matches what you describe to me, where would I be likely to find them if they are something specific? (ie, any retailer that sells lumber, Home Depot, landscaping supply stores??) Thanks so much! Look forward to your reply!

well, after 5 years, i have not replaced any part of this setup. timbers are solid, blocks are the same, 2×4’s are just more seasoned. the only thing i have had to do is every couple of years i need to straighten it a bit as the earth underneath sinks a tad…a few handfuls of dirt and back in business.

I’m experiencing an issue with the outside concrete blocks cracking from either the weight of the stacks or the tension that the upright timbers possibly put on the blocks. Has anyone that has used this technique across seasons experienced this? Any remedies? Thanks.

I still love this stack, especially since it is easy to break down when not in use but replacing the blocks is a bummer.

Hey, we made one of these…and it works and looks GREAT!! Be sure to use the “wood-colored,” brown or “rust” pressure-treated wood, looks quite nice.

Looks awesome. Hey this might be a dumb question but do the 2×4’s on the bottom move around a lot while stacking? How sturdy is this thing? I’d probbaly want to make one 16′ long.

This design saved the day! I had one day to build a firewood stacker at my mom’s cabin, an argument with her about the shed she wanted, a half hour before the lumber yard closed by the time we sorted it out, and no tools. Now all the wood I split is is safe – thanks so much!

This is absolutely brilliant! I bought all the parts from Lowes yesterday and will assemble it today. However, I have a silly question. First off, I’m a new firewood collector, so apologies in advance lol. If I have pieces of wood that are pretty small in diameter, do I still need to split them before burning them in a fireplace?They are as big as the small ones shown in the pic uploaded in this post: https://cdn.instructables.com/FM4/R8RQ/IE7JB40L/FM4R8RQIE7JB40L.LARGE.jpg

I love this and was wondering if you could make this as long as you need. I was thinking about making this 25/30ft long, just use some of the 2×4’s in the middle to strengthen it?