Woodport/roof in the woods for milled lumber

[Blue42]

Hey, this is kind of off topic, but this is still probably the best forum for it.
I've had milled wood sitting in the woods for years slowly rotting because I have no other place to put it. And of course if you throw a tarp over it, it molds and probably rots even faster than if it's left open. I don't know how exactly the lumberyards can leave everything out in the open to dry and not lose a lot of it to rot. I spent a lot of time a while back searching for answers on this, and didn't find much. There was a paper or two about how lumberyards should tie a cover of some sort over the top of the pile. I didn't want to do that, though. I don't have 15ft high stacks that are nicely balanced on flat ground and flat boards, with a ton of nice stickers to throw anywhere, for which it would be easy to just strap a metal sheet to the top. I have rough cut slabs on rough ground, stacked with the rounded top of the log as the top piece.
So I finally built a woodport. 20' x 20'.

I wanted to see what any opinions would be for some kind of floor for it. It's currently not level at all. I'm thinking of flattening it some by digging with a shovel then laying down a sheet of plastic, then covering it with a load of sand. I want something cheap and easy.
Also, the chiggers in that exact spot have been really bad in years past. They've really nailed me a couple times. I'll be spraying for them now.
By the way, I have twice as much wood that I had stacked in another spot that I'll have to move over now.

 

[Mad Professor]

Take some non high quality cants of milled wood when you get them down to 6 X 6". Place these off the ground on cinder blocks or something similar (bricks) and space the ground supports ~ every 3-4'. On these again using stuff that would be cast offs place ~ 4 X 4 " supports to lay the boards/flitches on.

Again you need to take some junk wood to make stickers, placed directly over the supports for each layer of boards. Then, some junk boards/cants on top to hold it down when drying. Then you need a cover, just on top.

I've used another layer of stickers then plastic corrugated roofing, with weight on that so it won't blow off. Metal ferrous roofing may stain the wood. Important is the cover/stickers are wide enough so rain won't wet the pile.

Some lumber places give away lumber covers, but they won't last but a year or two.

 

[Blue42]

Thanks. I was just thinking about this and wondering if anyone had an idea.
I'm more interested now in a floor or ground surface under the woodport roof, rather than making a better stack. What I've always done is the "European" way of laying the log out just how it was before being cut. It never lent itself to making bigger stacks or to being able to strap a cover material over a log.
For a floor I'm still debating getting a load of pea gravel delivered and laying it over some plastic sheets as a vapor barrier. Supposed to keep moisture from rising from the ground and wetting your wood. I read that instruction in an article somewhere.

 

[djg james]

I had a much smaller stack lumber stickered under my firewood roof. But I did have it loosely covered to keep it dry from blowing rain/snow. In your area, I see blowing snow as a problem. On one of my firewood piles, I bought (you could mill/fabricate) 6' x 8' fence panels to act as building sides to prevent this. You could fabricate sides out of low grade lumber and alternate them along runners to allow air flow. Some fence panels are made that way.

WRT the floor, I would put a slight pitch to it for drainage, or else you'll have created a bath tub with the plastic. My $0.02.

 

[Coralillo Lo Pro]

Don't know how high up you need to get for moisture not to be an issue. Not a problem in these parts so not sure. I've bought dozens of 4x8x16 solid concrete blocks (they were $1 each at Home Depot now $2 each) along with cinder blocks for all kinds of use stacking and weighing down slabs. Heavy to move around but keeps me in shape. I use them everywhere to create level surfaces to stack wood on. I got a bunch of 8' x 24" wide long pallets for free I stack all my rough uncovered stuff on after putting the pallets on the blocks. All my nice slab stacks are under cover on concrete slabs (my garage, the back patio) to keep them out of the weather. Planning on building some 4' high by 6' wide long covered areas on the back fence line with Galvalume to provide good coverage from weather to keep slabs stacked there. Been making do in an urban rental house for past five years til we move and build on some property so have kept putting off doing more here. Just put up an 8 x 10' Galvalume roof over a slab I have my planer on, tired of the cover on it leaking and cleaning rust off it plus can move my bandsaw under it which hasn't ever had a good home. The pallets w posts on them make good raised platforms for sawing smaller logs and resawing. About everything but the Galvalume and the blocks picked up for free around town.

 

[Lightning Performance]

If you use plastic underlayment for moisture poke holes in low spots for drainage. Might be a good idea to lay a drain gutter of plastic in the sand and poke holes in the next layer up with some larger stones between them.

Next thing is surface level buck boards to start adding a wind break or another wall. I'm considering rolled steel sheet put up with screws as walls. The galvanized type, four foot wide and a nice log roll. Easy up and easy down. Easy to cut where needed and fold in a lip. Two wraps around closes three sides in is how I see it. Very easy to access. I'm considering using round poles with flat insides. Simple ninty degree angle cut in them or notched for cross supports above ground. Facia boards screwed to the top sides with the roof pitched back and away from the front opening.
K.I.S.S.

 

[brick_haus]

A lot of good ideas here

 

[Blue42]

I appreciate this input. I bought a bunch of cinderblocks, like Coralillo. I bought some 2x6's to lay across them. Hopefully they won't bend under the weight.
I think I may have gotten the same galvanized metal roof panels you did Coralillo. Wasn't cheap.

When I have it finished I'll add a picture.

 

[Blue42]

If you use plastic underlayment for moisture poke holes in low spots for drainage. Might be a good idea to lay a drain gutter of plastic in the sand and poke holes in the next layer up with some larger stones between them.

Next thing is surface level buck boards to start adding a wind break or another wall. I'm considering rolled steel sheet put up with screws as walls. The galvanized type, four foot wide and a nice log roll. Easy up and easy down. Easy to cut where needed and fold in a lip. Two wraps around closes three sides in is how I see it. Very easy to access. I'm considering using round poles with flat insides. Simple ninty degree angle cut in them or notched for cross supports above ground. Facia boards screwed to the top sides with the roof pitched back and away from the front opening.
K.I.S.S.

By the way, I still don't seem to get notifications of replies. So I tend to only tune back in months later.

I don't quite follow your plan, but I'm interested. I went out to my new woodport after a rain and found that water had blown in up to about six feet under the roof's edge, at about 8ft. So I might put a side on it up high.
Also, I want some kind of wind barrier at the bottom just so the leaves don't blow all over everything. (I'm in the woods.) I have a couple scrap slabs laid out now along the ground, but I think some nylon trellis netting might be the permanent solution

 

[Lightning Performance]

By the way, I still don't seem to get notifications of replies. So I tend to only tune back in months later.

I don't quite follow your plan, but I'm interested. I went out to my new woodport after a rain and found that water had blown in up to about six feet under the roof's edge, at about 8ft. So I might put a side on it up high.
Also, I want some kind of wind barrier at the bottom just so the leaves don't blow all over everything. (I'm in the woods.) I have a couple scrap slabs laid out now along the ground, but I think some nylon trellis netting might be the permanent solution

Open the site controls and add marks for notifications.

Seal the ground off with plastic. Poke holes for drains. Cover it with sand where the holes are. Level out the sand. Make a ditch in the center that has a grade to drain out the middle if needed.

Adding wood batten boards where ever weather comes in or debris blows in is a great idea in the shade.

 

[Lightning Performance]

Go get a roll of old swimming pool metal to wrap around the thing.

Cut four posts with a 90° corner. Put that on the inside if you using demetional lumber to run from post to post. Whole trees peeled works good or squared up on two sides. Round whole trees have to be notched to accept crossbars or beams. Chainsaw is all you need. Steel cross supports can be carriage bolted on. Wrap and screw the sheetmetal to three sides. Your done.

Use less screws then you think you need with washers or use metal roofing self-tappers. Lap the second run up.

*Fold over the sharp end edges if you have kids around.*

Hope that helps.
K.I.S.S.

 

[composter]

I share your battle, but dry firewood in a 65" /year rainfall part of Coastal Alabama.
My wood is stacked on pallets, but is attacked by fungi, termites and carpenter ants. Sheds would cost too much. My plan this year is to bring in crushed concrete
from a recycling place. costs about $40 /ton, and I have a dump trailer. Hope that the lime or other minerals will deter the bugs, and help keep moisture from wicking into the pallets/firewood. Your plan looks great! We're having problems with tarps as well, needing ventilation between firewood and tarp.