Mother’s Firewood Carrier and Crib

By The Mother Earth News Editors
Published on January 1, 1980
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PHOTO: MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF

Many folks have laid in hearty supplies of timber in order to keep cozy during these winter months. Unfortunately, although a massive stack of cordwood certainly looks impressive piled on the front porch, such a heap would do little to complement your interior decor.

So unless you enjoy lugging armloads of loose firewood through your living room, you’ll be pleased to know that there’s a “fetching” solution to all your timber-totin’ problems … at a price that just about anyone can handle.

MOTHER EARTH NEWS’ Randy Weis whipped this attractive firewood carrier and crib together in a matter of hours … and you shouldn’t have to spend more than one Saturday afternoon–and a few bucks–to do the same thing. You’ll need an 80″ length of 2 x 4, four 2 1/2″ No. 12 flathead screws, eight 1″ No. 8 flathead screws, four 1/2″ diameter wooden cap buttons, two 1″ x 24″ wooden dowels, a 19″ x 72″ piece of canvas, a 17 foot length of 1/4″ border piping, and some strong thread.

Start by ripping your 2 x 4 lengthwise into two sections: a 1 1/2″ x 2″ piece, and a 1 1/4″ x 1 1/2″ strip. Next, saw each of these boards into four 20″ lengths, then take two of the 1 1/4″ x 1 1/2″ X 20″ pieces and cut out 3/4″ x 2″ notches from both ends of each strut.

The four 1 1/2″ x 2″ x 20″ leg posts should be cut in the following manner: Take two measurements–one 3 1/4″ and the other 4 1/2″–from one end of each leg, and cut 3/4″ deep notches (into the broadest side of the board) between these pairs of points. With this done, fashion 1″ x 1″ contoured slots at the opposite ends (which will become the tops) of the legs with a coping saw, as in the drawing. Finally, use a No. 12 adjustable countersink tool to drill a hole through each leg–centered on the support’s wide face–about 6 1/2″ from the bottom end. The combination countersink and drill will not only bore your hole to the correct size, but will also sink it to the 3/16″ depth that’s necessary to accommodate a cap button (which you’ll install later).

Now that you’ve shaped the wooden components of your log crib, go ahead and sand all the parts–including the dowels–smooth before assembling the frame.

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