Piling in heaps rather than stacking

Wait, are those the ones that give us steel wool? (Old Far Side Cartoon)

“It is a known fact that the sheep that give us steel wool have no natural enemies.”
― Gary Larson

Yes I sell wood. All of our wood is processed, I spent a year and a half with Hahn Machinery designing the processor that goes on the front of a skid loader, if you have seen the you tube videos thats me running it. Here is my website click the link that says "check out our cutting and splitting" video if you would like to watch. Keep in mind that at the time of the video I had very little operating time under my belt and things are much smoother now.
Thanks www.procutfirewood.com

AS I was out of room ( or just a bit lazy , your choice ) The wood I burned this past winter was just thrown in a big pile on asphalt no other special care was taken. It sat for 2 seasons, there was little difference between the center and out side moisture wise, This was a mix of maple , elm , oak and a smattering of others all green when tossed on pile. Course the problem here is it is difficult to tell when it is being pilfered.

I threw most of my wood in the woodshed this year, so stacked out in the elements and then thrown in the woodshed [pallet island] for winter use - pallet floor and tarp roof overhead. Well, i did not finish all my wood this year but the suff I just put back in the piles sure is nice and dry right now!!

Actually this is not true . . . hot water is their natural enemy -- it makes them rust and shrink.

Weatherman, I just got a moisture meter and checked some wood from the bottom of a pile close to the ground and it was between 5 - 12% moisture, mostly hard maple. I checked some other wood from around the pile outside and inside and some was 20% - I think it was elm that was the highest. So should be good to go.
At what moisture content should you not burn until the following year?
Kevin

Yes Jags it was from freshly split surfaces, mostly they were in the 8-15% and the low reading of 5 could have been a fluke but I am testing each split as I put it on the stove - am I nuts?
Kevin

Some of the Amish around here pile their wood outside. Then they move it and pile it inside the barn or shed. I do not know if it is because they run out of time, want to save the work, whatever? But it works for them. Then there are others who stack it outside in the spring and then move it into the barn and stack it there as well. Personal preference. Tidiness.Need all the room in the barn. I don't know. Some of the Amish farms look really well kept, and some don't. Whatever works for ya. 3 years of dry time sounds like plenty either way. I gotta concentrate on getting that far ahead. Period. Ha, Ha.! What the hell. I turned off rich text editor so when I went to Kindle fire sometime I could respond. Now I have lost the smileys! To hell with that Kindle fire thingy. I like my laptop!

!! Ohhhhh yaaa baby. Smileys back. Woodman6666. I listened to a some "heavier" music in my younger years. That is the "number of the beast" + another 6! Wooo. You are a bad man woodman. A baaaaaddd man! Nice piles of wood. How much do you guys usually have on hand and ready for the busy delivery season.

HOLY COW MAN You GOT wood
nice
chuck

Nice cone hauzens!

I believe Jags has trademarked the term "Heapenhausen"!

What are you getting for royalties any time any one of us mentions "heap hausens" or "gazebohausen?"

thats what came to mind for me as well.
what are the best ways to deter firewood theft?
obviously out of sight and locked up, but mine is behind my work. it has only one way to access it with a vehicle, so i will be putting a chain and lock there. if the chain is cut i know i have a thief. also will post "smile you are on camera" signs as well as no trespassing signs.
the bad news is a super walmart is being build 2 blocks over so it will have a LOT more foot traffic now.
UUGH!