How to keep my stacks upright?

[nola mike]

Ok, I have a semi-portable wood rack made out of cinder blocks, lawn timbers, and 2x4's. Should hold about 1/2 cord. I've had it collapse twice now in the last week. Normally I stack against a wall, so haven't run into this issue. It's the wood itself that is falling, the rack itself stays upright. I think at least part of the issue is that my splits are short (14-15"). So I need some sort of bracing I guess at the top. When I make my built in racks as part of my new fence, I'm going to put some lattice on the back side. I might do this, and then just put a 2x4 across the front. Wondering if anybody else had a more creative solution.

 

[tigeroak]

I built 3 racks that are 16 foot long -5 1/2 foot tall[inside floor to roof bottom] and 4 foot wide. I put these up against a chain link fence as the people next to us would set out and watch so wife said build away. They all have a metal roof and hold over 2 1/2 cord. See picture.

 

[maple1]

I double stack. Pallets are about the right width for that.

 

[nola mike]

Don't want to double stack; I need the real estate, and I also want the air flow. Chainlink on the sides would work...

 

[S Roche]

@tigeroak In your picture, what are the shrubs, bushes, or trees in the lower right?

 

[TedyOH]

what are the shrubs, bushes, trees in the lower right?

I'll guess grapes.

 

[S Roche]

I'll guess grapes.

I thought that too but I didn't see any wires. Looks like new wood, maybe they aren't there yet.

 

[Oldman47]

My guess is train the grapes to the support posts.

 

[mass_burner]

Ok, I have a semi-portable wood rack made out of cinder blocks, lawn timbers, and 2x4's. Should hold about 1/2 cord. I've had it collapse twice now in the last week. Normally I stack against a wall, so haven't run into this issue. It's the wood itself that is falling, the rack itself stays upright. I think at least part of the issue is that my splits are short (14-15"). So I need some sort of bracing I guess at the top. When I make my built in racks as part of my new fence, I'm going to put some lattice on the back side. I might do this, and then just put a 2x4 across the front. Wondering if anybody else had a more creative solution.

How high are you stacking? I had issues with 8" logs, but 15" should be okay at no more than 5'.

 

[Fred Wright]

Keep your stacks no higher than 5 feet or so. The taller the stacks, the more likely they are to topple. Some species of wood tend to change shape and shift as they dry. Red maple is notorious for this.

If you have small rounds to stack, place them on or near the top. Same goes for odd-shaped stuff.

Also you may wish to try cross stacking, or cribbing along the way. Cross stacking adds some rigidity; it's less likely to fall over.

 

[tigeroak]

@tigeroak In your picture, what are the shrubs, bushes, or trees in the lower right?

That is grapes. That was taken before I got 3 rows of #9 coated wire run. I cut them ALL the way back to the main trunk every 2-3 years. There are 4 plants and when they make new vines they will set grapes only on the second years vines. When they set fruit we get more than you would think. The last time I cut them back and they made grapes we got around 100 quarts off of them.

 

[BEConklin]

I've found that if I alternate sides when I'm stacking, the pile seems to stay balanced and is less prone to tumbling over. But if I build the stack placing the splits all from the same side, then it will tend to lean. Of course it helps to build your stacks in such a manner that you can get all around them and sight along the sides from time to time - tapping splits in as needed here and there to ensure the stack doesn't lean.

 

[Dobish]

i had the same issue... turns out they fall over when you push them! i found that they weren't really level or plumb to begin with, and I was stacking them towards men without realizing it. I also found that throwing a ratchet strap to apply tension was helpful, as well as throwing in a few longer pieces that stick out and re-establish balance. This idea is sort of like using a pole while walking on a tight-rope, it distributes the weight a little bit.

 

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

That is grapes. That was taken before I got 3 rows of #9 coated wire run. I cut them ALL the way back to the main trunk every 2-3 years. There are 4 plants and when they make new vines they will set grapes only on the second years vines. When they set fruit we get more than you would think. The last time I cut them back and they made grapes we got around 100 quarts off of them.

Just curious on a completely unrelated to firewood note, what kind of grapes are you growing that you use that procedure and trellis design?