Best ways to get ahead?

[kennyp2339]

Just like a few other members, I stay ahead by a constant rotation, a built a wood shed that holds (2) season worth of wood, I then keep (1) seasons worth outside stacked on pallets.
I rotate the shed wood by alternating between section bins (each bin holds 2 cords), in the spring I'll re-fill the empty bin, with the open air stack, I'll then cut and split rounds and stack them on the pallets.
Obviously the outdoor wood stays outside in full open air for 1 year, then it sits in the semi open wood shed for 2 years before burning, this yields wood splits that are between 12-15% moisture content.
The shed is near the house, set along the perimeter of the driveway, so it doesn't take up really any space, the pallet stacks are on the west side of the yard on my "log landing" so that doesn't take up any space either.

 

[red oak]

I have a main shed that I built two additions onto a couple of years ago. Each holds a year’s worth give or take. Wood dries there for 3 years and then I move it under my deck right outside the basement door. Wood that’s been recently cut spends a year or two outdoors before being moved under a roof.

As for getting ahead in the beginning it is really difficult. I remember cutting and splitting in 90 degree weather many times. At one point I had 30 cords and that was too much. Now I’m closer to 20 and only cut what I burn each season. I burn about 4 cords per year so that’s about 5 years ahead. Now I only cut and split October-April so no more during hot summer months. Once you get ahead it’s much easier to stay there.

 

[GeoFire]

Craigslist free

 

[Ashful]

My stack is growing by the day with this coronavirus keeping us home. At this point I need to reorganize my storage and be more efficient. Right now I have a rack system I built that holds 2 cords neatly with top cover and it’s in the yard. Just off the grass in the woods I have another 4-5 cords and growing by the day. Here’s the question.....knowing our house/climate and most likely burn between 3-4 cords a winter is it smart to build a wood shed that holds that amount? Or make it hold a little more then I need? I need to take advantage of vertical stacking more so I’ve been planning a simple shed/Leanto top cover rack system. I’m ok with having stacks in the woods but what I don’t want to do it be going all the way out there to move wood around next winter. Any input would be awesome

Think about accessibility. What are you using to haul the wood? I try to keep 30 cords CSS’d, and definitely never less than 20 cords, as I burn about 10 per year. Putting all of that into a single wood shed would mean walking deep into it for each arm load of splits, when loading my trailer to haul it up to the house. So, I choose instead to store my wood in long rows. Previously it was three rows of pallets stacked two rows wide on each, now I’m building a series of four-cord racks to put in a long row. In this way, I can just drive my wagon down the aisle and load directly off the rack into the wagon.

Old system:



New system:



hauling it up to the house:



My plan is to scale back my wood usage to just two of those new sheds per year, or 8 cords per year. Having a three sheds that each hold a year’s worth (or two sheds in my case), instead of all jumbled together in one large shed, should also make it easier to track it all and keep it organized by age.

 

[ChadMc]

Think about accessibility. What are you using to haul the wood? I try to keep 30 cords CSS’d, and definitely never less than 20 cords, as I burn about 10 per year. Putting all of that into a single wood shed would mean walking deep into it for each arm load of splits, when loading my trailer to haul it up to the house. So, I choose instead to store my wood in long rows. Previously it was three rows of pallets stacked two rows wide on each, now I’m building a series of four-cord racks to put in a long row. In this way, I can just drive my wagon down the aisle and load directly off the rack into the wagon.

Old system:

View attachment 259247 View attachment 259248

New system:

View attachment 259249 View attachment 259250

hauling it up to the house:

View attachment 259246

My plan is to scale back my wood usage to just two of those new sheds per year, or 8 cords per year. Having a three sheds that each hold a year’s worth (or two sheds in my case), instead of all jumbled together in one large shed, should also make it easier to track it all and keep it organized by age.

That’s an awesome rack/shed set up. As far accessibility my stuff for next year is neatly in the back yard just 40-50 yards from the house. Right now I use a craftsman ride on mower with a decent size trailer. But the way I worked all winter I would just bring rounds to the stack and split them there. So there wasn’t much moving the wood around. I’m still working hard now and at this point I’m a a good season ahead. Just got lumber for the wood shed too!! Ha

just curious where is philly are you?? You burn 10 cords a winter??

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

if you want to get ahead it's simple, you have to cut a LOT of wood , way more than you use in one season and you keep doing that until people think you're crazy and start talking.

 

[Highbeam]

Think about accessibility. What are you using to haul the wood? I try to keep 30 cords CSS’d, and definitely never less than 20 cords, as I burn about 10 per year. Putting all of that into a single wood shed would mean walking deep into it for each arm load of splits, when loading my trailer to haul it up to the house. So, I choose instead to store my wood in long rows. Previously it was three rows of pallets stacked two rows wide on each, now I’m building a series of four-cord racks to put in a long row. In this way, I can just drive my wagon down the aisle and load directly off the rack into the wagon.

Old system:

View attachment 259247 View attachment 259248

New system:

View attachment 259249 View attachment 259250

hauling it up to the house:

View attachment 259246

My plan is to scale back my wood usage to just two of those new sheds per year, or 8 cords per year. Having a three sheds that each hold a year’s worth (or two sheds in my case), instead of all jumbled together in one large shed, should also make it easier to track it all and keep it organized by age.

Look at that super fast splitter!

 

[JRHAWK9]

FYI I’m home for 2 weeks cause of COVID so I’m trying to distant myself and get stuff done around here.......this is ourbfirst winter of burning with our new regency stove and we LOVE it. The house is so cozy and warm! We burnt full time and plan on doing so every winter. This winter we started dec 1 and now were only doin a a small evening or morning fire cause it’s getting warm. We burnt 3 cords and I have a face cord left that’ll be gone in a few weeks. I have 4 cords stacked, and top covered ready for next year. I can only see myself “getting ahead” if I continue working on this through spring and summer. But at that point our woods gets so thick and green unless your on the trails you can hardly go in the woods. How do some of you get so far ahead? Maybe I need to work harder in the fall/winter? Thanks!!

if you want to get ahead it's simple, you have to cut a LOT of wood , way more than you use in one season and you keep doing that until people think you're crazy and start talking.

yup, pretty simple concept. Just process more than you burn, that's all there is to it.

I put my wood furnace in the fall of '14. I already had a fair amount split/stacked from a storm which blew through a couple years prior, so I was sitting in pretty decent shape right from the get-go. I didn't want to keep wasting a bunch of that good oak in a conventional fireplace so that's when we made the decision to install an efficient wood burning appliance and move to full time wood burning. It was the perfect time, as I had about 3 years of wood on hand already, assuming 4-5 cord a year.

I wanted to stay ahead on supply, so I just worked at it. I do all my cutting in December through February and then split as soon as the snow disappears and the ground softens up enough to pound t-posts in. The exception was the summer of '14, when I cut some large dead oaks and a bunch of Black Locust trees my neighbor did not want and split/stacked them the fall of '14. I also remember scrounging around to find dead stuff as I was on a mission to get ahead....lol

Fall of '14 I processed 16.5 cord
Spring '15: 17 cord
Spring '16: 8.5 cord
Spring '17: 7 cord
Spring '18: 7.5 cord
Spring '19: 9.5 cord
Spring '20: 10.25 cord

I'm currently sitting on a bit less than 65 cord at the moment. I've never burned less than 4 cord a year and never burned over 5.

 

[Mutineer]

I burn about 4 cords per like most folks here, I wouldn't have near enuff room to stack 65 cords like JRHAWK9 on my piddling 4.5 acres. I have racks for about 8 cords now and add a double stack rack that holds a little over 2 "face cards" each year or so. 65 cords, 65 cords, wow, hard for me even to count that high.

 

[JRHAWK9]

I burn about 4 cords per like most folks here, I wouldn't have near enuff room to stack 65 cords like JRHAWK9 on my piddling 4.5 acres. I have racks for about 8 cords now and add a double stack rack that holds a little over 2 "face cards" each year or so. 65 cords, 65 cords, wow, hard for me even to count that high.

I don't know why some think it takes up a whole bunch of area. We only have a little over 2 acres. I have direct access to many more though and where I get the majority of what I cut. I cut my pieces 20" long and I stack 5'3" on top of two pallets, so the actual top of wood is more like about 6' from the ground, but only about 5'3" of actual wood.

If you do the math.....65 cord is 8,320 CF.
8,320/5.25 = 1,585 SF (or 0.036 acres) Now I take up more area than that because I have spacing between all my stacks, so even if I double that it leaves me with 1.93 acres left out of 2.0.

1,585/1.67 = 950' worth of stacks 5'3" tall and 20" wide.

Here's a video I just shot:

 

[kennyp2339]

@JRHAWK9 sorry but I couldn't shake the image of your avatar and bigfoot walking through the dry leaves. Nice wood piles though

 

[JRHAWK9]

@JRHAWK9 sorry but I couldn't shake the image of your avatar and bigfoot walking through the dry leaves. Nice wood piles though

yeah, I had to put my hair in a single pony tail out the back so the wind wouldn't blow it into view of the camera.

 

[JRHAWK9]

Panoramic of the area:

Total length of all the stacks is 968'.

 

[heavy hammer]

JRHAWK9 very nice clean and organized. That is sitting a few years ahead. You said it correctly process more than you burn then you will get ahead. I have probably about 20-30 cords at my place hard to tell since about a third of it is still in log form six to eight foot lengths. But I have more than enough for the next couple of years cut split and stacked and I only have 2.5 acres and all my stuff is on the edge of the woods or in the woods nothing in the yard.

 

[andym]

Panoramic of the area:

View attachment 259385

Total length of all the stacks is 968'.

Hope the location of those piles is highly classified....

 

[Gearhead660]

I have just over 2 acres, and currently have about 15 cord. Before this past winter i had 5 cord, and burned it all.
Recently built 2 wood sheds. Can fit more wood on less dirt. Went out today after work and grabbed a truck load. Truck load = 1/2 cord. Little by little it adds up.

 

[Mutineer]

I'm 63 and 65 cords would last me 16 years, which would make me 79, which might be the end of my burning career that started in '88. I stack along the edge of the yard, my woods are a little too thick and now full of wild g*d-d**n primrose to have easy access to stacking in there. Good for the deer tho.

 

[Ashful]

Look at that super fast splitter!

Doesn’t everyone kludge a 400cc motor onto their Speeco 22-ton?

 

[Wood1Dennis]

My woods is pretty much too wet to work in the summer. Besides, I heat with wood because I enjoy the work, but I don't love it when it is hot and buggy in the summer. I save those days for riding the motorcycle!!
My favorite and most productive way to get ahead is to get in the woods in the fall & winter. I usually start around Thanksgiving and work through the winter when the ground is frozen and there is snow. I cut the tops up in place to haul out in spring and I drag the logs out to my wood piles. I have a great open space that was an old farm field. They sit there until spring when I cut split and stack in double rows right there. It works great.
I was ahead last year (had several logs that I did not get worked up) and I got a lot out this winter so I am getting the piles filled. The Covid-19 pandemic has 'provided' me with some extra furlough time that has helped with that effort. I will be pretty much three years ahead with these stacks and a couple more over by the house.