Rather draw it in 3D first?
Log store in 3D
A log store for the garden that keeps the wood dry, in three lessons.
FreeThen make it for real · a day · Beginner
Make a log store
A slatted floor off the ground, two plywood sides, a slatted back and a roof that sheds the rain. Print this page and take it to the garden.
- 1,200 wide, 600 deep and 1,221 high
- Three kinds of timber and one sheet of 18 mm exterior plywood
- 108 screws and 4 brackets, no glue
Rather draw it in 3D first? Log store in 3D: three lessons
What you need
To buy
- Treated timber for the bearers, 50 × 75 mm: 1 length, 4.2 m long
- Decking boards for the floor, 120 × 28 mm: 2 lengths, 3.6 m long
- Treated timber for the back slats, 100 × 22 mm: 4 lengths, 3 m long
- One sheet of 18 mm exterior plywood, 2,440 × 1,220, for the sides and the roof. Most shops cut it for you: ask for a piece 1,200 × 700 and two 600 × 1,100
- 60 decking screws, 4.5 × 50 mm, and 50 exterior wood screws, 4 × 40 mm
- 4 galvanised angle brackets, and 20 short screws to suit them, 4 × 16 mm
- 6 bricks or small paving slabs, and a bag of sand
- A piece of shed felt 1,300 × 800, and a pack of clout nails
- Exterior wood treatment or paint, for the plywood
Tools
- A tape measure, a pencil and a square
- A spirit level, 600 mm long or more, and a spade
- A hand saw, and a jigsaw or a circular saw for the plywood
- A drill with a 3 mm bit and a countersink, and a screwdriver bit
- Two clamps
- A hammer and a sharp knife, for the felt
Treated timber and plywood dust aren't good for you: wear gloves and a dust mask when you cut, cut outside, and wash your hands after. Clamp each piece down before you cut it, and keep both hands behind the blade.
Cut list
23 pieces
Bearers 50 × 75 mm, floor boards 120 × 28 mm, slats 100 × 22 mm, sides and roof from 18 mm exterior plywood. Sizes in millimetres.
| Piece | Size | How many | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bearer | 1,200 × 75 × 50Left to right on the bricks, 275 apart front to back | 3 | Left to right on the bricks, 275 apart front to back |
| Floor board | 600 × 120 × 28Across the bearers, 15 mm gaps between them | 9 | Across the bearers, 15 mm gaps between them |
| Side | 1,100 × 600 × 181,100 at the front, 994 at the back: the top is cut to the slope | 2 | 1,100 at the front, 994 at the back: the top is cut to the slope |
| Back slat | 1,200 × 100 × 22Across the back of the sides, 20 mm gaps between them | 8 | Across the back of the sides, 20 mm gaps between them |
| Roof | 1,200 × 700 × 18On the sides, its front edge level with theirs | 1 | On the sides, its front edge level with theirs |
A different size? Keep the bearers 275 apart and the floor boards 15 mm apart, and change the width: the bearers, the slats and the roof are all as long as the store is wide.
5 steps
Step 1 of 5
Get the ground ready
- Pick a flat spot, its back a hand's width from a wall or fence so air gets round. Dig out the grass where the store goes.
- Bed the 6 bricks in sand, two under each bearer, one at each end. The bearers run left to right, 275 apart front to back.
- Lay the three bearers on the bricks and check them with the level, along and across. Add or take away sand under the bricks until all three are level.
Step 2 of 5
Screw down the floor
- Lay the first floor board across the bearers at one end, its ends level with the front and the back of them. Drill 3 mm pilot holes and screw it down, two screws into each bearer.
- Lay the rest beside it with a 15 mm spacer between them, cut from an offcut. The last one should finish level with the bearers' other end.
- Measure the floor corner to corner both ways: 1,342 each when it's square. Push it until they match before the last boards go down.
Step 3 of 5
Cut and fit the sides
- Each side piece is 1,100 long. Mark 994 up its back edge, draw a straight line from the mark to the top of the front edge and cut along it.
- Stand a side on the end floor board, its front and outside level with the floor's, and clamp it there.
- Fix it with two angle brackets on the inside, one near the front and one near the back. Then the other side.
Step 4 of 5
Fix the back slats
- Hold the first slat across the back edges of the sides, its bottom level with theirs and its ends level with their outsides.
- Drill 3 mm pilot holes, 9 mm in from each end so the screws go into the middle of the plywood's edge, and screw it on, two screws each end.
- Fix the rest above it with a 20 mm spacer between them. Check the sides stay upright with the level as you go.
Step 5 of 5
Fit the roof, then the felt
- Lay the roof on the sides, its front edge level with theirs and its ends level with their outsides: it sticks out at the back so the rain runs off behind.
- Screw it down into the top edge of each side, three screws each, 9 mm in from the roof's ends.
- Lay the felt over it, 50 mm bigger all round, fold it under the edges and nail it there. Paint or treat the plywood, its edges most of all, and leave it to dry before the logs go in.
Log store in 3D: three lessons