Stacking the knarlywood

[bogydave]

I got over 1/2 a cord of birch this spring from a windy area, nothing straight, lots of twisted grain.
PIA to split, lots of knots. Not any straight grained wood. But it will be good fire wood.
Short stacked 2 rows with long stick tying the 2 rows together for stability. Still standing
Even the spruce from that area were twisted (stack behind 1st pic)
Know what you mean, pictures don't show how bent, twisted, crocked it really is.

 

[Realstone]

Realstone you did a damn nice job stacking those odd pieces! They'll get good air circulation because they're odd-shaped-plus Sugar Maple rocks! Good job!

Hey, thanks PA!

Last week I answered a CL ad for free oak wood. Unfortunatly, half of the wood was cut into 4" - 6" pieces in an effort to make it easier for the property owner to move them (older gentleman). When i arrived, I told him I would cut the remining logs. So, I needed to come up with a solution to stacking these small pieces. As I mentioned yesterday, I finished my solution for uglies or in my case 4 - 6" pieces that were impossible to stack more the 2' high. Check out the pictures below. I wanted to retain the same space as my other racks which is why I didn't use skids. Might be a little elaborate but....

That's gold Jerry, Gold! I've got lots of 1x2 & 2x2 to build a containment crib like yours. To bad I didn't have that today. I came home and found my 7' high pallet stack spreading out a little, so I adjusted it. Funny, when it came down, it didn't sound like thunder like others have posted here, but more like a 500 pin strike.

Just like a puzzle you just need to find the right pieces.

zap

Ya, but we don't get the box lid picture to help us put the puzzle together

I got over 1/2 a cord of birch this spring from a windy area, nothing straight, lots of twisted grain.
PIA to split, lots of knots. Not any straight grained wood. But it will be good fire wood.
Short stacked 2 rows with long stick tying the 2 rows together for stability. Still standing
Even the spruce from that area were twisted (stack behind 1st pic)
Know what you mean, pictures don't show how bent, twisted, crocked it really is.

View attachment 69562 View attachment 69563

Another good stacking tip for uglies that I will use. I'm sure the one stack will tip on its own. I'll employ these ideas come re-stack time.

I think you're bang on about the wind creating the twisted thatched splits. That farm is always windy

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Oh boy, so many questions. Tell us more about proper cutting to avoid ugly splits, henceforth known as 'spluglies'
In pic #1, you have two rounds split, then restacked as rounds. Is that for space advantage?
Pic 4 shows a bunch of smaller rounds, unstacked on the ground. Are these not yet split? What's your minimum size for unsplits?
I wait at the foot of the mountain (of unstacked wood) for your reply.

Picture 1 there are more than the one like that. Somtimes after spliting the splits land together or are barely hanging on to each other. That is nice for stacking as it saves time by picking up the whole thing and putting it into the stack. It is easy with ash or soft maple to do this.

Picture 4 is simply the stuff that I still have to stack. No, these will not be split. Not certain on the size for keeping in rounds but it does sometimes depend on what type of wood it is. Nonetheless, Usually 4" or less never gets split; sometimes 5" or less. I just eyeball them and picture putting them into the stove. I also keep some larger rounds as these work great during mid-winter when we want the fire to hold longer and keep the house warmer.

It is difficult to come up with a picture to show what I was referring to on the cutting. However, if you look at the second picture below, that one piece on the end closest is suspect. Not bad but when I cut I rarely will cut them like that. I must prefer to cut the limb off straighter, that is, the way the tree grows. You will end up with the end of the limb having a sharp angle but that does not harm. Most folks will just cut the limb so that it is easy cutting but then have the problem of splitting that junk.

That first picture I realize is huge but just try to picture that as a smaller tree and someone has limbed it. What a nightmare! But if those limbs had been sawed off so that the main trunk ended up straight, rather than huge knots, it makes the rest of the work go much easier and for sure, they are easier to stack.

I hope this answers some of your questions. On the cutting of limbs, if you would remind me this coming winter I'll do some cutting and picture taking to show what I mean. It is difficult to put into words.

 

[Realstone]

Yes, your description is right clear about limbing close to the trunk. I just saved a ton of time on splitting, stacking and restacking the fallen by reading your post. Thanks! I got a good sugar maple scrounge off a local arbor that sliced the limbs off in the manner you referred to. It looked like extra work to the untrained eye, but now I see he was doing me a favor. It may cost a little more in sharpening time, but I see the value. That tree is massive!

 

[swagler85]

The splitter is borrowed. In this case, I am grateful to have it.


Going to try that today. Pics to follow.


Can't wait to see your solution



Good advice. Unfortunately I don't have the room for an ugly pile stack so I may have to get into some creative puzzle solving. This may be like solving the 'polar bear in a snowstorm' puzzl


Pics!

Here are the pics of the knarly maple I have been working on. I had split the limbs and about half of the trunk by hand then ran into a wall with splitting by hand. Had to borrow a splittter and even then it felt like splitting elm at times. the first pic shows what a lot of the main trunk rounds were doing. Completely full of knots and very stringy. Stacking is about half done and had been interesting so far.

 

[red oak]

All good ideas that have been posted already - I tend to use a combination of all of these. Most uglies can go in a stack if you surround them straight pieces. If that fails they can go on top pretty good - but I don't like the way that looks (it works fine though). I have also put them between stacks - they tighten up the stacks and keep the uglies off the ground. After all that, I have a separate pile for campfires that I put the worst ones in.

By the way, I had some sugar maple recently that looked just like the OP. I thought it would be easy to split but it was very difficult with the maul. I guess this is typical for maple?

 

[Realstone]

View attachment 69654View attachment 69656View attachment 69657


Here are the pics of the knarly maple I have been working on. I had split the limbs and about half of the trunk by hand then ran into a wall with splitting by hand. Had to borrow a splittter and even then it felt like splitting elm at times. the first pic shows what a lot of the main trunk rounds were doing. Completely full of knots and very stringy. Stacking is about half done and had been interesting so far.

I tried one big round where the grain went sideways after a limb. I got the wedge about 4" in, smacked it hard with a 12 lb sledge and it just popped out like it was the first hit. Did the exact same thing a second time and I realized it was time for the splitter. Or a little creative noodling

 

[Realstone]

... I guess this is typical for maple?

I'm with BogeyDave, I think the wind stresses the tree somewhat and causes it to grow naughty and stringy

 

[swagler85]

I'm with BogeyDave, I think the wind stresses the tree somewhat and causes it to grow naughty and stringy

That makes sense with wind causing the knots and twists. Yard trees would be exposed to wind in general and more likely to show signs of stress then. Never thought that before.

 

[Dune]

I cut short because I use a top loader. I stack on pallets, one row along each edge. I throw all the odd stuff between the two rows. Works awesome.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I cut short because I use a top loader. I stack on pallets, one row along each edge. I throw all the odd stuff between the two rows. Works awesome.

Not sure what a top loader has to do with cutting the wood short.

 

[Realstone]

Dennis, I had a couple of larger rounds with limbs that needed trimming to size so I cut the way you recommended in your post above regarding avoiding knarly splits. Much improved! Not 100%, but 100% better for sure. Well worth the extra saw time.

 

[Dune]

Not sure what a top loader has to do with cutting the wood short.

No doors in the stove, just a round opening in the top. Can't fill much wood in unless it is cut short.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Dune, that sounds like an old stove we used to have. Still did the trick.

 

[Dune]

Dune, that sounds like an old stove we used to have. Still did the trick.

It is old, but still modern. It is a tempwood II, the first gassifier. I am hoping to replace it this year with a fireplace insert, though it still works.

 

[mecreature]

I have 4 skids stacked with uglies. All types of wood in may shapes and sizes.
I will burn as much as I can this winter.

 

[firebroad]

Most of my splits look like these. I stack them between poles, flat side on bottom, then like Zap, fit them together jigsaw puzzle style. I don't like the cut side up so much, but because of the gnarly nature, there are lots of air spaces. I also will shave off the stubs on some, and have to crate of those to use for kindling.

 

[swagler85]

Most of my splits look like these. I stack them between poles, flat side on bottom, then like Zap, fit them together jigsaw puzzle style. I don't like the cut side up so much, but because of the gnarly nature, there are lots of air spaces. I also will shave off the stubs on some, and have to crate of those to use for kindling.

Question on the cut side up, there was another person in here that swore by putting bark side down all the time. So question is what is the difference? And I know it's personal preference as well but just curious if you have achieved different results.

 

[Realstone]

Question on the cut side up, there was another person in here that swore by putting bark side down all the time. So question is what is the difference? And I know it's personal preference as well but just curious if you have achieved different results.

I recall that too. It was a respected poster, like Zap or Backwoods Savage. Anyway, the thinking was that it dried faster bark down. One of the regulars here also advocates removing as much of the bark as possible prior to stacking for the same reason.

 

[firefighterjake]

It often seems like a good percentage of my splits are fugly looking . . . all gnarled up, twisted, Y-crotchety, fuzzed up splits. I figure though I'm not trying to win any wood stacking beauty contest . . . just trying to get the wood seasoned so I can burn it . . . so I don't particuarly care how the wood looks . . . just as long as it seasoned.

Of course, one does have to stack the fugly wood so it will get seasoned.

If the wood isn't too bad I go all Jenga on it and mix and match pieces to make the stack stable.

Oftentimes really bad pieces go on the top of my stack . . . sure it isn't all nice and pretty as a nice, laser level line stack . . . but even fugly wood makes heat in the middle of January.

Sometimes I'll toss the uglies with my punks and chunks and save them for burning in the Fall or Spring when I don't have to maximize every square inch of my stove for the heat . . .

As mentioned Holtz Mietes work well with a large center area to toss in those punks, chunks and uglies . . . out of sight and out of mind until you tear apart the HM.

Chunks are often tossed in the middle of two rows on pallets . . . or as mentioned earlier . . . saved for burning in the shoulder season.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Question on the cut side up, there was another person in here that swore by putting bark side down all the time. So question is what is the difference? And I know it's personal preference as well but just curious if you have achieved different results.

I tend to stack mostly bark up but still have some in the stacks that are bark down. Usually I'll stack however it stacks best.

Overall, there probably is not much difference. However, if you have some logs that have loose bark, then moisture can tend to get inside and mess things up a bit. Top cover the stacks though and all should be well.