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Rustic elegance!


Imagine a storage solution that holds enough firewood to feed your stove for days, hides your matches and fire starters in a drawer, is mounted on hidden casters for easy loading, has stylish wrought iron supports and
looks like a custom piece of rustic furniture.

You must be sitting in my den!

Born of necessity...

As I write this article, it is 24 degrees outside my window, but toasty warm inside our log home on this late November Montana evening.  Although we haven't yet seen much snow, 'ol man winter has had his grip on us for a couple of months.  What is interesting is that our furnace has not yet been called-up for duty - and yes, the thermostat is working.

We have a woodstove.  In fact, we have one of those popular Canadian models that burn incredibly efficiently, keeps the glass clean and has a temperature controlled fan that directs heat throughout the house.  Our stove isn't for show, nor is its purpose to create a sense of romantic ambiance, in season it works 24 hours a day keeping my family warm.

I like everything about using a woodstove.  I cut, split and stack my own firewood because I really enjoy the exercise that provides.  I like the ritual of starting a fire and nursing it back to life in the morning from the overnight coals.  I like walking into our home on a cold winter's day and feeling that natural warmth that no furnace can duplicate. I also happen to like saving thousands of dollars each year on LP gas.

The only thing I didn't like (past tense) about our circumstance is that our stove is located in a corner of our den that is not convenient to the door.  Although I have an ample supply of firewood just outside the door, hauling it to the woodstove was a chore.  If you keep the home fire burning 24/7, you're talking about a lot of trips to the door.  I had been pondering a solution to this dilemma for a couple of years and even proposed an idea on my blog in September of '06.

In lieu of cutting a hole on the wall for easier access to the firewood supply, I decided that the best way to address my problem was to increase the amount of wood I stored inside - and improve my method of firewood 'transportation'.  I simply needed a bigger firewood rack - mounted on wheels!  An oh yeah, it had to look good to please my bride's fastidious taste in furniture, and it would be nice to have a place to store matches and fire starters.

Functionality in the entire design was my primary rationale when planning this piece.  I wanted it to serve its purpose, and look like a piece of custom furniture.

1.  The slab top blends with our rustic decor, adds strength and offers a place for a lamp, photos or flower vase, etc.

2.  Wrought iron frame surrounds the firewood preventing scratches to the base and looks rustically terrific.

3.  Holds enough firewood for days of continuous burning.

4.  The base houses one drawer and conceals the casters.

5.  The large drawer stores matches, fire starters and gloves.  The drawer has an authentic antler pull and hidden latches to keep it from opening when the unit is being moved.

How this evolved...

I love log furniture, and have built much of the furniture in our home (see the log and slab china closet I made for my bride).  Thus, my original intent was to create this piece using logs for the side rails.  I went as far as to peel the logs and cut the tenons before I decided to scrap that plan.  My concern was that over time, the logs would get too banged-up from the constant firewood in/out activity.  I considered inlaying steel 'runners' in the logs and base, but chose to construct a wrought iron 'cage', which would serve my purpose.

With this open design, one could built such a unit to any dimensions that works for your surroundings.  Although the rack is mounted on casters, it would be difficult to maneuver this around tight corners with a full load of wood.  In our home, we have to wheel this around a couch and table, and it works splendidly.  What makes this so useful is that the rack holds about 10 - 12 arm loads of wood saving me about 300+ cumulative steps fetching wood every few hours.  Mission accomplished!

Want to buy one for your home?

Until I hear otherwise, I intend to claim full credit as the inventor of the "Ultimate Firewood Rack - Butler - Storage - Time Saver - Furniture - Thing" (catchy name, huh?).  I may be the inventor, but I must report that I have no plans to produce such a product for sale... sorry.  However, if you are the DIY type and would like to build such a piece for your home, you can get my step-by-step plans with pictures and all kinds of tips and helpful hints. 

How much?

How about FREE?  All I ask in return is that you tell a friend (or 2 or 10 friends) about this website and bookmark us for future visits.  We are always adding new articles such as this and would be pleased to call you a 'FOLD' (Friend of the Log Directory)

To read the step-by-step firewood rack DIY plans or download a PDF, go here

Woodstove shopping tip!

Shopping for a quality woodstove can offer the same experience as looking for a 'good' used car.  Every retailer you speak with will make the same claims about the efficiency of their stoves, how they don't fog the glass, burn better, heat better, yada, yada, yada.... 

Avoid that hassle by letting your mouse do the hard work first and review scores of woodstove models from dozens of manufacturers by searching online.  Learn what efficiency and BTU ranges mean before you start listening to the sales pitch. 
(Tip #31)

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