Woodworker's Journal 1982-6-6, страница 44

Firewood Rack

Readers in many parts of the country are no doubt starting to sample some of those uncomfortably chilly temperatures that come right along with the late fall season. It's a prelude to the long winter - one that many weather forecasters say will be unusually cold, not only here in New England, but also in most other areas of the country.

With those thoughts in mind, we decided a firewood rack was in order, so we designed one that could hold a pretty fair amount of wood, yet not take up the entire living room area. To save cost it's made using standard 2 by 4 construction lumber, although those who have access to oak or other hardwoods will want to consider putting them to use here. The lap joints and dowel pins make for very solid construction. Ours is sized for 18 inch logs. If you use shorter or longer logs, change dimensions to suit.

Select 2 by 4 stock that is well seasoned and free from any warp.

Avoid any with loose knots. Begin by cutting parts A, B, and C to the lengths shown. You'll need four pieces of each part. Set up a dado head cutter to make a V* inch deep cut, then proceed to cut the sixteen half-lap joints as shown in the exploded view. When cutting the joint in part A for the stretchers (C), make them slightly less than the width of the stretchers. Later when the stretchers are sanded, the slight reduction in width will make for a good snug fit.

Assemble the two frames (parts A & B) as shown. Use glue and clamp firmly with bar or pipe clamps to pull the edges in close contact. It's also a good idea to add a C-clamp at each corner to squeeze the lap joint faces together. Be sure to use clamp pads in conjunction with the clamps.

When dry, drill a 1 inch diameter hole through each joint to take a VA inch long dowel pin. Cut the pins so they protrude on each side about 1/32 of an inch. This allows them to be

sanded flush with the surface.

With a saber saw, apply the 1 inch radius to the corners, then use a router equipped with a V* inch piloted rounding over bit to round off all edges. Next, give all surfaces a complete sanding. Start with a grit that will remove planer marks with a minimum of effort. We started with 80 grit, then followed with 100, 150, and 220.

Use the router to round-over the outside edges of part C, but on the inside, stop the bit just short of the lap joint. Sand thoroughly, then joint to the frames with glue and clamps. Two Vi inch diameter dowel pins further secure the joint.

Final sand all parts, then stain to suit. Two coats of polyurethane varnish will provide a durable final finish. Four feet in the form of 1 inch diameter by V* inch long dowel pins, will help stabilize the rack on uneven floors. These feet are inserted in Vt" deep holes so they will extend Vt" from the bottom.

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