Retired Minnesota veterinarian Tom Hohl heats his house and garages with wood, often using six to nine cords a year. “Like most people, I stored cut wood under a tarp or canvas, but it never cured very well, and moisture always seemed to work its way into the bottom 2 feet of wood, whatever I tried,” says Hohl. “I decided to solve the problem once and for all by building a sturdy 12-by-16-foot woodshed that would store my wood off the ground, offer protection from any kind of weather, and hold a year’s supply at one time.”
The woodshed has double 4-by-4 corner posts. It’s bolted securely to a wood frame made of 6-by-6 treated lumber. Eight pieces of 1-by-4 bracing provide diagonal support from the top plate to the foundation. Each piece is bolted to a joist and also to the floor plate. Wall boards are 2-by-6s spaced 8 inches apart.
Inside the structure, Hohl used solid pallets for the floor. “I thought about pouring concrete, but the pallets help keep the bottom rows of wood dry and aren’t affected by moisture,” he says.
Hohl built a gable roof 4 feet high in the center with 2-foot overhangs on all sides. The roof is covered with raised rib steel, and metal facias all the way around provide a nice finished look. The roof ends are open to allow ventilation and for moisture to rise as the wood cures.
Hohl says he probably invested close to $2,000 in lumber and materials for the crib, plus 40 or more hours of labor to build it. “To me, it will pay for itself in a couple years because it holds 11 cords of wood and keeps the supply dry in any kind of weather.”
For more information, email Tom Hohl at hohlt4772@msn.com.
Reprinted with permission from FARM SHOW Magazine.
