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Indoor Firewood Rack[8/4 · 4ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 1 firewood rack
Shop Black Walnut 8/4 · 4ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 4' Lengths / 4-6"
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
A chunky hardwood log rack for beside the fireplace or wood stove. Two thick rails and three floor slats lift the logs off the floor, and four uprights with top ties keep the stack in place. Everything is screwed, so it goes together in a day with basic tools. It holds about a week of evening fires.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rails | 2 | Boards 1–2 | 30" × 4" × 1¾" | 30" × 3½" × 1¾" |
| Uprights | 4 | Boards 1–3 | 16" × 4" × 1¾" | 16" × 3½" × 1¾" |
| Floor slats | 3 | Boards 3–5 (14" pieces) | 14" × 4" × 1¾" | 14" × 3½" × 1¾" |
| Top ties | 2 | Boards 3–5 (14" pieces) | 14" × 4" × 1¾" | 14" × 3½" × 1¾" |
Sides: two 30" rails on edge, each with two 16" uprights screwed flat to its inside face, set in 1¾" from the ends. 2 × #10 × 3" screws per joint, no glue (cross grain).
Ends: a 14" top tie across the outside of each pair of uprights, flush with the tops, 2 × #10 × 3" screws per upright.
Floor: three 14" slats across the rail tops, evenly spaced, 2 × #10 × 3" screws per slat end.
Finished size: 30" L × 14" D × 16" H (S4S and S2S). Logs sit 5¾" (S4S) or 5¼" (S2S) off the floor; about 18" of clear length between the end uprights.
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 8/4 · 4ft (S4S or S2S)
- 28 × #10 × 3" flat-head wood screws
- 6 felt pads
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Finish: wipe-on oil, hardwax oil or water-based poly
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square)
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits
- 2 bar clamps, 18" or longer
- Router with ¼" roundover bit (optional)
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- Tape measure, combination square, pencil
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
S4S or S2S? S4S boards arrive flat and square on all four sides — cut and build. S2S boards have rough edges you straighten first. No jointer? Choose S4S.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · S4S boards 1¾" × 4", ¼" to square an end · S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (3½" clean); we plan S2S at 1¾" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S4S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 4 sides — no jointing
- 1 Cut the parts. Square one end of each board and use a stop block for matching lengths. Boards 1 and 2: a 30" rail and a 16" upright each. Board 3: two 16" uprights and one 14" piece. Board 4: three 14" pieces. Board 5: one 14" piece. Pick the three best 14" pieces for the floor slats; the other two are the top ties.
- 2 Sand first. Sand every part 120 → 180 and round all the edges with a ¼" roundover or sandpaper. Bark and splinters catch on sharp corners, and it is much easier to sand before assembly.
- 3 Mark the rails. Stand both rails on edge, 4" tall. On the inside face of each, draw a line 1¾" in from each end. Each upright sits just inside its line. The 1¾" left at each end is where the top ties go.
- 4 Screw the uprights to the rails. Clamp an upright flat against the inside face of a rail, its outer edge on the line and its bottom flush with the bottom of the rail. Drill two clearance holes through the rail, pilot holes into the upright, and drive two #10 × 3" screws. No glue — the grain crosses here. Do all four corners. You now have two sides.
- 5 Add the top ties. Stand the two sides up, uprights facing in, 14" apart outside to outside. Lay a tie across the outer face of each pair of uprights, top edges flush, ends flush with the outside of the rails. Pre-drill and drive two #10 × 3" screws through the tie into each upright.
- 6 Check for square. Measure the diagonals across the top. Push the long corners together until the numbers match.
- 7 Fit the floor slats. Lay the three slats across the rail tops, ends flush with the outside of the rails. Space them evenly: 1⅝" between the slats and between the end slats and the uprights. Pre-drill and drive two #10 × 3" screws down through each slat end into the rail.
- 8 Finish. Wipe on oil, hardwax oil or water-based poly, 2–3 coats, on every face including the bottoms. Stick felt pads under the rails and the uprights. Stack logs along the length, up to the top ties.
S2S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance). S2S boards finish 1¾" thick, so screws and some sizes change — use the sizes in this column.
- 2 Cut the parts. Square one end of each board and use a stop block for matching lengths. Boards 1 and 2: a 30" rail and a 16" upright each. Board 3: two 16" uprights and one 14" piece. Board 4: three 14" pieces. Board 5: one 14" piece. Pick the three best 14" pieces for the floor slats; the other two are the top ties.
- 3 Sand first. Sand every part 120 → 180 and round all the edges with a ¼" roundover or sandpaper. Bark and splinters catch on sharp corners, and it is much easier to sand before assembly.
- 4 Mark the rails. Stand both rails on edge, 3½" tall. On the inside face of each, draw a line 1¾" in from each end. Each upright sits just inside its line. The 1¾" left at each end is where the top ties go.
- 5 Screw the uprights to the rails. Clamp an upright flat against the inside face of a rail, its outer edge on the line and its bottom flush with the bottom of the rail. Drill two clearance holes through the rail, pilot holes into the upright, and drive two #10 × 3" screws. No glue — the grain crosses here. Do all four corners. You now have two sides.
- 6 Add the top ties. Stand the two sides up, uprights facing in, 14" apart outside to outside. Lay a tie across the outer face of each pair of uprights, top edges flush, ends flush with the outside of the rails. Pre-drill and drive two #10 × 3" screws through the tie into each upright.
- 7 Check for square. Measure the diagonals across the top. Push the long corners together until the numbers match.
- 8 Fit the floor slats. Lay the three slats across the rail tops, ends flush with the outside of the rails. Space them evenly: 2¼" between the slats and between the end slats and the uprights. Pre-drill and drive two #10 × 3" screws down through each slat end into the rail.
- 9 Finish. Wipe on oil, hardwax oil or water-based poly, 2–3 coats, on every face including the bottoms. Stick felt pads under the rails and the uprights. Stack logs along the length, up to the top ties.
Why no glue? The uprights cross the rails, and the ties cross the uprights. Glue on a cross-grain joint fights the wood as it moves and can crack. Screws hold it all and let it move.
Why lift the logs? Slats let air under the wood, so it stays dry and bugs have nowhere to hide. Bark and dust fall through to the floor where they are easy to sweep.
Why pre-drill? Maple, oak and hickory split if you drive a screw without a pilot hole. Pre-drill every screw and countersink so the heads sit flush.
Make It Yours
- Kindling box: use the leftover piece of board 5 (about 33") for the ends and sides of a small open box that sits beside the rack.
- Taller stack: skip the top ties and screw a 30" handle rail across the tops instead, for carrying.
- Casters: add four small locking casters under the rails so it rolls out for sweeping.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Keep the rack outside the hearth clearance in your stove or fireplace manual. Never set it on the hearth in front of an open fire.
- Only bring in dry, seasoned wood, and check it for bugs before you stack it indoors.
- Pre-drill every screw — hardwoods split without a pilot hole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for S4S boards — they arrive flat and square on all four sides. S2S boards need their edges straightened: a jointer, a table saw with a straight-line jig, or a hand plane all work. No jointer? Choose the S4S pack.
About one wheelbarrow load — enough for several evening fires. Logs up to about 18" long fit between the end uprights.
Yes. Two #10 × 3" screws at every joint carry a full stack of hardwood logs. Keep the load in the rack, not leaning on the top ties.
On a covered porch, yes. Build it in white oak, use exterior screws and an exterior oil finish, and keep it off wet ground.
Planned offcuts only: about 5" off board 4 and about 33" off board 5 — enough for a kindling box (see Make It Yours). All 5 boards go into the rack.
No. The rails need 30" and the uprights 16", so a 2ft pack is too short. A 2ft 8/4 pack suits our chunky bookends or tealight logs instead.
