DIY indoor firewood rack

Wood with a beautiful grain such as fruitwood or oak is particularly well suited for use in a firewood rack – and the latter is also very robust. Cherry wood, which has a red colour, is also a great choice.

A firewood rack should be indoors, near the fireplace. This will ensure the wood is very close at hand and can dry out nicely.

Yes, you can store wood indoors. It’s best to bring enough wood for the next one or two days into your home. However, where possible you should only store wood that has a residual moisture content of 15-20% in the house; this prevents mould forming, and means it is ready to burn.

To dry, firewood should be stored outside for two years beforehand, for example in a firewood shelter.

• 35 x 15 cm timber, total length a good 220 cm

• 7 x 35 cm planks, total length 170 cm

• Thin wooden board, 35 x 15 cm

• 36 wooden dowels, 10 x 40 mm

• Wood oil, e.g. walnut oil

• Wood glue

• Flat brush for oiling

 

A template for marking the drill holes can be downloaded here in DIN A3 format:

• Belt sander with 180 grit belt, depending on the board condition
• Chainsaw, e.g. STIHL MSA 160 cordless chainsaw
• Cordless drill/screwdriver or power drill/drill press
• 10 mm wood drill
• Rubber mallet
• Hammer

Working with high-performance power tools is fun and allows you to broaden your skills, which is great as long as you can rely on effective and safe protective clothing while using them. Always wear your personal protective equipment when working with your chainsaw. This includes helmets, cut protection trousers, safety boots and much more. For details, refer to your product owners manual. Before using your power tool for the first time, fully familiarise yourself with it and ensure that it is in flawless condition before each use. On request, your STIHL dealer will be happy to prepare your power tool for its first job, and will also advise you on models and sizes of protective clothing that you can try on at your leisure. Please remember that personal protective equipment is no substitute for working safely.

Cut the timber joist into four parts: 2 40-centimetre-long pieces and 2 which are each 65 centimetres long. Cut the plank into one section of 70 centimetres and one of 90 centimetres.

Sand all sides of the cut wood so they are smooth. Do this step thoroughly, as you are creating the final surface for your indoor firewood rack.
Consider wearing ear protection if you are using a sander.

Now use a thin wooden board to make a drilling template with 6 holes – positioned as 3 pairs. You will need this later to ensure that the wooden dowels fit correctly in all the joints of the rack. Take the cross-section of the thick timbers as the basis (15 x 35 cm) for the template.

First mark out the holes you need to drill by placing the drilling template you have just created flush on the edge of the beam. Then, drill 10-millimetre-wide holes to exactly 2 centimetres deep. If you don’t have a drill with a depth stop, simply mark the required drill depth on the drill bit with tape, and then carefully drill into the wood up to that mark.

Now coat the wood with oil and leave it to soak in for 15 minutes. Then wipe off any excess oil with a rag and leave the oil to dry in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions – this is often for 24 hours.

STIHL professional tip: Leave the area directly around the drilled holes bare, as oil here would interfere with the wood glue used later. It’s best to tape off the drilled areas, using masking tape for example. Of course, you can also carefully brush around the holes.

Caution: Oil the wood in the workshop or outdoors as, depending on the type of oil, this process can create unpleasant fumes. Also, ensure any rags that have come into contact with linseed oil are dried spread out flat in a ventilated area, and if you need to store them in the interim, do so in sealed screw-top jars to avoid the risk of spontaneous combustion.

Coat all around one half of the dowels with wood glue, then carefully insert them into the holes you drilled in the planks. If necessary, use a hammer to drive the dowels into the holes.

Now coat the other half of the dowels with wood glue. Set the two 40-centimetre-long wooden planks up in parallel, and affix the 90-centimetre plank between them via the dowels. It necessary, use a rubber mallet to make the boards lie flush together.

Now attach the two remaining pieces of wood (65 centimetres) to the plank using the same principle. Again, make sure that the boards are flush and that the dowels are fully sunk into the wood. Then fasten the 70-centimetre plank across the two beams.

Now you can attach a holder for your fireplace accessories to the firewood rack. To do this, simply attach a hook rail to the side of your firewood rack with screws, so your shovel and all the rest of your accessories can be stored right near your fireplace.