The best thing since sliced bread

Let me give you a tour of my new wood chute, thing of beauty that it is.  Previously, I've had to carry firewood in a smallish Rubbermaid container, up the back stairs to the deck, then down the stairs -- carefully, one at a time because of the heavy load -- to the basement where the woodstove resides.  I knew from the get-go that I wanted a wood chute and thanks to the design and execution of Stephen Hopey, local carpenter and Mr. Fix-it, hauling wood is now a breeze.

The wood comes through a basement window into a 4' x 4' bin, which holds easily a week's worth of wood.  (To the left of the bin, you'll see the Rubbermaid container I was using before.)

The window above the bin opens easily and stays open thanks to a little catch on the upper left hand corner.

Outside view... with the wood chute in its usual storage position.  Note the new wood at the bottom of the window frame, which serves as a stop to keep the chute from sliding in too far.

The chute is light and easily lifted into place.  The surface is faced with metal so wood slides easily and side-rails keep it headed in the right direction.

At the woodpile, I load the wood into a wheelbarrow for easy transport.

Number of steps from the woodpile to the window with a full load: 11 or fewer.

Result after five or six loads and about ten minutes' work:

Ta da!