palletized wood.

[flyingcow]

Next subject. Plan on stacking my wood on 48x48 pallets. Going to put some stakes on each side and put ropes to hold together, as i stack it. Anybody do this or a variation of it. Don't plan on moving too many times. Stack off of the splitter, move to field, dry for 1 yr, move to garage beside boiler room. Don't plan on stacking any higher than 40 maybe 48 inches on each pallet. Won't be stacking on top of each other either.


Any thoughts? Any pics of what you do? I don't plan on trying anything fancy yet.

 

[carpenter383]

Sounds similar to what I do and several other people on here too. It should work out fine, have fun!

 

[jeffinsgf]

I used light angle iron and took it 5 feet high on 32 x 48 (Euro) pallets --- they were free.

I used an angle on each corner and then at the top, I ran a piece of angle all the way around. Then on the narrow ends, I ran two verticals, splitting the 32 inch width into three equal spaces.

The first two I built, I bolted everything. The next year I built a couple more, after having bought a welder. All four are going strong 5 and 4 years later.

 

[smiley]

I buy it in the spring, seasoned cut and split for $50 a cord delivered by the 10 wheeler load. I used to have it dumped in the parking area about 75 ft from the house and stacked it on pallets, so I could move them to the porch with the loader forks, then place them with a pallet jack. Some shook off moving it over mostly smooth ground, so I wound up wrapping cardboard washer/dryer box around them and fastening it with a rope. Never lost one after that. I don't have the moving problem anymore. I built a new woodshed last year off the end of the porch, with a door wide enough to push the split chunks inside with the loader so I only have to handle it once when I stack it.

 

[Dead Horse]

I try to handle the wood the least amount of times as a primary goal of my logging/wood cutting activities. I put up 25 cord myself this year, so every little bit of efficiency matters.

I like the idea of pallatizing immediately off the splitter, but I have not found a way of handling the loaded pallats into my wood shed that both uses the space efficiently and allows me to load them up to 8 feet high.

Putting that much wood up in a tin roofed shed, such that air can move around the whole of the inventory is important to sasoning the wood quickly as well as keeping the bug infestation down.

 

[studor]

I do similar and tarp just the top. I use narrow and long tarps held on with clips and plastic sand filled bottles. I put the pallets on flat rocks -- they last a long time that way

 

[smiley]

One of my neighbors works where they recieve shipments of parts on pallets with wood sides about 3 ft high. He was throwing the split chunks directly into the pallets and they could be stacked, but it wastes a lot of space throwing them in loose. I don't think they could be stacked over 2 or 3 high because the sides were made with rough cut furring strip frames with rough 1/2 inch sides stapled on. When I was palletizing, the first ones I built were just about like yours Dead Horse, but I still managed to lose some during the move. That's when I went to the cardboard. I had thought about building some with 2x4 corners a top rail and slats on 3 sides and possibly a removable top rail on the 4th side to facilitate loading/unloading. That way it seemed like they'd be sturdy enough for stacking. Never did try it though because I built the new woodshed.

 

[billbill1]

I did the pallets for a couple of years, I found that rodents were nesting in the wood and I was moving them into the garage with the wood. Now I put the wood on my carrier right before moving it inside, no more mice. It is nice to move a weeks worth of wood in.

 

[jimmer2880]

there are several of us who use pallets. I copied someone else's idea. Pallet on bottom, 3 sides and roof. Then, staple plastic on roof to keep it dry.

It works very well. I place the "in use" pallet just outside the basement door.

 

[homedad]

I've been doing this for years. I stack alternating direction for each layer to about 4' tall. Then tarp each pallet. They stay together as long as I don't move the pallet too quickly. I find more pallets than I need behind dumpsters at a local self storage facility. I always find nests but never occupied nests after I move them into the garage.

 

[beenthere]

I stack on pallets, and only use upright ends (other pallets) for the small round unsplit wood. I dry it for two years (that is even marginal and better if three) minimum. Rodents are handled easily by putting a packet of poison in the stack a week or two before moving into garage. No mice
I put a square of rubber roofing over the top to shed water.

 

[srjones]

Since getting a forklift this year, I've gone to putting firewood on pallets. Here's my system:

Using 'standard' pallets (42x48) which are readily available, I then attach a 15' section of field fencing to the base with fence staples. Where the fence meets and overlaps, I splice the wire ends back together. Rather than stacking, I just throw them in loosely which allows for plenty of air circulation. When the time comes to use/sell the firewood, I'll move the pallets to the closest point of use then 'unzip' the wires and stack or use the wood directly.

 

[Spudland_Dave]

If/when I burn wood, I was planning on doing the same thing. My thought was to fabricate some pallets out of steel...make them stackable, etc. Easiest way to describe my idea would be how they ship Snowmobiles, PWC's, ATV's, etc... with 3 sides and a chain across the top of the open side I'm thinking it would be more then strong enough. With removeable/collapsible sides, storage after they are emptied would be much easier.

Just a thought I had.

 

[smog]

Does burning wood pallets all winter worth writing it in this tread ?

 

[donais]

Ok, here's my setup i use a pallet but i bought a hog panel wrapped it around the pallet wired it shut. works great just split have the wife and mom stack and move to the next when full. i have a fill hole next to the fireplace and just have the kids transfer when the bin is empty. only problem is it is real easy for dad to come up and snag a pallet, he knows where i hide the key.

 

[flyingcow]

Ok, here's my setup i use a pallet but i bought a hog panel wrapped it around the pallet wired it shut. works great just split have the wife and mom stack and move to the next when full. i have a fill hole next to the fireplace and just have the kids transfer when the bin is empty. only problem is it is real easy for dad to come up and snag a pallet, he knows where i hide the key.

He's just getting you back for the younger yrs when you used to sneak up and snag a $5, or something from his stash.

 

[flyingcow]

Appreciate everyones input. All good ideas. It does reinforce my thoughts that i won't have to get too fancy, as I'm just moving 'em a couple of times. This is going to save me a lot of handling. My garage(errr, I mean wood storage facility) is 24x36. Boiler room in back in a 8x12 insulated room. Garage has a 10ftx9ft door. Tractor is 7 inches shorter than door. I'll put a few pallets in before the winter sets in. Maybe a few more later in winter when needed. I was storing about 7 to 10 cord in garage, now I'll be able to make enough room to keep tractor in there with it. Just got to move it out if ins co visits.

 

[flyingcow]

If/when I burn wood, I was planning on doing the same thing. My thought was to fabricate some pallets out of steel...make them stackable, etc. Easiest way to describe my idea would be how they ship Snowmobiles, PWC's, ATV's, etc... with 3 sides and a chain across the top of the open side I'm thinking it would be more then strong enough. With removeable/collapsible sides, storage after they are emptied would be much easier.

Just a thought I had.

i don't know where it was, but there is a company that sells reusable poly bags for storing wood on pallets. Just like a heavy duty onion bag. This company sells firewood processors, and in the video they show their bag system. Stacks 'em up and everything. Looks like it works very well. Youtube "Firewood Bag".
Its at Apache Forest Products Inc.

Thats what i should do, but thats too easy. But seriously, I want to be able to get close to a 1/2 a cord on a pallet, I think the most you can get in a bog, on a 48x48 pallet is 1/3.

 

[koopster]

DeadHorse, I like the shed, very sharp! Why not put flat roller conveyer sections auctions always have the 3" high ones cheap) so you can set the pallets down on the rollers with the forks and roll the pallets into the barn.
I like to use cheap 3/4" tubular steel to make frames and surround the frames with chicken wire to hold the stacked wood in. With the forks I put the pallets in the barn for the year, taking them out to drop into the garage next to the stove. I split right next to the logs that I drop with the grapple. Only touching the wood a couple of times makes it easy. The crate and pallet can stack on top of each other...pretty easy.

 

[pat32rf]

I just build my pallets out of scrap wood so I have a single stack which is about 1/2 face cord. Depending on my scrap they are 4'x4' or 5ft wide by 3'high with a couple of 2x4s or 6's for a base. The backside has old plywood/chipboard covering it. I mount the base on 4x4's or 6x6's so I can get the forks under. Most of my wood goes into the woodshed but I try to have about a dozen of these full pallets stuck out of the way each fall (covered in old lumberyard tarps). They get used first, just set them outside the door until empty.