Stacking Wood On Ground

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maple1 said:
Really? Which ones would those be & why?
Click to expand...

I shouldn't say there weren't helpful in a general sense...but the specific question that was asked was about what my experience was going to be like stacking wood on the ground. It was not intended to be a thread about everyone's way of stacking wood on pallets and timbers. Not trying to stir anything up that's just the way it evolved LOL.

I did say I was trying to avoid purchasing the landscaping timbers at $4 per piece when they would be $1 in a few months. The difference on 36 timbers is over $100!
 
My brother in law cuts trees down for me. He has a few hours on a Sunday here and there. So he drops 3-10 trees and I have an agreement with him to maximize his available time to just downing the trees.
I get overwhelmed with a lot of wood on the ground but out in the woods I cut saplings or poles or dead stuff and lay them on the ground like the landscape timbers. And I stack the rounds on the poles thruout the cutting areas. That way nothing that I intend to burn is in soil contact. And if I cant get back to the wood to process right away I still feel as if the wood is drying somewhat.
Soil contact is not good, at the least do not stack the rounds on end but on their sides with the bark between the ground and the wood.
In my opinion wood in direct soil contact will arrest the drying process.
 
Typ0 said:
Yes that would be the idea. Because the timbers are pressure treated there will be no wicking.
Click to expand...

I don't think pressure treatment will stop moisture wicking, it's still porous wood. In fact the landscape timbers around here specifically say "Not for Ground Contact", which is almost an oxymoron ;-) I use them on the ground anyway. They make terrible fence post, around here in wet areas they'll only last about 2-3 years.

Here on the farm we usually have quite a few dead Eastern Red Cedars. They use the bigger parts for fence posts and I've used a lot tops for firewood stack runners, they seem to last a long time, gotta few I've been using for about 20 years.

BTW: 2x4-8' are $2.97 at Lowe's here right now.
  • #2 Grade allows wane and has a similar strength rating to #2 Prime lumber
  • Pressure treated for exterior above ground use
  • Treatment meets AWPA (American Wood Protection Association) standards
  • Limited lifetime warranty that protects against rot, decay, and wood ingesting insects
  • Easily painted or stained: recommended to wait 60 days after installation
  • Hot-dipped galvanized or stainless-steel fasteners and fittings are recommended
  • Safe for use around humans, pets, plants, and vegetables
  • Specie of product is Southern yellow pine
  • HT (Heat Treatment) on grade mark: wood is subjected to high temperature kilns before treatment

Landscape Timbers: $3.97
    • Surface treated for cosmetic purposes; for decorative use only
    • Not intended for ground contact
    • Not intended to be used for fence post
    • No warranty
    • Easily painted or stained: recommend to wait 60 days after installation
    • Hot-dipped galvanized or stainless-steel fasteners and fittings are recommended
    • Safe for use around humans, pets, plants, and vegetables
    • Specie of product is Southern yellow pine
 
Last edited:
Grateful11 said:
They make terrible fence post, around here in wet areas they'll only last about 2-3 years.
Click to expand...

Yea, osage is the best with black locust a close second for lifetime and beyond fence posts but all the damn wood burners are using the good stuff to heat there homes :)
 
Thank you for clarifying my misleading post. My intention is to raise the pressure treated timbers off the ground in the end perhaps that is how I got confused. I will be using block under the timbers...


Grateful11 said:
I don't think pressure treatment will stop moisture wicking, it's still porous wood. In fact the landscape timbers around here specifically say "Not for Ground Contact", which is almost an oxymoron ;-) I use them on the ground anyway. They make terrible fence post, around here in wet areas they'll only last about 2-3 years.

Here on the farm we usually have quite a few dead Eastern Red Cedars. They use the bigger parts for fence posts and I've used a lot tops for firewood stack runners, they seem to last a long time, gotta few I've been using for about 20 years.

BTW: 2x4-8' are $2.97 at Lowe's here right now.
  • #2 Grade allows wane and has a similar strength rating to #2 Prime lumber
  • Pressure treated for exterior above ground use
  • Treatment meets AWPA (American Wood Protection Association) standards
  • Limited lifetime warranty that protects against rot, decay, and wood ingesting insects
  • Easily painted or stained: recommended to wait 60 days after installation
  • Hot-dipped galvanized or stainless-steel fasteners and fittings are recommended
  • Safe for use around humans, pets, plants, and vegetables
  • Specie of product is Southern yellow pine
  • HT (Heat Treatment) on grade mark: wood is subjected to high temperature kilns before treatment

Landscape Timbers: $3.97
    • Surface treated for cosmetic purposes; for decorative use only
    • Not intended for ground contact
    • Not intended to be used for fence post
    • No warranty
    • Easily painted or stained: recommend to wait 60 days after installation
    • Hot-dipped galvanized or stainless-steel fasteners and fittings are recommended
    • Safe for use around humans, pets, plants, and vegetables
    • Specie of product is Southern yellow pine
Click to expand...
 
Typ0 said:
I shouldn't say there weren't helpful in a general sense...but the specific question that was asked was about what my experience was going to be like stacking wood on the ground. It was not intended to be a thread about everyone's way of stacking wood on pallets and timbers. Not trying to stir anything up that's just the way it evolved LOL.

I did say I was trying to avoid purchasing the landscaping timbers at $4 per piece when they would be $1 in a few months. The difference on 36 timbers is over $100!
Click to expand...

OK - but if opinions you get feedback on are that the experience of stacking wood on the ground would be a bad one, I would likely consider suggestions of how to avoid it to be helpful and also to be a natural continuation of the question answering, considering the cost of timbers was also a stated concern.

Getting wood off the ground does two things - it breaks the wicking action link (there is a huge amount of moisture in the ground that the wood will wick up), and it allows air movement under the pile that will help immensely with removing the moisture that is already in the wood. I.e. wood laying on the ground will not just not dry, it will get wetter.
 
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Pallets. Free. Efficient. Effective.
 
Typ0 said:
Thank you for clarifying my misleading post. My intention is to raise the pressure treated timbers off the ground in the end perhaps that is how I got confused. I will be using block under the timbers...
Click to expand...

The wicking part was the only thing I really trying to clarify. I hope I didn't offend.

The amazing part to me is the fact that they call them Landscape Timbers yet they're not designed for Ground Contact. To me that's just ludicrous.
 
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Reactions: Ashful
Free pressure treated lumber is always available for free on CL, especially in the spring. You will have to do some work to get it, but it is always in my area. The best stacking method is with the smallest splits on the bottom, off the ground. Bigger ones on top. The bottom seasons slower, being closer to the ground.
 
Grateful11 said:
We found a supplier of plastic pallets not too far away for $5 each.
Click to expand...

maple1 said:
I also found some cheap plastic pallets here
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nice. I haven't seen any plastic pallets around but that would be a great scoop. The wood ones do rot, but I am amazed at what I can make disappear in a good outside fire here (some things, you don't wanna know ;lol). Plunk down another one for the wood pile, good to go. Disclaimer - as a weekend burner, I don't have the stacks that most do here, so I don't need a ton of pallets so it's easier to manage. You're right maple1, you do have to watch for nails though (like when I'm dragging an old pallet over to the pit).
 
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