Easiest Firewood Rack - j marshall pittman

He demonstrates a very simple, low‑cost, “improvised” firewood rack using scrap boards and a string/cable anchor, emphasizing that it is versatile, expandable, and good enough for big outdoor stacks even if it looks a bit rough. --- ## Detailed outline 1. **Intro: too much firewood and a “simple rack”** - Opens with a shot of a large pile of firewood and asks what he is going to do with it, answering that he will stack it. - Uses this as the opportunity to demonstrate a **simple, low‑cost, versatile, expandable** firewood rack design. - Jokes that some people might think it looks “a little bit ghetto,” but you sometimes just have to get over that. 2. **Materials and initial base boards** - Starts with two boards or similar objects (2×4s or sawmill offcuts), spaced roughly a firewood‑length apart. - Notes that he is working on uneven, lumpy ground and shims under one board with a scrap to compensate. - Advises viewers, humorously, to make better decisions than he did and choose **even ground** if possible. 3. **Attaching the end brace** - Places a short board at the end across the two base boards and fastens it with nails (or screws, user’s choice). - Leaves the tops of the nails high so he can easily tear it apart later if needed. - States that this is the “most complicated” part of the build, then immediately undercuts the drama with humor. 4. **Start stacking before the rack is “done”** - Explains that with this method you can, and actually must, start stacking wood before the rack is fully built. - The stacked firewood itself becomes part of the rack structure, helping support later elements. - Builds a short, initial stack to set up for the upright support. 5. **Adding the upright support (“anchor piece”)** - Uses an upright board (or similar object) placed with its bottom on the inner side of the nailed end board. - Jokes about which step is really the most complicated, playing with the idea that none of this is actually hard. - Introduces a “stringy type object” (wire, rope, strong string, strap) attached to the upright at a reasonable height. 6. **Tensioning and fixing the string anchor** - Puts a chunk or two of firewood at the base of the upright to keep it in position temporarily. - Stretches the wire/string into the stack area, explaining that the farther in it goes, the more secure the support will be. - Wraps the string/wire around a piece of wood in the stack and secures it, forming an inward‑pulling brace. 7. **Burying the anchor and building height** - Continues stacking wood around and over the “anchor piece” until it is buried and he cannot easily tell which piece it is. - Now the string‑supported upright is firmly held in place by the surrounding firewood. - Stacks up to about 4 feet high, saying that is as tall as he wants to go for this rack. 8. **Options for the opposite end of the rack** - Discusses adding a similar upright on the far end, repeating the same anchor method. - Alternatively, for a shorter rack, you can connect the first upright to a second one with a string so they lean against each other. - Notes that he prefers the method used here because it is more fun. 9. **Extending the rack length** - Places additional base pieces (“a couple more pieces down”) spaced firewood‑length apart to extend the rack. - Says the base boards keep wood off the ground, helping keep it clean and reduce moisture uptake from soil. - Emphasizes you can keep extending “as far as you want,” until you run into obstacles like a river or property line. 10. **Height, stability, and “catastrophic stack failure”** - Recommends not stacking much higher than about 4 feet to avoid the risk of the stack tipping over. - Jokingly calls a collapse “catastrophic stack failure,” defining it as the stack of wood tipping over. - Explains that going deeper into the pile with the anchor and higher on the upright for the string makes the support stronger. 11. **Aesthetic vs functional use cases** - Acknowledges that this rack might look too rough if you want something decorative on a front deck. - Suggests it is better suited for the “back 40” or similar utilitarian areas where function matters more than looks. - Notes that the design is **versatile** because you can adapt dimensions and materials as long as the structure works. 12. **Variations and other rack options** - Mentions that this is not the “best best” way to make a firewood rack, only another option for the toolbox. - Suggests that if you used a T‑post or similar (he calls it a “TST or something like that”) at the ends, you could skip the bottom board and possibly the string. - Reiterates that any stable method is fine; the details of geometry do not matter much given the use case. 13. **Humor, property line, and neighbors** - Jokes about stopping at the property line when extending the rack, or risk giving your neighbor a big free stack of wood. - Notes that depending on the neighbor, they might either complain or be happy, but either way it is not ideal for you. - Continues the dry, tongue‑in‑cheek commentary about life decisions and slopes. 14. **Closing remarks and teaser** - States he stacked a half‑cord of firewood just to demonstrate the method and playfully asks for a like in return. - Says the real reason for the half‑cord is that he plans to extend the stack another 8 feet for an upcoming video on figuring out a cord of wood. - Invites viewers to “stick around” for that next video and hints at more “clever” ways to get them to hit the like button. --- ## Critical take‑aways - You can build a functional firewood rack with scrap boards and a length of wire/rope, without buying a dedicated rack system. - The basic structure is: two base boards spaced at firewood length, an end board tying them together, and an upright supported by a tensioned string anchored into the stack. - The firewood itself becomes part of the support system; you must start stacking to fully stabilize the upright. - Keeping wood off the ground with base boards helps keep it cleaner and reduces moisture drawn from soil. - Limiting rack height to about 4 feet reduces the chance of “catastrophic stack failure” (the stack falling over). - The design is highly adaptable: use whatever boards, string, and dimensions you have, as long as the resulting structure is stable for your terrain and conditions. - This approach is ideal for out‑of‑sight, high‑capacity storage (back lot, “back 40”), not for decorative front‑porch racks. --- ## Action items - Select an area of relatively even ground for your rack site; if you must use uneven ground, plan to shim base boards as needed. - Gather materials: two or more base boards, one or more short end boards, upright boards, and a strong “stringy” object (wire, rope, strap). - Lay two base boards firewood‑length apart, fasten an end board across them, and begin stacking a short section of wood on that base. - Install an upright at the end, attach your wire/rope partway up, and tension it into the stack, securing it around a piece of wood. - Continue stacking to bury the anchor, then build up to your target height (around 4 feet) for stability. - Extend the rack by adding more base boards and repeating the stacking process, stopping before rivers, fences, or property lines. - If you need a neater or more decorative rack in visible areas, adapt this method with cleaner materials or choose an alternative rack design. --- alternate: He demonstrates a very simple, low‑cost, “improvised” firewood rack using scrap boards and a string/cable anchor, highlighting that it is quick to build, expandable, and function‑first rather than pretty. --- ## Detailed outline 1. **Intro: too much firewood and a “simple rack”** - Opens with “all this firewood, what am I going to do with all this firewood? I’m going to stack it,” setting up the project. - Says it’s the perfect time to show how to build a firewood rack that is simple, low cost, versatile, and expandable. - Jokes that some people might think it looks “a little bit ghetto,” but you have to get over that and distract him with work before the puns get out of hand. 2. **Laying out the base boards** - Starts with two boards or similar objects (2×4s or sawmill offcuts) and spaces them about firewood length apart. - Points out he is working on lumpy, uneven ground and shims under one board with a piece of wood to compensate. - Advises viewers that if they make good life decisions—like not stacking firewood on lumpy ground—they can ignore the shimming step. 3. **Attaching the end board (first “complicated” step)** - Takes a short board and attaches it across the ends of the two base boards using nails or screws. - Uses nails because that’s what he has handy and deliberately leaves the nail tops high to make teardown easier later. - Announces that they have now completed “the most complicated part of this build,” joking that everything gets easier from here. 4. **Starting the stack before the rack is finished** - Explains that one of the great things about this method is you can start stacking before you’re done building—and in fact you must. - Emphasizes that the **stack itself becomes part of the rack**, so some wood needs to be in place before adding the upright support. - Builds a small initial stack to prepare for the next step. 5. **Adding the upright (“upright board‑like object”)** - Introduces the next “most complicated” part: installing the upright. - Uses a board or similar object, placing its bottom on the inside of the nailed end board. - Retroactively jokes that nailing the first board was probably the most simple, easy part despite what he said earlier. 6. **Attaching the “stringy type object”** - Gets a piece of wire, rope, string, strong string, or a strap—“some kind of stringy type object.” - Attaches this stringy object to the upright at what seems like a sufficient height. - Places a chunk or two of firewood at the base of the upright to keep it standing while he tensions the string. 7. **Anchoring the upright into the stack** - Stretches the stringy object out into the stack, noting that the farther into the stack you go, the more secure it will be. - Wraps the wire around a piece of wood and secures it, creating an inward tension that holds the upright. - Calls this “the most complicated and difficult part” of the build, while humorously pointing out the ground slope makes the upright look more tilted. 8. **Creating and burying the “anchor piece”** - Begins stacking wood around the upright, spontaneously naming it the “anchor piece.” - Explains that he’s stacking on a slope simply because that’s what he has handy, again riffing on life‑decision jokes. - Once the anchor piece is buried, he notes he can no longer tell which piece it is, and the string is now firmly holding up the upright as he stacks against it. 9. **Stack height and practical limits** - States he could continue stacking, but 4 feet is as high as he wants to go on this rack. - Says it would have been better to choose a 4‑foot upright instead of the “ridiculously long” one he had, but he just used what was handy. - Mentions he could cut the upright shorter later when he has a saw handy. 10. **Handling the far end of the rack** - Explains that to continue, you could repeat the same upright‑and‑string setup on the other end. - For a short rack, you can skip the full repeat and instead tie a string between two uprights so they push against each other. - Says he still thinks doing it the way shown (anchor in stack) is more fun. 11. **Extending the rack along the ground** - Places a couple more base pieces, spread out at firewood length, to lengthen the rack. - States these base pieces keep wood off the ground, keeping it cleaner and limiting moisture absorption from the soil. - Notes you can keep extending the rack “as far as you want” by repeating this process. 12. **Boundaries, property line, and humor** - Says you can continue until you hit something like a river or your property line. - Jokes that at the property line you should stop, because your neighbor might be upset or might be delighted to get free firewood—either way, it’s not good for you. - Recommends stopping at the property line to avoid a stern talking‑to. 13. **Height, “catastrophic stack failure,” and versatility** - Comments that you can make the rack as high as you want, but he prefers not to go much higher than his example. - Warns that higher stacks increase the risk of “catastrophic stack failure,” defined as your stack of wood tipping over. - Describes the rack as versatile because you can make it as long or as high as you want and use whatever materials you have, as long as it works. 14. **On geometry and “it doesn’t matter that much”** - Says they could delve into detailed geometry—best spot for the anchor piece, best height for the string, how deep to put it in the pile. - Immediately undercuts this, saying it’s just firewood and it doesn’t matter that much as long as it works. - Adds that deeper into the stack and higher on the upright both make the support stronger. 15. **Use cases: back 40 vs front deck** - Admits that if you want a nice‑looking rack on your front deck, this design might be too “ghetto.” - Suggests this is better suited for the “back 40” or similar out‑of‑the‑way areas, especially for multiple rows of a lot of firewood. - Says he is not claiming this is the absolute best way, just another option to add to your list of firewood rack methods. 16. **Variations: T‑posts and skipping components** - Proposes using a T‑post or similar (he calls it a “TST or something like that”) at the end as an alternative. - Notes that with a strong enough post, you could skip the bottom board and possibly skip the string as well. - Emphasizes again that any method that works and is stable is good enough. 17. **How much wood stacked and like‑button gag** - Says he stacked a whole half cord of firewood just to show this method and jokes that such effort deserves a like. - Pauses as if giving viewers time to log in and hit the like button, leaning into his dry humor. - Then reveals that the like request wasn’t the main reason he stacked it. 18. **Teaser for the next video** - Explains he plans to extend the stack another 8 feet for an upcoming video on figuring out what a cord of wood is, acknowledging many people are confused. - Encourages viewers to stick around for that video and hints he may find an even more clever way to get them to hit the like button. --- ## Critical take‑aways - A functional firewood rack can be built with scrap boards and a piece of wire/rope, costing little to nothing while still holding a large amount of wood. - The rack’s structure is minimal: base boards spaced at firewood length, a cross board at one end, and an upright held by a tensioned “stringy” anchor buried in the stack. - The firewood stack itself is structural; you must start stacking before the rack is “finished,” and the buried anchor makes the upright solid. - Keeping wood off the ground with base boards helps keep it clean and reduces moisture uptake from the soil. - For safety and stability, limiting the stack height to around 4 feet reduces the risk of “catastrophic stack failure” (the pile tipping over). - Fine‑tuning geometry (exact anchor location, string height, depth into the stack) matters far less than simply making sure the setup is stable enough for firewood. - This design prioritizes function over aesthetics and is ideal for back‑lot or “back 40” storage rather than decorative front‑deck displays. --- ## Action items - Choose a stacking site, ideally on even ground; if uneven, be ready to shim base boards with scrap pieces. - Gather materials: two or more base boards, a short end board, an upright board, and a strong “stringy” object such as wire, rope, or a strap. - Lay two base boards parallel, spaced about one firewood length apart, and fasten an end board across them with nails or screws. - Start a small stack of firewood on the base, then install the upright at the inside of the end board and attach your stringy object partway up the upright. - Stretch the string into the stack, secure it around a piece of wood, then continue stacking to bury the anchor and build the pile up to about 4 feet high. - Extend the rack by adding more base boards at firewood length intervals and repeating the stacking process, stopping at physical boundaries such as rivers or your property line. - For more permanent or neater installations, consider swapping the upright for a T‑post or similar support and optionally eliminating the bottom end board or string if the support is strong enough.