Holz Hausen

[bwise.157]

I know everybody has an opinion about the Holz Hausen stacking method, but I am a believer. I have done 10 of them the last two years, and the wood has been dry when time to burn and the stacks don't fall over. I have zero investment in wood storage structures. Here are two of them.

 

[bwise.157]

Once I am ready to burn, I use a carry-all I made for my tractor to transfer to the house. The carry-all has wheels on the bottom and can be moved around the garage when loaded, by hand. It holds a little under half a cord.
(broken image removed)

 

[BrotherBart]

Sounds and looks like a good setup to me.

 

[pen]

How many months do these holz structures stay in form before you go to burn the wood?

 

[Woody Stover]

The idea of not having to cover the wood is appealing, but I'd think you'd have to cover it if you were getting close to burning it, or when you are tearing into the holz and not putting it in a shed. Mine would be under trees so I'd probably cover in spring and fall to keep catkins and leaves out...

 

[BrotherBart]

As long as you make one for partying .

 

[Roundgunner]

Now I have seen everything, thanks.

 

[Parallax]

Where I live it rains too much to trust anything without a roof or at least a tarp.

 

[webby3650]

Looks like a nice setup you got going!
I rarely ever cover my stacks. In the burning season I will cover 1 row if its gonna snow but thats the only time. I do plan to build a wood shed here soon though.

 

[bwise.157]

I do to top cover with heavy, clear plastic to keep the water, leaves, etc. off the pile. I cut some small holes in the plastic to allow air to move out the top. Most of what I cut is standing dead, so I usually only need to have the wood in these for about a year. I have one that is all oak from a tree that blew down last summer. Plan on letting it sit for another year, and will burn it starting fall 2015. Overall though, they work well and are easy to build once you get the hang of it. Most of mine are about 8' diameter, and 6' high. They hold a lot of wood.

 

[Woody Stover]

As long as you make one for partying .

Don't party too much, or you might get back to the ground a little quicker than you had planned.

Most of mine are about 8' diameter, and 6' high. They hold a lot of wood.

I think I read that an 8-footer holds about two cords...

 

[bwise.157]

I get about 2.5 cords in one stack. My carry-all is 5x4x4 (80 cu ft), which is .625 cords. Accounting for air space when loaded, I am probably around half a cord. I can get five full loads per stack.

 

[bassJAM]

Lookin good bwise! I've settled on about 7-8' diameter and 6' high too. It's amazing how sturdy they are, that's really what sold me on them since I didn't want to build a shed or racks to lean against.

I've been using thin splits with bark to "roof" the top of them. That way at least some of the rain will run down the sides and it will keep snow off the wood until it melts. As I break into them in the winter, my plan is to cover just the one I'm taking wood out of with a tarp.

 

[adrpga498]

They look great, keep up the good work

 

[privatejoker75]

I did my first one a few weeks ago. The "wood" shed is currently housing a few lawn mowers, a snow blower, a dirt bike etc so i needed to improvise until I have time to build another shed.

 

[Charlie2]

I understand that it is more compact, 8' diameter would equal 24' lineal feet of single stacked 6' high and it definitely looks sturdy, but single stack "has" to dry wood faster doesn't it? Is there some kind of chimney effect going on where air is being drawn from the bottom and out the top?

 

[bwise.157]

Everyone I have talked with has differing opinions on what dries faster. I have allowed mine to sit for at least a year, so I really am not trying to see how fast I can dry the wood. For me, I wanted a way to stack my wood that was sturdy and didn't require me putting more money into a structure of some kind. So, I made these and just throw a piece of clear plastic over the top to keep the water out and debris off. I do cut a few holes in the plastic to allow the "chimney" effect, but not sure how much that actually does.

 

[privatejoker75]

I bought a moisture meter from amazon a few weeks ago so i'll see how mine does. Most of the splits were in the 10-12% range.