Best way to put wood on pallets ?

[Dmitry]

I just started my first year of storing and drying my own firewood from my property. Got some pallets and want to use it until wood shed is build. (At least, that what I think)
Want to make a line of pallets and store wood on it. Do I need to leave some space between rows or it's OK to put rows side by side. Any general advice is appreciated.

 

[Dmitry]

Some pics

 

[Babaganoosh]

To dry leave space between them. To store already dry wood you don't need to leave space. I also run 2 two by fours on top of the pallets to give the wood a little extra air to dry.

 

[Dmitry]

Just curious how high you, guys, stacking the splits, Most of mine wood is 20" , I stacked it about 5' high. Seems pretty stable.

 

[Hills Hoard]

I stack two rows on my pallets with a gap of about 10-12 inches between the rows....then cover each row in plastic....works brilliant...

 

[BigCountryNY]

I do the same and I also use the log cabin method of stacking on the ends of my rows. This way you get a squared-off row. (Mostly it's my OCD though.) By leaving some space between the rows, your wood dries a lot faster. If you stacked three rows of wet wood, your outer two rows wouldn't dry as fast and your inside row would hardly dry at all after a year.

 

[billb3]

Green wood I leave enough room to walk between them, or wheel a wheel barrel through although I now have some back to back stacks of red oak but I won't need them for 3 or 4 years. I cut 16-18 inches so there is a 4 to 8 inch gap down the center of every skid that is 40 inches wide.

tight fit, but the wheelbarrow fits in there


room for my riding mower and trailer:


4 rows on two skids back to back ( green red oak )


a little bit of space down the center of a skid for a little bit of air flow:

 

[TimfromMA]

Grind into sawdust, press into pellets and bag.

LOL

 

[Dmitry]

To TImfromMA: Yeah , but then you need inside storage. My wife already mad at me for all the "toys" in garage.
To Bilb3: Nice looking stash. That's what I want to do. I've noticed you got some small trees next to your stored wood. I'm planning to take all of mines down. Does it affect drying a bit: preventing sun exposure, obstructing wind ? just a thought.

 

[billb3]

To TImfromMA: Yeah , but then you need inside storage. My wife already mad at me for all the "toys" in garage.
To Bilb3: Nice looking stash. That's what I want to do. I've noticed you got some small trees next to your stored wood. I'm planning to take all of mines down. Does it affect drying a bit: preventing sun exposure, obstructing wind ? just a thought.

Well if I stacked it all in the open in the middle of the driveway or front lawn the oak might be ready in 2 years and 11 months instead of three years. I prefer to use the driveway and front lawn for other things.
Besides most of the wood I've procured the last three years has been dead standing oak. There's tons of it here rotting away. Can't always get to it though if the weather doesn't cooperate. I'm almost three years ahead on ready to burn wood so some green stuff isn't a logistical problem.
It's nice to be 3 or 4 years ahead.

 

[Dmitry]

One day I'll have 3year supply. I'm a believer. Now I just have about 3 cords scattered over my backyard waiting to be put on pallets.

 

[TimfromMA]

To TImfromMA: Yeah , but then you need inside storage. My wife already mad at me for all the "toys" in garage.

Not if you keep them covered.

 

[macattack_ga]

 

[splions]

Here is what I do with the pallets....

Next winter's supply

 

[Rossco]

I have dying racks made of two pallets on the bottom (8x4) with a pallet either side as walls. Cover with a 8x4 sheet of chip board.

I needed to cut some boards from the side walls to allow ful air flow between the stacks. When the tight rows are covered, no wind, the damp air cannot escape.

 

[Oakwood5]

Ran out of space and reorganizing the pallets. Next project on the list is to stack and put the roof back on the wood shack.

 

[macattack_ga]

Here is what I do with the pallets....

Next winter's supply

Do you move those pallets with a FEL? My little L2000DT wouldn't budge something that size.

 

[Ashful]

I have rows of pallets, about 100 feet long, and leave 10' between rows:

 

[Woody Stover]

I have rows of pallets, about 100 feet long, and leave 10' between rows.

That stack must get great drainage, on the white sand.
I'm putting my pallets on concrete blocks. I started with 2 rows wide for better air movement, but now since I'm far ahead I have gone to 3 wide, 2 blocks under each rail.

Here's a stack I started at my BIL's house. Looks like I need to center that row of blocks under the cut-outs. I musta got distracted.

 

[Ashful]

Here's a related question. I've always stacked double rows at 20" length on my 40" pallets. Perfect, neat, and stable rows.

Now, my new stoves have me cutting real short... 16" recommended length, 18" max. I've lost my perfect 40" pallet-width double rows. So, leave an 8" gap down the middle, and hope these narrow rows don't fall, or continue stacking the two rows tight, and just have the double row narrower than the pallets?

Long term, may start hunting for 48" pallets, so I can do triple rows.

 

[drz1050]

All of the pallets I get are 40x48. I stack perpendicular to the deck boards, 48" that way.

3 rows of 16-18" splits fit pretty easily.. there's a slight overhang at the bottom sometimes, I don't worry about that.

I was doing single rows, well double rows with a big gap, and had a few fall over... that sucked. I stack 3 rows now, and lean the outer rows in towards the middle slightly.

 

[Woody Stover]

I''m stacking 3 rows of 16" splits on 40" pallets, so they hang over. I guess that will be OK but I'm not sure yet...

 

[tsquini]

I stopped using pallets 2 years ago. I now use the Cinder Block and 2x4. They are Cheap and Portable.

 

[HItz]

I recently switched to the cinderblock and 2x4 method like what the guy posted above. Not too expensive, very modular, and easy to move around/store when you empty one out.

 

[CountryBoy19]

My wood length is 20-22" so there is no way to stack a double-row on a normal 40" pallet and leave any usable gap. I just stack double-row and don't have any problems with wood drying down.

I do have a some pallets that are wider than normal that allow me to stack double-row with space; in that case I do stack with a space. I wish I could acquire more of those pallets, they are pretty nice. They have 4 longitudinal stringers so each of the 2 stacks is fully supported on each end of the splits with a longitudinal stringer...