Bad wood pile

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Backwoods Savage

Backwoods Savage

Minister of Fire
Hearth Supporter
Feb 14, 2007
27,811
Michigan
Well, some of this happens from time to time. We cut in the winter and do not split until spring. My splitting pile is stacked up to six feet high. Trouble is, lost of it has snow on the bottom and then throughout the pile there is more snow.

With all that warm air we got (wind was SW so straight out of Lansing), a lot of the snow melted and naturally some of the wood pile scattered. Wasn't too bad though. I could see one block in the lane but when I went out, all of the last tree I cut had tipped completely over. More work! Maybe I'll just take the splitter out there and split it rather than re-stack it. It is all ash and some pretty good sized blocks too.
 
Sorry to hear that Savage...yeah I'd split it and save some extra handling. imo the extra handling is the curse of wood burning.
 
Good Idea Dennis.
With the thaw we've had, if you can get the splitter to that wood, that's what I'd do, rather than restack.
It's work no matter how you look at it, but that would be easier.
I took down a maple late last fall, but before I could get around to splitting it, that pesky snow started. I actually have that one, another one in my power line and 2 big pine trees to get bucked, split and stacked. Wish I cold have done it last fall.
Split 'em if ya got 'em!
The snow that was forecast never materialized, so maybe spring is on the way! Yeah, riiiiiiiiiiiight.
 
Same thing happened to me. When I stacked it I figured as heavy as the rounds were on the bottom there is no way this stack is coming down but you take melting snow, thawing ground and a great big wind and I guess most anything can tip over.

Nice to know it can happen to the best of us, too. Thanks for sharing, Dennis!
 
Before I start splitting I'll try to remember to take some pictures. Maybe I'll also take some pictures after the splitting is done. But don't look for those too soon. It is still winter! I usually start splitting in March but some years have to wait until April. I won't get much if any sun where the splitting pile is this year so it all depends on how warm the air is. There is still plenty of snow at the pile and the lane beside it is not fit for walking with all the slippery ice. It slants downhill so there is water on top of the ice. Not good for walking for sure.
 
I understand the waiting but I'm splitting green elm so really want to get as much split and debarked as possible so I can freeze those bast**d larvae before they mature and go on to kill more elms.
 
No big deal. It happens from time to time. If I took the time to clear all the snow instead of just throwing more wood on the pile it wouldn't happens as much. Only the frost heaving would do it. But I'll just take the splitter out there and go to work. It definitely is too soft now to haul wood out of the woods so I may as well start splitting anyway. Maybe in a couple days.
 
Ja, removing the snow would be good but frost heaving can still topple a stack. If stacking 6 feet high, I would tie back to the adjacent row with a few long pieces at about the 4 foot height.
 
For sure I could do that, but it is only a splitting pile. If it topples it is no big deal. I just thought it was funny and thought I'd see what responses I'd get here. Now I suppose I should get out there and get busy; but I don't really want to. More snow overnight.
 
Backwoods Savage said:
For sure I could do that, but it is only a splitting pile. If it topples it is no big deal. I just thought it was funny and thought I'd see what responses I'd get here. Now I suppose I should get out there and get busy; but I don't really want to. More snow overnight.
Click to expand...

Dennis: don`t go out there cutting tonite!!

There is a Bad Moon On The Rise//CCR have told me so.

Besides, don`t ya have a good 7 year supply on hand. John Fogerty just said that it wouldn`t be good for you this time of year to take the chance,--says you "ain`t no fortunate son"..

Oregon man hates me--watch how fast this gets trashed to the can ;-P
 
Ah yes, even more than 7 years now!

But I can go out and cut tomorrow, because the Little Old Lady from Pasadena told me I could. Most of this week it has been windy so there's been a Whole Lot of Shaking Going On. I don't know all the answers to this puzzle. Could This Be Magic? Or maybe my wife is right and this is all Just A Dream.

Let's hope this isn't all a Wipeout!
 
sonnyinbc said:
Backwoods Savage said:
For sure I could do that, but it is only a splitting pile. If it topples it is no big deal. I just thought it was funny and thought I'd see what responses I'd get here. Now I suppose I should get out there and get busy; but I don't really want to. More snow overnight.
Click to expand...

Dennis: don`t go out there cutting tonite!!

There is a Bad Moon On The Rise//CCR have told me so.

Besides, don`t ya have a good 7 year supply on hand. John Fogerty just said that it wouldn`t be good for you this time of year to take the chance,--says you "ain`t no fortunate son"..

Oregon man hates me--watch how fast this gets trashed to the can ;-P
Click to expand...


Just for you George, I hope you like it.- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APGg68-gsr8&feature=related
 
Too bad for the tipover. I'm guessing 'pile' is actually a 'stack'? Or maybe the wind was blowing so strong the pile of wood actually did blow over?!? Either way, I'm impressed - either at the strength of the wind, or the fact your wood gets stacked before it's split, then re stacked again after.
 
cozy heat said:
Either way, I'm impressed... the fact your wood gets stacked before it's split...
Click to expand...
In the cold of Winter, I will buck all my wood but do not split it right away. Splitting starts when the snow is mostly gone.

Since the rounds get under foot in the processing area, they need to get moved. Larger rounds I stack so that they dry faster and are easier to pick up at splitting time. The stacks of rounds don't exceed shoulder height. Smaller rounds just get tossed aside into a pile.
 
cozy heat said:
Too bad for the tipover. I'm guessing 'pile' is actually a 'stack'? Or maybe the wind was blowing so strong the pile of wood actually did blow over?!? Either way, I'm impressed - either at the strength of the wind, or the fact your wood gets stacked before it's split, then re stacked again after.
Click to expand...

Yes Corey, I stack it before splitting but I'm never very careful with the stacking either. By stacking the logs, I can move the splitter right next to the stack and not have to move very often nor do I have to reach much to get the next log. If there were two people for splitting, one to split and the other to keep bring logs, then you could just throw the stuff and forget about it. But stacking actually saves me a bit of time.
 
Just a question out of curiosity - what is the problem with snow through the stack? Wouldn't the warm air just melt it and it drains away? What is frost heaving?
 
Either you truly are a southern boy or you are pulling my leg!

The problem with the snow through the stack is that I never took the time to clear the snow before throwing more wood on the stack. So, as the snow melts, the wood settles. Nasty things can happen.

Same goes for frost. The frost will push the ground up. Then as the weather warms, the frost melts, creating mud usually, and the heavy wood pile just slowly sinks. Naturally, it won't sink level. So, the pile tips over. That is why when you stack the wood after splitting you usually stop at 4' high but you can sometimes put it a little higher. Even at 4' though, sometimes it will tip over and it is because of nothing you did or didn't do.

So there is today's lesson. My bill will be arriving in the mail. Prompt payment appreciated!


btw, I did restack those logs that fell over. And we did not receive heavy snow last night nor today. Maybe it is holding off until we can get a real full blown blizzard.
 
Backwoods Savage said:
Either you truly are a southern boy or you are pulling my leg!
Click to expand...

More southern than you can drive :)
 
Apprentice_GM said:
Backwoods Savage said:
Either you truly are a southern boy or you are pulling my leg!
Click to expand...

More southern than you can drive :)
Click to expand...

Even if you get there, you still better be real careful trying to drive! :lol: Rick
 
Apprentice_GM said:
Just a question out of curiosity - what is the problem with snow through the stack? Wouldn't the warm air just melt it and it drains away? What is frost heaving?
Click to expand...

Sometimes the snow melts . . . but typically the snow just melts a bit when it gets warmer and then refreezes and then melts and then . . . well you get the picture . . . sometimes int the process things can get a bit askewed. As for me, I've made a conscientious decision to play on my snowmobile rather than work on the wood so snow isn't an issue for me.

As for your second question . . . a frost heave is when the ground swells up in one place . . . someone smarter than me can probably explain why (probably something to do with part of the ground melting faster than another part or draining better or something) . . . typically in the Spring in Maine you will see florescent orange FROST HEAVE signs dotting Maine roads which let you know to slow up really quickly or risk hitting the bump in the road and being launched halfway to the moon . . . or conversely losing your entire transmission as the car hits the killer bump -- some of them can be quite high . . . and quite often you end up with some pretty big potholes in the road during the same time of year which means you can hit a frost heave, launch your car a couple feet into the air and then come down into a sinkhole-sized pothole and your car will not be found until July 4th when Paving starts and the paving crew discovers your skeletonized remains in your car as they're laying down the asphault (OK, I embellished that last part . . . but seriously the frost heaves can be pretty big up here.)
 
Jake, do you slow up or slow down?
Well, do you go uptown or downtown?
Could stoplights also be called golights?

Better stop while I'm ahead...
 
Backwoods Savage said:
Better stop while I'm ahead...
Click to expand...
Why do we drive on a parkway but park in a driveway? And why is it IN the driveway and not ON the driveway?
 
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