Firewood Sled

I needed a sled to haul firewood out of the forest. I like to reuse and re-purpose items and tried to make this with scraps on hand. Easy on the planet and the wallet !

I made this with corrugated tin on the bottom so it runs smoothly over snow. And my wood gatherers didn't like me cutting blocks too far away in the forest and having to walk so far with them. Have a look.

Step 1: Gather Materials

you need

tin

plywood

screws, nuts and bolts & maybe a few washers

2 X 2 pieces and two small 2x4's

old skis if you have. (was keeping these for some project, picked em out of the trash bin.)

rope

flat metal piece or metal angle supports (corner brackets)

drill, hammer, saw, grinder, pencil

eye and ear protection

Step 2: Plan Your Sled , Cut Plywood First

I kinda winged it, looked at my scrap tin and eyeballed what would be a good width and length. keep in mind weight of the finished product but needs to be long or wide enough to be optimal for your needs. You may be cutting the odd trail through the forest so can't be too wide but has to be wide enough to place a couple logs down.

lay out your tin on top of that old scrap piece of plywood, measure, adjust, mark your pieces.

Step 3: Cut That TIN !

was too hard with tin snips, hacksaw would have been a disaster. The cut off blades on the angle grinder went through it like butter, took 15 seconds to cut the length. leave a little more just in case, can go back and trim during final steps, reeeallly hard to add it back on !

remember eye protection, metal in the eye is not so good, like getting a massage with a cheese grater.

the girls liked the pretty sparks too !

Step 4: Couple Cross Sections of 2 X 4

screw the tin to these. adds strength, durability, and the anchoring points for the support brackets in the last step

you need some more meat to screw the tin to, as just a bit of plywood would not be enough and the screws would poke through.

also dry fit the skis, these will be used to keep the tin curled up in the front. I knew I could use them for something !

so I placed skis on, positioned the tin so it was flush with the rear and correct overhang up front and marked it

Step 5: Add Tin

****rear section first **** as the front section will overlap the rear and it will run smoothly over the snow, grass, twigs, moss and bark on the trail.

make sure after you flip upside down that the tin is positioned correctly. proper face up or down.

of course one long sheet would have been easier but these were the free pieces I had.

I needed some extra out front to bend up a bit so it would glide over the snow, first you have to pound it flat a bit so you can bend it easier. I smashed it flat crudely with an iron post.

place front panel on,

I put a bolt with washer on each side half way down through both panels where they overlap as the tin was flaring up a bit.

Step 6: Add Corner Supports

these are so the logs don't fall off the sled.

I first tried a metal bar but it was too thin and not sturdy enough.

then a circular metal pipe, smooshed it with a vise then bent it up, but when it was bent was very weak and would flop back down with not much force.

I found some inexpensive supports, about $1.60 each and they are heavy gauge and sturdy so I went with these.

you can now cut wooden uprights to length and will be easy to replace or alter etc. I made them a foot high.

Step 7: Try It Out

add a rope, I have yet to put a handle on the rope but will fashion that soon as it makes it easier on the hands when the load is heavy.

works well, here's the youngest one pulling a load. I could pull 4 or 5 logs depending on size, average from 5 to 9 feet

can be used around the farm or cabin etc, add crates or sides to suit your needs. hope this give you an idea or helps.

this was my first instructable, thanks to others for sharing & stay warm !

Step 8: Into the Fire Box ! and Vote Too Please !

wood is burning and a pot of potatoes on the stove.

please vote for either the "leftover" contest

or "brave the elements "

thanks !