building a firewood storage rack. questions

[TripleTrophy]

For material thickness, you can always look at the POS at Home Depot, and see what they are using. Offhand, I would be inclined to do the bottom in .120" or so, with ".065 a possibility for the sides, and the top which will likely be in tension.

[Johnny]

Thank Dudes! I'll see what kind of minimums are involved with Service Steel. Probably have to buy a 1000'.

[Bodybagger]

At 5' high, 7' wide, filled with 18" long firewood, you'll have 52.5 cu ft of stacked firewood, which is 41% of a cord.

Reasonable weight per cord of firewood is 5000lb, so you'll have 2,050lb when filled. Could go up or down depending on length and moisture content, but we'll use that number.

If you have 3 legs 18" long at 1.5" wide, you have a bearing area of 81 sq. in. to distribute the 2,050lb load, resulting in a bearing pressure of 25.3psi or 3,644 PSF.

3,600 PSF is a large load for below grade footings, considering that residential footings rarely have more than 1,000PSF.

But bearing capacity at the surface is MUCH MUCH lower. This is going to sink unless you put it on something capable of supporting 2,000+ lbs, such as a 6" layer of compacted gravel or a 4" concrete slab.

If you go with the concrete slab, you can set anchors where the feet will go and use tabs to bolt it down. Takes care of the tipping issue as well.

[Broccoli1]

I would just build it all out of 11g- last forever.

1 Stringer in the back-top

Since it is going on top of the patio just 86 the Feet.

[Bodybagger]

Scratch that. Just read the part about being on a concrete patio.

You can bolt it to your patio with wedge anchors on the feet.

[Johnny]

genius Dudes to the rescue.

Thank You. Just had A Sunday Dinner and can't do another thing.

God Bless.

[jworman]

Here (if my attachment works) is what I have done for a firewood rack. The one with the rounded top was one I purchased in a garage sale. The taller one I made with 1" square tube. I put two bends in a 10 ft piece to make a big inverted 'U' I welded the U to a 1 ft piece of 2" X 4" tubing. I added a brace between the two pieces of 2 X 4 tube and run a woo 2 X 4 between two of these. I usually run them about 10 ft long. I put a patio stone under each end and so far it has worked flawlessly.

They are pretty cheap and easy to build. So far, all of mine go up against a wall.

[fjk]

Since it is going on top of the patio just 86 the Feet.

I would keep the feet.
Gunk builds up -- leaves, etc, which hold water from rain,
and then the wood starts to rot. Keeping the feet
lets air circulate, etc, and the wood will stay dry(er).

Frank

[Broccoli1]

I would keep the feet.
Gunk builds up -- leaves, etc, which hold water from rain,
and then the wood starts to rot. Keeping the feet
lets air circulate, etc, and the wood will stay dry(er).

Frank

Rain- yeah forgot about that since I think I see it twice a year.

[Broccoli1]

Corner Joint