Country Lore: Give This Easy-to-Make Firewood Tote

Image Gallery This firewood carrier is inexpensive, easy to build and makes a great holiday gift. MOTHER EARTH NEWS ARCHIVE

This firewood carrier is easy to build. To assemble it, all you need are several feet of rope and some scraps of lumber that are at least 1½ inches wide and five-eighths-inch thick.

You’ll need three pieces of wood, each 22 inches long, for the spreader bars. Drill four half-inch holes through each piece of wood, spaced 6 inches apart on each board, with 2 inches left at either end of each stick. Next, in two (only two) of the spreader bars, drill an additional hole at the end of each bar, about 1 inch in from the end.

Cut four 3-foot lengths of rope and tie a knot in one end of each. In one of the six-holed spreader bars, thread each rope piece through the four interior holes and tie four more knots on the other side of the bar, so that the wood is held securely between the knots.

Tie another knot 10½ inches down on each rope. Thread the four ropes through the four-holed spreader bar, until it’s tight against these knots, and tie four more knots to hold it in place. Then, go down another 10½ inches of rope, tie four more knots, slip on the remaining six-holed bar, tie a final four knots to anchor it, and cut off the loose ends of the rope.

Last, add two pieces of 3-foot-long rope to the outside holes for handles, and you have a foolproof wood carrier.

Mother Earth News
September/October 1978