Noticed how the stacks are drying

[timusp40]

A couple of thoughts for the never ending stacking / drying methods.
1. Wood was CSS around Thanksgiving last year.
2. Top covered only.
3. 4' high 2 rows
4. All stacks are East to West (facing south)

So, I can see a good deal of checking or spliting on the Southern exposed ends of the splits, but not so much on the North side. Makes sense of course. I would dry out faster if the sun shined on my face all day long too! It has only been about 4 months, but I'm wonderring if I should have set up the stacks North / South instead. Plan is for this wood to be there at least 2 years before burning, so I'm thinking no big difference???? I'm still learning.

 

[rdust]

Most of my stacks are n/s due to our prevailing west winds.(sw, w, nw, usually some type of west) Not sure if it makes a lick of difference since all of them are stacked that way so I have no point of comparison.

 

[Pallet Pete]

Tim you will be fine I cover firewood with a tarp and also a wood shed and it dries fine. All you really need is a good airflow and you will have no worries after 2 years. Those stacks are beautiful as well good job.

Pete

 

[NH_Wood]

Yes, you'll be just fine at two years. And, as Pete said, real nice work on those stacks - beauty to the eye! Cheers!

 

[Gark]

Our stacks run N-S but after reading past posts here, some burners say that the breezes should flow along the rows, not against them. I don't think it matters. Those are good-looking stacks you made. Watch the check cracks over the two years- the cracks will open at first and then nearly close back shut again over time.

 

[chuckie5fingers]

I agree with the 2 year rule as well. My stacks are 6 foot high 3 feet deep and about 16 feet long (so Far) and it all seems to be drying nicely !!( I know, pics or they dont exist. Still learning to post pics.
NIce job on your stacks by the way!
chuck

 

[jackatc1]

I consider wood seasond when the bark separates from the split.

whith one exception oak!

 

[infinitymike]

Man those are perfect stacks. Each piece is perfectly flush to the next. Amazing.
Oh yeah i'm sure after two years they'll be nice and dry, no matter which way they are facing.

 

[chuckie5fingers]

almost too pretty to burn
make a good red-neck Christmas card !! LOL think Larry the cable guy! LOL

chuck

 

[Locust Post]

You will be fine if you go 2 years as you say. My largest pile ( 45' long 7' tall and 3 rows deep) gets mostly wind from the south. To the north it is somewhat sheltered by 2 large pines. This dries fine but I am always at least 2 years ahead. If I stack with the wind west to east hitting a pile it dries much faster.

 

[woodsmaster]

Did you stack against plywood or somthing flat ? that stack looks perfectly flush on the side.

 

[Woody Stover]

Plan is for this wood to be there at least 2 years before burning,

Good, then you won't have to dig out the darker, drier splits from that stack. Nice lookin' stack BTW.

I consider wood seasond when the bark separates from the split.
whith one exception oak!

I got a blown-down Cherry a couple of months ago, bucked it and stacked it in rounds at SIL's house. I split it yesterday and the bark was loose and pulled off easily, or just fell off. The wood still tested at 20% or a little above. It's burnable but a little wetter than I like to have it. Pignut bark also comes off pretty easily when it's been bucked or down a while but the MC is still well into the 20s...a bit soggy IMO.

 

[Woody Stover]

Did you stack against plywood or somthing flat ? that stack looks perfectly flush on the side.

Yeah, lets see a pic of the other side.

 

[maplewood]

None of my stacks look that good, that's for sure!
But I bet the bucket of ashes looks about the same.

 

[Wood Duck]

I think cracking is caused when the surface wood dries faster than the wood beneath it. It makes sense that the south side might get more sun causing the surface wood to dry out fast, while the wood beneath dries more slowly, and this would cause cracking. On the north side your firewood might be drying almost as fast throughout the split, but perhaps more evenly so it isn't cracking as much.

Whatever the explanation, I agree with the others that in two years it should all be nicely seasoned.

 

[jackatc1]

Hi woody

I was refering to splits not rounds,but 20% for rounds is pretty good.

Considering only bucked for a couple of months

 

[ScotO]

Heat and wind are the key ingredients in seasoning wood. Your wood is seasoned when the moisture in the inner cells is removed from the wood. The cracking you are getting on the sunny side of the stack is exactly what wood duck said.....the surface is drying faster because the sun is drying it out a little faster on the surface. The interior of those checked pieces is still as moist as the pieces on the other side, you can bet on that. Once summer comes, with the heat and wind, the other side will eventually crack just the same.

 

[smokinj]

Those are some good looking stacks. I just glad when mine still standing after a year. Iam on concrete. (Big wood though and it's not like you can put a tape on it)

 

[timusp40]

Did you stack against plywood or somthing flat ? that stack looks perfectly flush on the side.

I'm getting a lot of flack about the stacks being too pretty. Drives my wife crazy too. It's just the way I do things. Really no need to be so anal about stacking wood. Guess it's just the engineer in this 66 year old geezer.

 

[firefighterjake]

I'm getting a lot of flack about the stacks being too pretty. Drives my wife crazy too. It's just the way I do things. Really no need to be so anal about stacking wood. Guess it's just the engineer in this 66 year old geezer.

We're just jealous . . . my stacks look like the town drunk stacked them . . . and the other town drunk cut them to length . . . but the truth is the stacks stand up fine and in a few years (one year outside and another year inside the shed) they're plenty dry enough to burn . . . they may not look pretty, but they burn nicely.

My own take . . . keep up the good work. I always like looking at pictures of neat stacking piles of wood . . . even if it makes my slovenly stacks not look so great.

And yes . . . an engineer . . . this explains things. Accuracy, neatness and exact measurements . . . always very good traits in a person who is designing things to be used by other people.

 

[Jags]

We're just jealous . . . my stacks look like the town drunk stacked them . . . and the other town drunk cut them to length . .

Jake - that exactly explains what happens at my house. Darn town drunk.

 

[firefighterjake]

Jake - that exactly explains what happens at my house. Darn town drunk.

You sure it wasn't me?

 

[billb3]

I stack east / west with SW winds and find the wood on the shady side not in the sun has very little checking too.
I believe it is caused by fewer daily extremes in temp and surface drying and is rather meaningless .


My stacks look like they are on a Californian fault. That's been doing a lot of shakin'.

 

[JP11]

I've got all mine in U's made of pallets. I'm up around 30 of them so far. My wife's started to say that it looks like a paper mill!

Guess I'm doing my job right then. I need to get further ahead. Awful wet ground where I was splitting, gonna evacuate to drier area this weekend. I like those pretty stacks.. but my method is least handling for my application.

JP

 

[weatherguy]

I've got all mine in U's made of pallets. I'm up around 30 of them so far. My wife's started to say that it looks like a paper mill!

Guess I'm doing my job right then. I need to get further ahead. Awful wet ground where I was splitting, gonna evacuate to drier area this weekend. I like those pretty stacks.. but my method is least handling for my application.

JP

You have 30 pallets full? Is that about 12-15 cords? I have over 30 pallets but only have 11 pallets filled, 5 feet high.