How analy retentive are you when it comes to how you stack/organize your wood?

I pretty much have everything mixed... Of course it's mostly Oak and Maple, so pretty decent wod all around.

Any split over about 14" or so goes in the split piles, I don't sort by size or wood type, but try to keep a fairly even mix of sizes from a couple inches square to "all-nighters" about 6" on a side. Target length is 18", anything over 20" gets thrown in the reject pile for trimming and stacking at a later time.

Any thing bigger than about fist sized, but less than 14" or shaped such that it's not stackable goes in the "chunkwood" boxes, which I try to rotate to burn oldest first, but right now I'm just burning the chunkwood as it accumulates, since what I'm splitting right now is pretty well seasoned.

Stuff smaller than chunkwood size I scoop up and use some as mulch in the garden, and some as "splitter trash" kindling to go between the newspaper and the smallest splits.

I also have one bay in my old woodshed (about (2 x 18")deep x 4' wide x 7' tall) that I've filled with kindling size wood, mostly branches 1/2 to 2" diameter (over 2" goes in the main stacks)

It is worth noting that since we burn as close to 24/7 as we can manage, we use relatively little kindling since our fire only goes out if we are both away from home over about 18 hours or so (we only get useful heat for about 6-10 hours, but the coals last much longer...) We light a cold stove only a dozen times a winter or less. The kindling bay is WAY more than I actually need...

I do roughly sort by age - I fill all my wood shed spaces first, doing so in a way that makes FIFO emptying practical (My new shed is open on both sides, I fill from one side to the other, and then empty the oldest side first...)
When the woodsheds are filled, I start my reserve piles. At the end of burning season, I will refill the sheds from the reseve piles first, and then start the cycle again. When I get more than one year ahead, I'll start having multiple reserve stacks, sorted by year. I figure the further ahead I get, the less it matters how fussy I am about sequencing...

Gooserider

The most trouble I ever take is throwing all of last years unburned wood out and stacking this year's wood behind so as to burn last year's first. I stack with no regard to species or "shoulder seasons" or any of that other non-sense.

I have a little obsessive compulsive disorder when it comes to stacking

Only wood a separate out from the main pile is boxelder and the chunk stuff.

I still don't have this picture thingy totally figured out, but that pile of oak hasn't moved since I put it there

I screwed a couple 2x4's between the rows as I stacked, just to hold 'em together and keep 'em from fallin' over.

My sorting starts at the splitter. Once I have all of the scrounged wood split it goes up as a new Holz. Each holz has approximately 2/3rds regular size (medium ) splits and the rest are larger overnighters. Holz pile is broken down as needed and there is always a split size required at arms length at the ready. I do mark date of HH assembly. Well I guess I'm guilty of being retentive too.

stop drop & roll said:

This is a sickness..... only a wood burner would understand, certainly not a wife.

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Well- I am the wife, and I have a terrible case of the OCD's.
I have a hickory splits section, a hickory small rounds section, a maple splits section, a maple small rounds section- and the same for some poplar, and of course a big old pile of twists and crotches awaiting our yearly splitter rental.
This doesn't even begin to address my red oak which is divided into last years, this years, next years with each having sections of splits and small rounds.
And if this wasn't bad enough- I have rearranged all of this wood twice now and am fixing to do it all over again in the spring.
I have woods stacks, backyard stacks, carport stacks, basement garage stacks and even a family room stack.

I won't stop until I perfect our system, and that means never.
My husband is a saint.

I'm anal too. It don't gotta be pretty & clean wood. It can be knarlie, but it's gotta be stacked & tarp wrapped on pallettes and moved to the house in a sytematic way. I've gotten so bad I'd rather stack it myself and just use my teen boys to fetch it. And even then I'm always poking my head out the door to holler if I think they should be taking it from another part of the stack - which is only up to fours cords anyway. They are starting to call me the Wood Nazi. If I had the time,energy, and money . . . there's no telling how bad I'd get.

Cearbhaill said:

stop drop & roll said:

This is a sickness..... only a wood burner would understand, certainly not a wife.

Click to expand...

Well- I am the wife, and I have a terrible case of the OCD's.
I have a hickory splits section, a hickory small rounds section, a maple splits section, a maple small rounds section- and the same for some poplar, and of course a big old pile of twists and crotches awaiting our yearly splitter rental.
This doesn't even begin to address my red oak which is divided into last years, this years, next years with each having sections of splits and small rounds.
And if this wasn't bad enough- I have rearranged all of this wood twice now and am fixing to do it all over again in the spring.
I have woods stacks, backyard stacks, carport stacks, basement garage stacks and even a family room stack.

I won't stop until I perfect our system, and that means never.
My husband is a saint.

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ROCK ON SISTER ! I'M SINGLE BUT I CAN'T MARRY A MAN IF HE ISN'T INTO THE WOOD.

I'd like to have a bit more maple and birch with the oak that I have now seasoning for next year. The past years have been a very mixed bag so every grab I get some of each, but this past year I have been very luck with almost all oak (either red or white, only choices). My 2 piles for the next 2 years are almost all oak, with a bit of ash, birch, and very little maple. Thinking I may need to resplit next year to make sure I have stuff for the warmer days. Side of the pile is the knotty and small stuff that really didn't belong.

Punky chunky for shoulder season.
Big splits for overnighters
Too big & need the BF to split it again.
Everything that is not considered an overnighter is stacked.
I also have kindling pieces in tubs.
I pull my firewood from the back farthest from the house first, so when the weather is colder & snowy I don't have to go as far to keep warm and this area is the best protected from the elements

leaf4952 said:

I'm anal too. It don't gotta be pretty & clean wood. It can be knarlie, but it's gotta be stacked & tarp wrapped on pallettes and moved to the house in a sytematic way. I've gotten so bad I'd rather stack it myself and just use my teen boys to fetch it. And even then I'm always poking my head out the door to holler if I think they should be taking it from another part of the stack - which is only up to fours cords anyway. They are starting to call me the Wood Nazi. If I had the time,energy, and money . . . there's no telling how bad I'd get.

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Nice to know I am not the only one! Haha

I'm very "anal" about my own stuff. Seperate section for thin-split kindling, section for slightly larger "quarter-splits" to get the fire going, then sections for the main fuelwood. And a seperate section for the "kick-ass" wood for the cold weather; Hickory, Oak, Apple, Dogwood, etc. And everything HAS to be cut 18" or close to it; and the funky chunk pieces go on top of the main fuelwood pile. So anal I'd say that I'm a perfect a-hole LOL...

PA. Woodsman said:

...And everything HAS to be cut 18" or close to it...

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IKWYM

My stove has a 23 inch box so I cut my wood to 20 inches. I built my bucking horse with 20 inch spacing. My saw measures 20 inches from handle to bar tip.

I have an 80 inch long measuring stick with 20 inch markings that I lay on an 8 foot log. It annoys me to no end that the last piece comes up short. I have a runt pile at my processing area that is several years old and growing bigger every year. Now and then I will throw some of the runts into a wheelbarrow that I park near my patio door to draw from.

I could scrounge free firewood but I won't because it is bucked too short. Now that is OCD!

LLigetfa said:

PA. Woodsman said:

...And everything HAS to be cut 18" or close to it...

Click to expand...

IKWYM

My stove has a 23 inch box so I cut my wood to 20 inches. I built my bucking horse with 20 inch spacing. My saw measures 20 inches from handle to bar tip.

I have an 80 inch long measuring stick with 20 inch markings that I lay on an 8 foot log. It annoys me to no end that the last piece comes up short. I have a runt pile at my processing area that is several years old and growing bigger every year. Now and then I will throw some of the runts into a wheelbarrow that I park near my patio door to draw from.

I could scrounge free firewood but I won't because it is bucked too short. Now that is OCD!

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lose the stick, I can eyeball that 8 foot log and put in equal parts.(all will fit fine)

CowboyAndy said:

If I have a 25" log, I will cut it 20 and 5 instead of splitting in half.

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Likewise, however if I have a 96 inch log, I will split the difference and cut them all around 19 inches so as not to have a 16 inch runt.

When I buck on my horse however, there is no splitting the difference. I load it up with at least half a dozen pieces and the last cut is what it is.

looks around...smiles nervously...slowly backs up while reaching for door...

madrone said:

looks around...smiles nervously...slowly backs up while reaching for door...

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and when you turn to go out the door wack on the head by an analy wood stacker stick of wood and as you fall down all you hear is ha ha ha ha.

Evil voice over "I'll be showing you how to stack wood madrone"

ok sorry had lots of caffine today.

sublime out.

In my first year, a lot of different stacks. I have it pretty much organized by type. One batch of one type ends up one new pile. Mixing wood? Seems almost sacreligious. Heh! Probably a lot more combining in the future. I must have around 10 small stacks scattered around in back of my house. Also at least a half dozen small piles 'in processing'. Some of my red oak was a little rotten or bug eaten. That stuff got piled separately from the better wood, etc. Gradually I'll develop a 'system'. Am also planning a woodshed to be built in the spring. A neighbor and I are going to have mirror image woodsheds straddling our joint property line, observing the 5ft setback requirement in this area. Then we add a spanning roof that covers this 'waste' space yielding another 80-100 sq ft under roof.

Starting off the season I am trying to burn my worst wood first I call it my junk wood. It may have laid on the ground to long but still burnerble may have a lot of holes in it from ants anything that might give me problems in the feture. I am also trying not take from my staked wood. bringing in 4 or 5 days worth of wood right up to the house right from the woods after spliting. That saves me moving it twice.

Find it cut it split it burn it just pace your self a little each day it can rely add up real fast. no ocd here but love the hole process of wood burning have only used my pellet burner twice so far. I did not know my fireplace insert would work so good
Jim

CowboyAndy said:

LLigetfa said:

PA. Woodsman said:

...And everything HAS to be cut 18" or close to it...

Click to expand...

IKWYM

My stove has a 23 inch box so I cut my wood to 20 inches. I could scrounge free firewood but I won't because it is bucked too short. Now that is OCD!

Click to expand...

I also cut 20", have a spot marked on my saw. I dont like other people helping me because they dont cut to the right lengths. I also have a pile of misc size stuff. If I have a 25" log, I will cut it 20 and 5 instead of splitting in half.

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I got ya'll beat on length. My Atlanta Hunstman is 27" long (25" deep on the inside). I can fit a peice longer than 25" if I place it horizontally diagonal - and can fit an EVEN LONGER piece in if I place it diagonally while tilting it up & down. I use the real whoppers for when the embers are hot and it's time to set it up for an overnite burn. I swear my wood guy saves up all the stuff thats too long for everybody else & brings it to me ! Thats probably why he charges me under $150 a cord. He also gives me knarlly and some still with bark but it's all dry. And I still manage to keep it all very neat & organized and obcess over it.