COAL BIN Pics

Thanks for the detailed explanation.
Helps confirm some design plans I had for a mobile basement coal bin for the 'rents.
Pallet jack or casters is the next choice.

CapeCoaler wrote:Thanks for the detailed explanation.
Helps confirm some design plans I had for a mobile basement coal bin for the 'rents.
Pallet jack or casters is the next choice.

No problem, you are welcome. I still plan on adding a sliding trap door and chute out the lower front of it.. Didn't have enuf time this year. Definately this summer.

Chris F.

Here is the coal bin I have purchased used. It is a gravity wagon typically holds grain. I freighted it with rice coal to the top. Approximations are 5.5 tons. I will perform a volume measurement and cross reference it with a lb. per cubic foot and arrive at confirmed figure. I have a pole barn directly behind it that I will maneuver it under when empty. From there I will draw it out to fill and then draw it back under cover. To access coal I just crack open the door with the wheel barrow positioned beneath the lip. I have two plastic garbage barrels positioned to the side of the stove that I fill. This lasts 1 week in the coldest burning says(-10 to 20 F). Two trips a week at the most. Now there is some freezing in the winter. I just bang in the sides with a rubber dead blow mallet and I get it loose enough to flow. The whole thing will reside approximately 40 feet off my basement door. The plastic hangs over the door for now to minimize water getting to the lip and freezing the door shut.

We built a coal blind this year. If we ever give up on coal, we can use it as a duck blind.

It'll hold 3.5 ton of nut or 3 hunters (and a labrador).

Charlie Z wrote:We built a coal blind this year. If we ever give up on coal, we can use it as a duck blind.

It'll hold 3.5 ton of nut or 3 hunters (and a labrador).

Heck, y'all should stay warm and dry in the house, just open the windows when they lock up

Seriously Charlie Z , very nice finish. May I ask what did you use? I'd guess weathered/used decking?

Charlie Z wrote:We built a coal blind this year. If we ever give up on coal, we can use it as a duck blind.

It'll hold 3.5 ton of nut or 3 hunters (and a labrador).

Nice Bin Charlie, I am going to build one outdoors in the summer. Any advice?

I re-used some old cedar decking from my mom's home. I wanted it to blend in and not cost much. We'll put a light cover over the opening once we burn the pile down a bit. It was the first project my 10yr old helped me with and we had a good time building it. The coalman came before we could get the cover on. It will be handy to have to protect the window when up - coal comes out the chute OK, but there are some fast moving strays. Because it was a learning exercise for the boy, we used only hand tools (except a drill).

It took about the same time to plan it as to build it. Originally, it was 8"-10" shorter and looked better, but I got greedy for 3.5 ton (a year's supply for us). Without coal in it, it really looks like a duck blind.

There is a sliding hatch on the right side (I should add another to the left, too). One key aspect not shown is the 'corridor' to the hatch inside that prevents sprawling coal when you lift the hatch. The corridor fills inside, and you shovel from there.

The verticals and floor joists are pressure treated 4x4, with 2x4s as diagonals and nailers to keep everything straight over time. The cedar boards are not too tightly placed (with deck screws) on the side or floor to allow draining and prevent rot. I think it's the right balance of heft, w/o going overboard. A plywood back would have been appropriate to keep everything square over time, but we had enough of the old cedar and just braced w/2x4s and planked it like the front.

Dimensions are 4x8 footprint, and the back is just under 4' high and the front is 40" or so. The frame is bolted with 5/16" carriage or lag bolts and we hacked all the rabbets and dados with handsaw and chisel.

It's convenient now to have the coal within 15' of the stove, just outside the back door.

- Charlie

Charlie Z wrote:I re-used some old cedar decking from my mom's home. I wanted it to blend in and not cost much. We'll put a light cover over the opening once we burn the pile down a bit. ...<8,,,8<...- Charlie

The top, while maybe not too light, would look really nice with cedar shingles that come close to matching the house. You could easily rig a counter weight similar to what DVC500_at_last did. You're close enough to the house for it to work. Just my $0.02 - it's a nice bin and one of those special projects you'll both talk about forever. First big project I did w/my son was a boy scout Klondike derby sledge. We even built the skis ourselves. He was tickled when it won the best sled award several years in a row. See - I'm still talking about it and that was 13 years ago

High winds on Monday blew the cover off of my outdoor coal bunker. Been there since summer and it was screwed on with screws and washers through the metal eyelets in the tarp. Guess I'm going to have to come up with a new idea. I'm not concerned with it getting wet but acorns and leaves getting in it are the problem. I can't put a roof on it because the plan is to have a dump truck back in and dump. Anyone have any ideas?

Do the tarp thing again but this time do so without any opening for wind to get in and lift/rip out. Meaning close the door... or additionally run some "furring" strips across the top to bolster the tarp like a batten in a big sail???

coalkirk wrote:High winds on Monday blew the cover off of my outdoor coal bunker. Been there since summer and it was screwed on with screws and washers through the metal eyelets in the tarp. Guess I'm going to have to come up with a new idea. I'm not concerned with it getting wet but acorns and leaves getting in it are the problem. I can't put a roof on it because the plan is to have a dump truck back in and dump. Anyone have any ideas?

Coalkirk, The only thing I can think of, if it were mine, is I would put up a Pole Building/Barn with 12ft walls. Pour a slab, and install a 10' x10' roll door for the dumptruck to get thru. Once inside, the dumptruck should have lots of overhead room to dump, if roof struts/girders are planned correctly.
The reason I suggest this, is Pole barns are REALLY cheap to build. Well, in this area they are. My brother just put in a 30' x 40' pole barn, with 3 oversize garage doors, 4 windows, and cupola, for $17,000.
I'll be using the same Pole Building company as he did, to build my "Coal Bin" . I just gotta find a job first.

coalkirk wrote:High winds on Monday blew the cover off of my outdoor coal bunker. Been there since summer and it was screwed on with screws and washers through the metal eyelets in the tarp. Guess I'm going to have to come up with a new idea. I'm not concerned with it getting wet but acorns and leaves getting in it are the problem. I can't put a roof on it because the plan is to have a dump truck back in and dump. Anyone have any ideas?

Hi coalkirk, Have you thought about making a light weight, 2 piece, removable roof frame? A left and right side with rafters and ridge frames. Screw the two paralel ridge frames together and the rafter tails to your walls. Make the rafters out of 3/4" spruce strapping and cover each side with "Boat Shrink Wrap".
The shrink wrap is stronger than a plastic tarp. It also will not flap in he wind. If you make the ridge frame about 4' higher than the walls, the snow, ice and water will slide off. I cover several 36' boats each year with light frames and shrink wrap and have had the wrap last over three years.
http://www.boatshrinkwrappers.com/shrink-wrapping.html

RS

I use concrete blocks to weigh down my tarp. Along the edge and on the pile. The hollow core 4" wide ones work and aren't to heavy to move each time you need access. I use a leaf blower on the tarp before I fold it back. It helps keep the leaves out of the coal and blow them where you want them. The cheap blue tarps don't last very long but still are cost effective vs. the more expensive tarps.

My customers had a 45' swimming pool with an electric roll-up sliding cover. Push a button on their mansion and the cover opened or closed. It was "over-the-top".

You might consider boat canvas with heavyduty snaps every few feet.