Are you starting to accumulate a bit of firewood for the winter, but don’t have any place to store it to keep it dry?  Well, here are plans for building your own firewood storage woodshed.

One of my favorite parts of these firewood storage plans is that they provide enough storage for a good amount of logs in the lower compartment, but also have upper storage for kindling.  This means you should always have plenty of room to have both ready by your fire pit or outdoor chimney!

Tools Needed

• Saws – miter, circular, or a table saw (having dado blades also helps)
• Drill & Driver, and exterior wood screws
• Tape measure
• Square or protractor
• Hammer or pneumatic nailer, and nails
• Exterior wood glue

Materials List

• 2 – pressure treated 2x4s @ 8′
• 2 – 2×3 @ 6′ (or 2x4s)
• 1 – 1×3 @ 6′
• 1 – 1×4 @ 8′
• 7 – 1×4 @ 6′
• 1 – 1×4 @ 4′
• 1 – 2×2 @ 8′
• 4 – 1×6 @ 6′
• 3 – 1×6 @ 8′

Step 1: Cut the legs for your firewood storage

We need to make four legs for this firewood storage unit.  The front two of those legs will be cut to 48″ in length, with a 22.5 degree miter.  The back two legs will be cut to 42″ in length, also with a 22.5 degree miter.  Your miters don’t have to be exactly 22.5 – but all four must be the same.  They just allow a nice slope of the roof so that water and snow can run off.

Once the legs are all cut to length, we need to cut dados and rabbets for the stretchers to sit in.  Since our plans are designed to use 2x3s for the bottom stretchers, we’re going to need to cut dados that are 1 1/2″ deep by 2 1/2″ high.  If you are using 2x4s instead, just make your dados 3 1/2″ high.  Cut these dados in all four legs the same distance from the bottom of the legs.  In our firewood storage plans we’re setting these 5″ from the ground since our woodshed is going to be sitting in dirt and mud.

The remaining dados and rabbets only need to get cut into the front two legs. The dado for the front shelf support,  needs to match the dimensions of the front shelf support which in our case is a 1×3 – which translates to 3/4″ deep x 2 1/2″ high.

The rabbet at the top of the front stretchers should be 3 3/16″ long by 3/4″ deep to accommodate the 1×4 we’ll use for the top stretcher.

Step 2: Add stretchers

Now that we have our four legs cut, we’re going to cut and add the stretchers so that we have two leg bases.  The bottom two stretchers and the middle stretcher (or front shelf support) all need to be cut to the same length.  In these plans, we’re cutting them to 36″.   The top two stretchers need to extend an extra 1 1/2″ so their edges line up with the ends of the outer roof supports we’re adding later.  This means we’ll need to make them 37 1/2″ long.

We also cut a 22.5 degree bevel on the top edge of the top two stretchers so their top edges match the top edges of the legs.

Step 3: Attach the side & center roof supports

I like to cut and attach the side roof supports next because they have mitered ends, and are a little trickier to get the precise length.  We’re going to use 1x2s for the side supports, and a 2×2 for the center support. Ideally, they should all be cut to 18 43/64″ in length with 22.5 degree miters (or whatever angle you used on the legs).  If your lengths aren’t exactly perfect, as long as they are the same on all three pieces we can adjust the rest of the build to match.

Step 4:  Add the shelf supports

These shelf supports should all be cut to 15″ in length, if your supports in Step 3 were cut and attached correctly.   It’s best to measure the actual distance needed in order to keep the legs parallel to each other their entire lengths.  

Use 2x3s for the bottom supports and 2x2s for the top supports.  The sides should be nailed or screwed into the legs directly, with the top edges flush to the front and back stretchers.  The middle supports should be screwed to the middle of the stretchers.  You’ll note there is no where to attach the back of the middle stretcher – this will be attached directly to the back wall slats in the Step 6.

Step 5: Install the shelves

The shelves are just 1×6 boards, cut to 33″ in length.   Lay them out so they are spaced evenly, and nail or screw them down into the supports.

Step 6:  Add the sides and the back

The sides and back can really be made out of any width boards you wish.  We designed it with 1x4s, but our build is going to be mostly out of pallet wood we have laying around already.  The key factors to remember are ensuring the top board on the back aligns with the top of the shelf so that you can attach the center support to it; and adding the angled cut to the top piece on each side (depicted in pink below) so that the kindling shelf is enclosed from the sides.

Step 7: Add the roof

The last step of the build for this firewood storage unit is to add the roof.  We used 1x6s, but like in the sides and back, you can choose any size boards here. The key factor is too just ensure they overlap so the water runs off the back.

Start by cutting your boards to length (39″), and then attach the back roof board first.  Allow an overhang in the back, and center it so the side overhangs are equal.  Then add the next board, allowing it to overlap the first board by about 1/2″.  Nail it to the side support near the top, and then proceed with this pattern for the rest of the boards of the roof.

Step 8: Add paint, stain, or sealer

Now that your build is done, you’ll want to add a coat of paint, stain, or sealer to help protect and preserve your firewood storage unit from the elements.

We hope you enjoy these firewood storage unit plans, and as always, if you have any questions feel free to reach out via our Facebook page or our Contact form.

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