I grew up in New England so I know that curling up by a warm, cozy fire is the best past time during the cold winter months. If you are one of the lucky homeowners who have a fireplace or wood stove inside of your house then you can understand where I am coming from.

Anyone who lives in the Northern section of the country deals with freezing cold weather and snow burdened days. And, whether you live in a house, a log cabin, or a rustic mountain inn, having the option to light up the fireplace is a luxury at best. The hardest part about having a fireplace or wood stove is collecting the firewood logs. And, with a load of logs to attend to you must also have a log rack.

Log racks are used for two main reasons; to keep the firewood logs off of the ground and to provide easy access to them. No one wants to pick up a snow soaked log, nor do they want to have to face the inclement weather every time they need a few logs. The answer to solving these two dilemmas is to build or invest in a log rack.

It doesn’t matter if you chop your own firewood or have it delivered to your home as logs; you still have a pile of it sitting outside in the yard. You may decide to restack the logs on the porch but that doesn’t necessarily keep them dry. In addition to having to stack the logs you also have to have access to them in order to spark up the fireplace. Does the thought of a storage rack made specifically for logs sound delightful?

Log racks can be as simple or as elegant as you want them to be. They can be constructed from a few pieces of wood nailed together or from durable steel tubing. The idea of using a firewood log rack is to protect the logs from natural elements and make them easily attainable; the material used to build a log rack is completely up to you, and your needs. Log racks are as small, or as large, as you need them to be and some of them are constructed with canvas covers to provide extra protection against harsh elements.

When considering a firewood rack for the inside of your home you will have the choice of a plan that is plain and simple or a plan that is extremely decorative. Some firewood log racks can even be considered as a piece of finely crafted, rustic furniture. If you need a log rack for the outside of your home then you should really choose one made of steel tubing. The tubing material is lightweight but very sturdy and is generally powder-coated for longevity.

Using a log rack is a great solution for protecting your firewood logs and is also a way to store the logs near the fireplace for easy access. Take my advice and purchase a few different sizes and styles of log racks. Get one for your home, one for your yard, and maybe even a small one to take camping with you. You will see that using a firewood log rack is a blessing in disguise!


Simon Douglass, an author, is a collector of outdoor furniture. Most of his writings are about wood dog houses for Adams All Natural Cedar. He has always loved writing, and now that he is older, he has grown an interest in collecting -adirondack chairs and spending time in his garden.