Drying/Stacking Platform

firefighter ontheside · March 17, 2022, 05:23:27 PM

I've seen a few folks building some platforms for stacking lumber. If I remember correctly @caveman was one of them. I'm going to build 2 of them soon. I cleared some spaces alongside my driveway and not far from the mill. I seem to remember there being 2 long beams set on piers and then some bunks spanning those at about 18" spacing. These will be mostly intended for stacking stuff that I intend to sell green or as dry as it gets on there before someone comes to buy it. For me that means ERC and white oak, as those seem to sell well green. I will sticker the lumber. Along side my driveway seems a good place for someone to park their vehicle while we load up their lumber. I imagine I'll use mostly white oak for the platforms, but perhaps some treated short posts or maybe even some plastic that i've seen being sold locally. I would appreciate any input on sizes of the beams folks have used to build these. I'm thinking something like 4x8 or 4x10. Also right near these I'm creating a parking space for the flatbed truck i'm buying. I think these spots will also be good as they are shaded most of the time.

caveman · March 17, 2022, 05:52:41 PM

We built four of them. Three consist of short pieces of utility poles buried a few feet into the ground with a shelf cut and a 2x10 or 2x12 bolted to. We cut 2x4's 44" long and spanned the bigger 2x @ 16" spacing. One of the platforms was made to be portable and sits on top of the ground and the height is adjusted with shims. It is a pain to use and the last one we'll likely build like that.

firefighter ontheside · March 17, 2022, 07:36:35 PM

Thanks. That's exactly what I need. I was thinking of pouring concrete, but maybe just some treated posts sunk a few feet like you did would be easier and still last a good long while. I think I'm gonna make one 8' long and the other 10'. Looks like the 4x10 I was thinking of would be overkill, especially with a midpoint post.

caveman · March 17, 2022, 11:09:52 PM

We would prefer to pour some 4'x50' sidewalks to stack pallets of lumber on, but the racks do okay. Concrete, like everything else, has gotten expensive.

doc henderson · March 18, 2022, 03:54:13 AM

pallets and walks.

you can see it in the background. log splitter there temporarily so we can put a slab for under it.

firefighter ontheside · March 18, 2022, 09:44:56 PM

Concrete is a wonderful thing.

firefighter ontheside · March 19, 2022, 06:13:40 PM

I realized I had locust 6x6 that I could use for posts. I had some white oak 2x8's that I had milled a few weeks ago. I dug some holes, but not very deep. I can't dig more than about 8" deep before I hit rock around here. That will be deep enough. I just need to re-saw some other white oak into some 2x4's to lay across the two beams and it will be ready to stack some cedar on there. I decided that 2 posts on each side would be sufficient and I'll hang the ends of the beams over 12". I'm gonna trim them back to 8' long.

Wlmedley · March 19, 2022, 07:51:49 PM

That's going to be nice.Now I have another future project.Never get done but that's what keeps me going :laugh:

firefighter ontheside · March 19, 2022, 10:52:53 PM

It will be nice to have a permanent place to put lumber for sale that is out of the way. Wasn't that much trouble to build and I used everything that I have milled. Nice to not go to the store to buy lumber. Now, the lags I'm using came from the store. I can't make those.

Dad pointed out some pieces of telephone pole that have been next to their garage since I was a little kid. I will use those to make the next platform.

WDH · March 20, 2022, 08:58:33 AM

The next thing you will do is put a little shed roof over it and then it will become even more handy.

firefighter ontheside · March 20, 2022, 10:46:08 AM

Quote from: WDH on March 20, 2022, 08:58:33 AM
The next thing you will do is put a little shed roof over it and then it will become even more handy.

No doubt Danny. Originally my plan was just to set some metal on top of the stack, but that will be a pain having to pull it off all the time. As I was building it yesterday, I had a thought about being able to hang some sort of tarp or such from the trees it is under, but that was silly. The best thing would probably be to build a lightweight roof over it. Might even just use a cheap tarp as the roof and replace it every couple of years. I think it would last quite a while, since its always shaded.

caveman · March 20, 2022, 09:42:24 PM

We use a couple of 20' heavy, corrugated roofing panels on each 16' stack tied down with mule tape. The benefit of tin for us, instead of a roof is that we can keep the wood covered when the stack is short and when it gets tall. The tractor's forks make removing and placing the tin a breeze. We have considered using conveyor mat on top of a pallet to cover stacks. The other consideration if making a permanent roof is to ensure you can get your fork rack under the roof. I built the one we use on my tractor and the bars that keep stuff from rolling back are a little higher than the store models.

firefighter ontheside · March 21, 2022, 05:25:48 PM

That's a good consideration to consider...tall or short stacks. If these were for the main purpose of drying I think that would be the answer for me, but these are intended to be kind of like sales racks at Lowes. I hope to sell so quickly that they don't stay there for long, but would like to keep soaking rains off of them.
I could see myself building more of these just for drying. I hope to get this one all done tomorrow and then start milling some cedar to put on it.

firefighter ontheside · March 22, 2022, 11:20:45 AM

I had a stack of lumber that I kind of abandoned, but I figured I could resaw some of it to make the crossmembers for the rack. This white oak has been sitting dead stacked in the weather for several years, but it is in great condition. Seeing the crossmembers on there really shows how much longer @caveman 's platform is. I can't saw more than 10' long though, so I don't need it that long. Probably not gonna saw cedar today as its pretty rainy and Sean is off for spring break, so I will spend some time with him indoors.

Peter Drouin · March 26, 2022, 10:11:38 PM

Got to put up a roof on that.
Is what I did.

You have a good start, But, you can see where goes to. :D :D :D ;)

Walnut Beast · March 26, 2022, 10:36:45 PM

I like it!!! Very nice 👍

firefighter ontheside · March 27, 2022, 08:30:00 AM

Give me a year or two, Peter. I'll get there. :D ;D
I do have a plan to use some pallet racking that I have to create a roofed area next to my mill. The racking will support the roof. It will create a spot for me to park my tractor or mule and then of course, lumber can be stacked on the racks. I was just talking to my dad about putting a little roof over that platform. I have thin sheets of phenolic resin that will make a nice lightweight roof.