T h e – C e d a r – W o r k s h o pWood, DIY Projects and More!

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The first part of this project takes place at our full-time home in the suburbs. We are located on the west coast of Canada, just above Seattle, WA. It’s the only part of Canada that receives very little snow in the winter. The downside, rain, lots of cold rain and high humidity. Anything that is not covered gets just soaked from the pouring rain. Storage was always an issue, our lot is not very big and land is very expensive. You have to make do with what you have.

The goal was to enclose the split firewood inside a tent made from heavy-duty plastic.

With the aid of the sun beating down on the enclosure, it will heat up like a greenhouse and dry the firewood faster.

The firewood sits on 4′ x 4′ pallets found free off craigslist.org. I like to have firewood off the ground. It prevents water wicking, improves air flow and dries the wood faster. I plan to leave a 3″ gap in the bottom for air flow in and a gap in the top to let the moist air out.

I try to find spots to cram firewood to dry. Under tarps, next to the house and the shed. The best spot, was under the deck and stairs for the second story kitchen. Most of the 9′ x 12′ space was used for my spouses wedding stuff, but I have managed to store some large cedar rounds for drying. The split firewood is neatly stacked under the stairs. It’s a good spot, gets good afternoon sun and it protected from the occasional west coast rain squalls.

The structure for the solar firewood dryer has to be lightweight and temporary. It was made from materials repurposed from other projects. It’s a basic, rectangle frame from 1″ x 4″s. Eight feet long by four feet wide. 1″ x 2″ Strapping was screwed and glued every 12″ and ran the overall length. Since it was to be screwed into the existing stairs, the overall weight had to be light. I had made a previous design out of 2″ x 6″ x 12′ lumber and it was really heavy to move into place. The roof and walls will be covered by 6 mil vapour barrier plastic. The budget for this project was $50. If the canopy does it’s job, I would use it as a prototype for our off-grid property in the mountains. The roof would have to be reinforced for snow load or just construct it in the springtime.

If the canopy does the job, I will be a prototype for firewood at our off-grid property in the mountains.

The next step is to secure the plastic to the walls, create an air intake and an outtake at the top. Then add a thermostat and take a moisture reading of the wood.

Thanks for stopping by and another video will be in the works for the spring..

budget build, dry firewood, firewood, solar dryer, solar kiln

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