| You may not think of a firewood shed as a wood | | | | cubic ft. From this, you can calculate the size of |
| stove accessory, but, in the big picture, it is one | | | | shed you need. You can also use the basement, a |
| of most important. You might have the best gas | | | | garage, several sheds or one shed and several |
| chain saw, extra chains, sharpening tools, and | | | | covered piles. |
| fireplace tools, but if your wood is wet it will not | | | | The wood needs to dry at least 6 months before |
| burn. | | | | burning. If the prevailing winds and weather tend |
| The shed need not be fancy or expensive, | | | | to make the wood wet, you should consider |
| neither does it have to be a messy pile of boards | | | | adding at least a partial wall to the shed to |
| and tarps. You can buy ready made firewood | | | | protect the wood. The more air exposure the |
| racks, but they tend to be rather small and | | | | wood has, the better it will dry. |
| expensive. If you only use wood for taking the | | | | Other wood stove accessories you will need, if |
| chill off or for the occasional atmosphere fire, | | | | you are going to use a new or used cast iron |
| then a small ready made one will work just fine. | | | | wood stove or fireplace insert, would include a |
| Building your own shed can be a very satisfying | | | | metal ash pan, shovel, floor protector, and stove |
| project that can include other family members. | | | | top water steamer. |
| Because it is a shed, not a kitchen cabinet, there | | | | The dangers of using green wood are real and |
| is plenty of room for error and it will still work | | | | can result in a chimney fire. The moisture in the |
| well. When small children are allowed to help Dad | | | | wood cause it to burn incompletely, which makes |
| with such projects, the memories can last a | | | | the wood smolder, rather than ignite. The gases |
| lifetime. Hammering and sawing boards can be a | | | | emitted condense on the walls of the stove pipe |
| great learning experience, and a firewood shed is | | | | or chimney and solidify as a coating of condensed |
| the perfect kind of project to work on together. | | | | fuel, just waiting to ignite. |
| It is important to decide on the size of the shed, | | | | If the chimney is coated with creosote and you |
| which will be determined by how much wood you | | | | have a very hot fire, or a lot of sparks and |
| expect to use for the winter. In Vermont a | | | | flames, the creosote may ignite into a torch like |
| typical house uses 5 cords of wood for the | | | | fire. This fire sounds like a rushing wind as it |
| season. This is a lot of firewood, and it might be | | | | explodes in the chimney, and the temperatures |
| more than you are willing or able to build a shed | | | | can be high enough to actually melt stove pipe or |
| for. | | | | adjacent combustible materials. |
| A full cord of wood is 4 ft. x 4 ft. x 8 ft., or 128 | | | | |