building a firewood storage rack. questions

[Johnny]

I want to build a firewood rack and need to know what material dimensions would be acceptable. I don't have a fancy CAD program so I made a "sketch" in PhotoShop- go ahead and have a free chuckle. I hope I have given enough information to fetch an answer? I may choose to make a couple 4' wide units instead. This will probably end up being heavy if it's 7' wide?

I refuse to buy a bolt together POS from Home Depot when I own MM140- even if it's $500 in labor.

Is 1.5" x 1.5" square A513 tubing overkill or inadequate? What wall thickness will suffice? Am I WAY off base in materials selection?

I got a rough idea of materials cost by getting an online quote from metalsdepot.com. Metals Supermarket will likely be my supplier and I haven't a clue about what they'll charge for this type of material- they're website is a bit shy of functional?
A513 Steel Structural Square Tube 1-1/2 X 1-1/2 X 16GA (.065 wall) 48' = $93
A513 Steel Structural Square Tube 1-1/2 X 1-1/2 X 14 GA (.083 wall) 48' = $118
A513 Steel Structural Square Tube 1-1/2 X 1-1/2 X 11 GA (.120 wall) 48' = $136

[MrBill]

A little off topic for a welded firewood rack but here is where I store my firewood. It's 10 X 12 X 8ft high. Will use most of it during an average winter. I also have a rack made of 2 X 4's closer to the house. it would be 8ft long about 14 inches deep and 6ft high.

[roughrider]

wood storage rack

First of all your idea is good.(don't worry about the drawing) The size and gage of the material is fine. What you do Need is to find yourself a better supplier for the material. In San Antono, Texas, 20 foot length of square tubing runs about $6.00.
The price you are going to pay, would make about 12 racks at our price.

[Broccoli1]

I thought it was sitting on the ground but I see now it is up on a table

[Fred Smith]

trust me

Yes it is 1 x 1 with 1.25 band along the top edges and the "feet".

It's like Bubba Gump talking about the versatility of shrimp, 1 x 1 tube, you can bend it, miter it, weld.... good stuff

I have some other projects made from it that are actually bigger, I'll get my posterior out to the garage and take some pictures to post.

one is a pet food (catch all) cart and the other a bench for a radial arm saw, 2 tool boxes and a slew junk under it. And I didn't even get to shovel and poo scoop.

[Broccoli1]

I have a 1 X 1 16ga sq tube fetish. This rack has a truss design on the bottom, it is 48in wide 36 tall. I load it with oak and it never even groans.


Put some engineering into your designs guys.

[ATTACH]20094[/ATTACH]

That doesn't look like 1"x1"

[Fred Smith]

My Wood Rack

I have a 1 X 1 16ga sq tube fetish. This rack has a truss design on the bottom, it is 48in wide 36 tall. I load it with oak and it never even groans.


Put some engineering into your designs guys.

[lilredex]

Not metalworking, but something I put together right next to the back door.

[kevin]

balancing act

i just whipped 1 together for my crap wood outside the shop, when you stack wood there is hardly any horizontal stress (unless mobile) i made mine from 1x1/8 angle and 6011.d it together, cheap, strong(enough), light, quick to make, its not pretty but holds a bunch of wood stacked in and around and on top of a 4x4x8 frame

[Johnny]

Part of the wood storage solution is no longer a welding project and that's OK. I used what I have on hand...stout metal fence posts that were supporting raspberry plants.

These will work great for off patio storage and I certainly did not re-invent the wheel with this solution

I sure appreciate all of the responses and the time you guys spent thinking about MY PROBLEM. I'd do the same if I had something to offer.

[mikeb9550]

That sucks with the nieghbors. Some folks are real goofy like that. I would never tell ask them to stop cutting the grass so my son could sleep. Heck I didnt even say anything to the kid that was screaming up and down the street in his mini bike with no muffler (super loud) when he was napping.

Here are a couple pics to give you an idea of what I did. I painted it to match the shed. I didnt use 4x4 in the ground. Just 2x4's. I can move it if I like. I enclosed the sides with fence picket boards and added a roof to match the shed. Its straight. The angle of the pics through it off. The intent wasnt to take a pic of the wood rack. Its just in the background..

If you want more detail pics, I could walk out and snap some better photos.

[triptester]

I have access to no cost used pipe so that is my material of choice. A problem with tubing of any sort is that the inside is almost impossible to protect so humidity tends to eventually rot it from the inside out especially horizontal members.

[Johnny]

Im all for burning metal but the only way I would a project like this out of steel is if it was free scraps. I built mine out of presure treated and I think think it only cost me like 30 bucks and I even roofed it with leftover shingles I had from my shed.

Just a thought.... Metal will stain a deck or patio atleast mine did. I can take a pic if you want.

I read all of the posts and it's all good. I haven't bought any materials and am not too snobby to use wood or drive posts into the ground. Lets face it...I want a welding project if for no other reason than to irritate my noise sensitive neighbor. She came out at 1:00pm and requested that I stop sawing (chainsaw) firewood for 30 minutes so her kids could sleep- wtf.

Does the water bureau or power company re-schedule when their noise doesn't suit me? No.

I stopped and told her "I do mind" when she asked "would you mind..." her husband, who I previously got along with, is snubbing me. It must be agreat piece of A$$ to put up with other ridiculous requests of that nature.Done raving.

Simple pressure treated posts will help the situation, at least for storing in another area, and it is inexpensive.

Thank Guys

[mikeb9550]

I know this is a welding site but

Im all for burning metal but the only way I would a project like this out of steel is if it was free scraps. I built mine out of presure treated and I think think it only cost me like 30 bucks and I even roofed it with leftover shingles I had from my shed.

Just a thought.... Metal will stain a deck or patio atleast mine did. I can take a pic if you want.

[VTHokie]

Here's a few pics to spark some ideas. Had some bad storms this summer and knocked a few trees down on my property. Had so much wood didn't know what to do with it. A friend gave me a bunch of scrap steel from a pallet for a hot tub and the material laid out perfect for a new firewood rack. I had one already, which was a store bought rack. The store bought one has lasted a long time, longer than I thought it would considering how cheaply constructed it seems. The one I made will definitely outlast it though... was also more fun to put together.