Setting up a budget friendly lumber drying rack

[pete_86]

Hello gentleman,

I've searched here and read for quite a while looking for some ideas on an outdoor drying rack. I wish I had a concrete slab available as where I want to dry the ground is pretty uneven and slopes downhill. The cost of the concrete isn't bad but hand digging would be a lot of work and no money to rent equipment.

So, I'm considering I'll end up with a 6x10 rack. What I want to dry are some 4/4 boards primarily with some 8/4 slabs. I figure I'll need 24 concrete blocks, spaced 2' apart. I want to use some rough cut pine 2x10's with 2x4 legs screwed to them to drop down into hollow block area to keep upright. I'm guessing that each of my 1x12x5' long wet cherry and poplar boards weigh about 25lbs or so a piece. I'll have pine in there too. This is my only main spot I'd like to try to load up so I'll have quite a bit stacked and estimate just over 7,000lbs on this wet, stacked, and weighed down. It amazes me how heavy these stacks can be, because a 6x10 stack is large but I'm only going about 6' high on the stack. The 2x10 and blocks will make this stack 8' high. I do have neigbors but it's going in a wooded area and going to try for a green tarp to cover atleast 2' down sides. If they don't like it, it's too bad I guess, I can do my best to please them.

Anyway, I've calculated close to 300lbs per block. The area gets a bit damp in spring but not too bad. That's why I want to spread the load out whether than shoot for wider spacings. My concern is the cinderblock's small footprint when laid upright how it's designed to take weight. Not sure, but I don't see why I couldn't lay them on their side, 300lb is prob a small load for them when considering the weight they take holding up a building.

My concern is I don't want the thaw cycles of the ground shifting my stack around. IDK if I'm over thinking this, but I was considering getting some solid blocks to lay on the bottom than stack the hollow blocks on top for a larger bearing surface. Than I was going to pick up about a quarter yrd of gravel to put a 4" layer under each block and to help level them out.

I'm not looking to spend $90 on this though with block and gravel, sure less than a slab but this is mainly a hobby for me and done on a smaller budget. So I'm thinking of just going with the solid 4" blocks for $30 and maybe even setting them right on the ground, no gravel. Anyone think they'd shift much from the frost? I don't think they'd settle too much. I'm going to plane about 1/4" out of these so some allowance is there. If going the solid block route I think I'll just run another 2x10 across the joists to keep them upright.
Gravel would save any grief, but my lady of the house prob wouldn't like seeing me put $60 into something like that.

Thanks guys! Someday a slab for sure but right now gotta make do with what I've got.

 

[Grey]

I would strongly suggest that you set yourself up for a at least 12"6" length as long as you are going through the effort. That will cover 80-90% of your drying needs. After that, just make sure you have an even and level base to build your pile on. Don't over think it. It will cost a few bucks and some sweat equity to get your drying station set up, but the great thing is, once you get it set up, you can reuse it indefinitely!!! It's a one-time expense. Do it right once, rather than dinking around over time.

 

[Dave Boyt]

A couple of questions... where are you located, and what is the most rot-resistant wood you have available? For example, here in southwest Missouri, hedge (Osage orange) is sold for firewood, and will last about as long as a cinder block. Even a less rot-resistant wood will last a while, until you have time to make a few projects for the wife and get her to come around to the idea that this sawmilling thing is a good idea. A lot of people spend more than $60 for bowling shoes or a day or two on the golf course!

 

[pete_86]

A couple of questions... where are you located, and what is the most rot-resistant wood you have available? For example, here in southwest Missouri, hedge (Osage orange) is sold for firewood, and will last about as long as a cinder block. Even a less rot-resistant wood will last a while, until you have time to make a few projects for the wife and get her to come around to the idea that this sawmilling thing is a good idea. A lot of people spend more than $60 for bowling shoes or a day or two on the golf course!

In the northeast, new york. Was planning on white pine as that's what I have on hand. I'll probably coat the ends in paint. I was just curious if setting a block directly on the ground will cause any warping of the stack with the frost action? Maybe over thinking it as I'll take off 1/4" with planer anyway. Avoiding the gravel would save bit of digging and work. Not that I don't mind work, just a lot of other chores to get done

 

[pete_86]

I would strongly suggest that you set yourself up for a at least 12"6" length as long as you are going through the effort. That will cover 80-90% of your drying needs. After that, just make sure you have an even and level base to build your pile on. Don't over think it. It will cost a few bucks and some sweat equity to get your drying station set up, but the great thing is, once you get it set up, you can reuse it indefinitely!!! It's a one-time expense. Do it right once, rather than dinking around over time.

Very true, spend some money up front. What I'd like is just to do a concrete slab and be done with it, but just working on a budget and I may not be at the house much longer so something that will get me through the drying of this stack is my main goal.

 

[Grey]

Like I said, it's mostly sweat equity.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I don't have any stacks on concrete...AND nothing you put on the ground is going to defeat the frost! (except a monolithic slap and very few would do that) You have to dig below the frost line to defeat the frost.

All you need is 8 cement blocks and (4) 7x9's or something close. I use used RR ties that I buy from a lumber yard. Put you cement blocks on the ground in a dry area (turned as they would be in a building) and set the 7x9's across them, level it all up and start your stack.

Here's one of mine,

And I've got a LOT bigger stacks than that one, and it works perfectly...

SR

 

[hamish]

Mine just raised up on pallets then stickered. Having them out of the sun makes a huge difference with the final product.

 

[ZachAK]

I'll add my two cents for a first post on this site.

I'm a big fan of digging log pilings into the ground because they can't settle, but we have fairly shallow soils around here, usually 4-6 feet or so. Just depends on how much weight you're going to put on top. Cutting pilings level and timberlocking a beam on top gives a platform that's hell-for-stout.

I'll post a picture of a recent lumber rack, after upgrading from years of 4X6s and pallets on the ground with a tarp over the lumber.

I wanted to dry lumber/timbers on a slope where I couldn't do much else, so I dug down 4-6 feet with a post-hole digger, dropped log posts in, hit with them with a 12 pound hammer to make sure they were full set, and then put beams over as described above. For decking I used chainsaw milled 2X slabs on top.

For a 22' rack by 6 wide, I have three sets of pilings, with three or four pilings per set. The piling work wasn't too bad, maybe ten hours. I put a covered roof on, and that took a while. Sadly, I didn't take any pictures of the pilings, but here's a so-so picture of the racks almost down (I added mid-span supports so it's only a three foot span on flat-laid full-dimension 2X6.) The rack is a little light, but I've already filled it half full, and it holds Alaskan softwood just fine.

As for lumber rack tarps, my favorite is the clear reinforced poly that goes by the trade name of Ma Ka Blue. It lasts for years (depending on your UV), and can be used for a bit of a solar kiln too. http://www.maxkatzbag.com/reinforced-film.html Available at a fair number of hardware stores.

Best of luck with the design!

EDIT: It was wisely pointed out a couple of posts down that you'll either want a good rot-resistant wood, or pressure-treated...which is nasty enough stuff that you really don't want to be cutting it much without full-on protective gear.

 

[pete_86]

Very nice pics guys. I'm off to build mine today. I'll have to get some pics when I have a healthy stack on it.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Hey Zak, the problem with putting poles in the ground in the lower 48 is, unless you buy and use pressure treated poles, you are just making a pathway for bugs to eat their way to your pile of lumber! I know that's not the case in Alaska, but it is in a warmer climate.

I had spruce poles in the ground in Alaska for more than 20 years and they weren't rotted, it doesn't work that way in the lower 48... Those same poles would be rotted in as little as 3 or 4 years in some places...

SR

 

[BigOakAdot]

I just recently used some scrap wood from a kitchen demo on one of our jobs. Layed them on half blocks I got from lowest for a dollar a pop. It's not the neatest drying set up but should get the job done.


Like an earlier poster mentioned, don't over think it. You can spend a lot of time stressing about the set up but just get out there and get it done. You'll be happy once it's all ready to roll.

 

[ZachAK]

Hey Zak, the problem with putting poles in the ground in the lower 48 is, unless you buy and use pressure treated poles, you are just making a pathway for bugs to eat their way to your pile of lumber! I know that's not the case in Alaska, but it is in a warmer climate.

I had spruce poles in the ground in Alaska for more than 20 years and they weren't rotted, it doesn't work that way in the lower 48... Those same poles would be rotted in as little as 3 or 4 years in some places...

SR

Hey Rob, That's crazy! I used Alaska Yellow Cedar, which in many cases outlasts pressure treated. I know most places don't have an old growth cyprus like AK Yellow Cedar.

Do you think that would be the case with other rot resistant woods in the lower 48?

 

[Sawyer Rob]

A couple tree's are rot resistant in t lower 48, but not everyone has access to them, so PT is their friend...

SR

 

[ZachAK]

A couple tree's are rot resistant in t lower 48, but not everyone has access to them, so PT is their friend...

SR

That's mighty unfortunate! I heard of a fellow who used the clearest doug fir 4X4s he could find at the hardware store, wrapped in 30lb tar paper (1 foot above ground, 2 feet below) with pretty good results for semi-temporary pilings. That was in either the Washington/Oregon area. Makes good sense to me, but of course the acceptableness of this would depend on your location.

Around here, an old logger/shipwright remedy is to tar yellow cedar pilings near the ground contact, same idea: 6-12" above the ground, 2-3' below. Back in the day when sheet copper was cheaper, guys would put the tar under copper. Bugs and fungus aren't so keen on tar or copper, and that's the basic idea behind pressure treated: protect the outside of the wood.

Anyhow, great thread. Nice to see how different folks are drying their slabs.