Outdoor Wood Storage Rack

by edowning

88991

Intro: Outdoor Wood Storage Rack

In this guide I will take you through the steps of making your very own Outdoor Wood Storage Rack. I made mine with wood I had left over from another project and nails I got at an auction. My rack is made entirely from pressure treated dimensional lumber, however you could use any wood you can get or have laying around for the main body assuming you paint or seal it against the elements. It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that the feet are made of some kind of rot/water resistant material since they will remain in contact with the ground indefinitely.

This project from inception to completion only took 2-3 hours to make and can be made with limited tools by someone with little to no experience.

STEP 1: Materials and Tools

To get a rack with similar dimensions to mine you will need the following:

Materials

One- 4 foot(~1.2 meter) 4in x 4in (10cm x 10cm)

Three - 10 foot(~3 meter) 2in x 4in (5cm x 10cm)

4in (10cm) Fasteners of choice (I used 4in screw shank nails)

Note: You may not have these sizes available at your local store, that is fine you will either have leftover materials or have different final dimensions.

Tools

Saw - I used a circular saw but a hand saw or chop saw would work just as well.

Hammer - I used mine to both drive nails and re-position stubborn boards.

Drill/Driver - If you use screws to fasten everything you will need this, it is also a good idea to predrill all holes even if using nails.

Clamps - These are optional but very handy.

Sawhorse or worktable - I used a pair of sawhorses but you could just as easily assemble everything on the ground or a workbench.

STEP 2: Cut the Wood

First things first, we need those boards down to size. To get a rack similar to mine you will need to cut your wood down to the following:

Three 2in x 4in (5x10cm) boards cut down to 5ft (132cm).

The one 4in x 4in (10cm x 10cm) should be cut to 2ft (61cm)

STEP 3: Assemble the Sides

Now to begin assembly. The easiest was I found was to start with the sides.

Clamp or hold one piece of 2in x 4in(5cm x 10cm) to either end of one piece of 4in x 4in(10cm x 10cm), you want each 2x on the same face but at opposite ends and both pointing the same way as in the picture.

Then fasten the boards together with at least 2 fasteners at each joint being careful to not split your boards.

STEP 4: Attach the Bottom Stretchers

Now you will want to put the bottom on.

I attached mine on the inside of the uprights for the sides since this allows some shorter pieces of wood to be placed on the middle without falling off.

The assembly is similar to the sides, clamp the 2in x 4in(5cm x 10cm) boards in place then fasten them together in at least two places at each joint.

STEP 5: Finishing Touches

Once the bottom is on your are done, now this isn't meant to last forever or be solid as a rock, it is just made to keep wood off the ground and semi organized.

Feel free to paint or stain to match your personal style, since I used pressure treated lumber I opted to just leave it "as is".

The last thing to do is put some logs on it and let em get all nice and seasoned, chopping optional.

Personal note: Yes one side of mine is longer, like I noted before this was all scrap material.

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