My three types of stacking methods and which seems to work best

[kennyp2339]

I've been collecting firewood for many years, the typical thing I do is cut logs then split them up right away, all wood gets stacked either wet or green.
I built a bunch of strait single row wood racks out of 2x4's I could hold nearly 5 cords total, the dimension's are 4.5ft high x 12ft long, I liked that style but the main issue us that the stacks tend to shift as the shrink, I would end up having to restack some of the rows due to tip overs, the pro with them is that the wood would be exposed and dry out fairly good, I would top cover with heavy mill plastic and an electric stapler.

My second main type of stack is 14 pallets, all together in a double wide row, holds nearly 7 cords, it was a great way to stack, I didn't have to worry about tip overs, I would simply top cover and let it go, 3 years later I'm moving this stack onto the driveway.
The cons - the stack was way to thick in depth, I've got wet wood in the middle, especially were the tarp had a hole, also this stack became a wild life center to ground hogs, mice and snakes. Ground hog holes underneath the pallets, mouse nests all over, and snake skins everywhere.

The third type of stacking method which is seeming to have the best results is the holz style or round house, this pile was stacked last year and has settled very nicely, I'm thinking it's holding close to 5 cords but on a small foot print, the sides have shrunk nicely and is allowing optimal airflow to penetrate the center, the sloped roof style allows rain to run off, I will be throwing a tarp on top of it this winter to keep excessive snow off the top, I will also be stacking wood like this from now on.

 

[JSeery]

Interesting post. For your holzhaus, are you just going three pallets wide, so a total of nine pallets? What are the rough dimensions of the haus itself?

Also, have you had issues with the pallets buckling under that weight? Seems like they are supporting more weight than they would in your long row style. For that reason, I've heard of people building them directly on gravel but that was a non-starter for me.

I'm a newbie and trying to maximize stacking efficiency to get 3 yrs ahead without having the entire property dominated by firewood. This is all very helpful info and much appreciated.

 

[kennyp2339]

Interesting post. For your holzhaus, are you just going three pallets wide, so a total of nine pallets? What are the rough dimensions of the haus itself?

The holz is 12ft round on 9 pallets, to make pallets successful you need to make sure the ground your stacking on is level and solid so the weight gets distributed equally.
The pile is 12ft round x 5ft high then slopes upwards to about 9ft, the center of the stack is just pieces of wood thrown in, nothing crazy, the roof is layered wood splits like shingles, is sheds heavy rain very well.

 

[NoGoodAtScreenNames]

I use a system similar to your toppled single stacks. I use a 2x4 on the bottom perpendicular to the stack and connect that to the side "wall" with a piece going diagonally and then build a little roof with clear plastic to top cover without blocking much light.



I get a little less than half cord for an 8' long x 6' high module and so far so good stability wise. It's a bit overbuilt but I'm in the burbs and neat looking stacks in a small area that dry fast and don't fall over is important.

 

[iron]

thanks for this post!

i started with your method 1 and it's currently littering my yard i have noticed that the more freestanding the rack, the more it seems one side of the wood stack shrinks and starts to lean. i'm leery about how long it'll be before one of them collapses.

long term, definitely need to move to a shed system!

 

[DoubleB]

You mention wildlife is a problem with option #2. Do you get the same wildlife with the 9' depth of the holz hausen #3?

I do option #2, and am on the fence whether I should try a change. Had some groundhogs this summer, and found mouse nests when I moved the stack into the garage this weekend. I don't like that, but it's also not too surprising.

 

[kennyp2339]

You mention wildlife is a problem with option #2. Do you get the same wildlife with the 9' depth of the holz hausen #3?

Iam sure the wild life like the round house to, especially if its dryer in the center

 

[drz1050]

What's the problem with wildlife? I have lots of chipmunks living in/ around my wood piles, the piles are far from the house so I don't mind it at all. If I stacked next to the house, then I could see a problem with mice and such.

 

[kennyp2339]

My only real problem is the mouse crap atm, and knowing that they peed on the splits as I bare hand them in the middle of the night loading the stove.

 

[DoubleB]

What's the problem with wildlife?

Just the groundhog that dug through my stone foundation and into my house this summer and peed and pooped all over the place.

Even if I had no woodpiles, I certainly could have groundhogs, but I don't want to make the place any more attractive than it needs to be. My wood piles are 100 ft from the house, but that doesn't stop a large rodent on the prowl.

 

[drz1050]

dug through my stone foundation...

That's impressive.. in all the wrong ways. That was one determined rodent! I haven't seen groundhogs here yet, I think my dog might keep them at bay. I used to have moles, he dug up a few. See their holes much less often now.

 

[DoubleB]

That was one determined rodent!

Yea, what a pain. Chewed through the soft mortar, dug out some of the small stones, and just came on in. The place started smelling like a barn, and took a while to find the problem. Took longer to find a place to buy the right kind of lime mortar for the stones, but that's another story.

I have lots of chipmunks living in/ around my wood piles, the piles are far from the house so I don't mind it at all.

I'm with you. I just leave any wildlife alone, unless it earns some repercussions. All groundhogs fit into that category for me now!



Ok, I'll stop hijacking this thread...

 

[Poindexter]

I really like threads like these.

For one thing you have removed the climate variable, all three of your methods were exposed to the same weather, you end up comparing apples to apples.

Single width stacking 16" splits i can go eith feet long and about six feet high. This will sag, but i can lean on it or whack it with a sledge hammer to straighten it back ip before it topples.

If i go to six feet long i can stack as high as i can reach wihout a ladder and not be troubled with leaning.

As above, 12 feet long they usually tumble wven when i try to keep up with the leaning due to settling ( towards sunlight on my lot), i end up having to restack.

Thanks for for sharing your observations.

 

[NoGoodAtScreenNames]

I really like threads like these...

Thanks for for sharing your observations.

Agreed. I like looking at what other people have done for some inspiration. The rack I showed earlier in the thread was inspired a bit by your Solar kiln thread which I checked in a lot on. I liked having a higher stack like yours and modified it to fit my needs and (lack of) carpentry skills. Instead of clear plastic for a kiln I used clear plastic for the roof. Working good so far as I hope yours are as well.

 

[rowerwet]

I stack my wood on pallets, with three pressure treated timbers underneath, I put another pallet between the rows vertically.
Then cover the whole thing with metal roofing weighed down with splits.
The wood stacks cause the pallet top to deflect and lean the stacks in towards the center, and that just makes them lean harder on the center vertical pallet.
The steel roofing keeps the stack dry, and heats up in the sun, drawing air in and up through the center of the stacks.
The landscaping timbers under the pallets keep the pallets from rotting. I pick them up cheap at the end of the season

 

[BringinHeat]

I stack kind of like your single row method. May I suggest that you may simply need to put some supporting "sticks" on your stacks.

It may keep them upright a bit better.

 

[excessads]

I stack kind of like your single row method. May I suggest that you may simply need to put some supporting "sticks" on your stacks.

It may keep them upright a bit better.

View attachment 185216

That's one great looking fort!

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[kennyp2339]

Winter wood is in the driveway, brought up about 5 cords

 

[Hasufel]

I stack kind of like your single row method. May I suggest that you may simply need to put some supporting "sticks" on your stacks.

It may keep them upright a bit better.

View attachment 185216

Nice arrangement! I stack between trees like you do, but not nearly as neatly. I've had a few partial collapses as the wood shrinks, partly because I stack higher than I should (which mainly is the result of my tendency to underestimate the volume of wood that I'm splitting). One thing I found that helps is to use crotches and bent pieces on the ends of the stacks to better anchor them to the tree trunks. That doesn't help the middle (my stacks are about 20 feet long) but it seems to keep the ends more secure...

 

[ccmac]

You mention the holz style is what "seemingly has the best results". What are the results you are finding? You mention the airflow in the center is good, but what makes you think that? What are your moisture readings with equivalent drying time? I ask because I have reservations about how dry the center of a 12ft Holz will actually get. I like the idea of these and they can be attractive but I need performance and quantitative, measurable results. Can you elaborate on what you are finding.

 

[kennyp2339]

Well the results are really an eye ball test atm, the wood on the outside is dry and ready to go, the inside pieces from what I could tell don't get wet from the rain, there always pretty much dry so, also the outside "ring" has shrunk noticeably allowing good air movement into the center. I cant wait to take this thing apart next season to test the inside pieces.

 

[Vikestand]

I go 2 pallets x 4 pallets for my individual stacks. Crib the ends and stack about 4'-5' high and have never had a problem of tipping or anything else.

 

[ccmac]

Definitely please report on your findings from the Holz. I would definitely be interested to try one of these. My stacking works great but I like the look of these and would like some variety.

 

[kennyp2339]

Ccmac- right there is when you hit the point of no return, when you look at your stacks and say I need some variety...

 

[Vikestand]

I was always curious as to how you get the wood off the top in an easy manor? I move a weeks worth of wood up every Sunday. Just seems awfully high to have easy access. Also is there a trick to the bottom rows for stability(much like using prime pieces for your cribbed ends)?