Stock (Stack?) rotation...

[Slow1]

Well, I had a lot more wood left over this year than I had expected which is a great thing of course! I had a little bit of time this weekend so I measured it out and after doing the calcs it came in at just a bit under 1.5 cords. Given that I had been willing to burn the whole pile and hoped for 1/2 cord to be left over I'm rather thrilled really.

However, the down side is that the location that I keep my "ready to burn" pile is not very large (I'm generally cramped for storage space) so I stack all my wood for the season in one large cube (all 4+ cords). What was left over is the back left corner... clearly I'd rather burn the "new" wood later and not just have this wood that is now about as good and dry as it is going to get be in the hardest to reach part of the pile so I started the process of moving and re-stacking. Oh the fun

So I'm there tossing splits over the pile to the front and disturbing a bunch of mouse nests in the process. I figure easier to toss the splits over and stack the front than to carry them around. This way the middle will stay put and remain stacked. Fun part will be stacking the new wood back behind this pile once I'm done here. I should have taken pictures to show folks what I mean.

ANyone else gotten themselves into this? I think I need to re-think how I pull wood off the pile next winter. If I had the space to make multiple piles it would be much easier too. Then again if all my wood was of equal value it wouldn't matter as much and the mice would be happier not being disturbed.

 

[Wood Duck]

Unless they have babies right now, the mice are probably better off disturbed now instead of the middle of winter. Small yards make wood storage a lot more complicated.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

No problem here. We just stack in a different place every year.

 

[Slow1]

No problem here. We just stack in a different place every year.

I imagine that IF you did have to do what I'm doing you wouldn't be concerned about rotating it either - one more year after 10 doesn't make much difference eh?

I'm hoping that I'll again not burn it all so whatever is left over will get another year to dry out (even if less than ideal as it is in the large "borg" stack) thus I want the newest to be in the back. I have to 'compress' the space that the piles are taking so that I can make room to stack the 11/12 and beyond (hopefully) wood. The hardwood that I'm going to stack back there is oak and was cut/split around Feb 09 so I figure if I get into it next year it will have been split for just about two years exactly. Would be nice to have it go another year.

It is interesting how many muscle groups one can exercise with all this wood moving though - my free gym membership here constantly changes the areas that I'm working on.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Slow I was thinking this morning while stacking about those fellows who have the gym memberships. I go to a massage therapy every couple of weeks and they try to talk me into going to the local school for swimming. I'd rather stack wood.

 

[smokinj]

Slow I was thinking this morning while stacking about those fellows who have the gym memberships. I go to a massage therapy every couple of weeks and they try to talk me into going to the local school for swimming. I'd rather stack wood.

I will sell you a wood stacking membership at my house! All-u-can-stack! lol

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I have plenty Jay. Hey, I think one more day and I'll have mine finished stacking for this year. Maybe I'll try to finish it yet today.

 

[smokinj]

I have plenty Jay. Hey, I think one more day and I'll have mine finished stacking for this year. Maybe I'll try to finish it yet today.

I think when we get the last rowe stack we will have 15 cords stack and there is another 5-6 in big rounds and another 8 trees that need fell and buck before May 1st.. should be atleast 3 years ahead for the very first time. (with a wood furnace)

 

[Slow1]

I'm feeling pretty good about next year now that I have so much left over from this year - I have:

1.5 cord of mixed hardwoods (all of it now over 3 years old) left over from last year
1 cord of poplar split late last spring
1 cord of black birch split late last spring
1 cord of misc other wood (including a good bit of apple) gathered during the early part of last summer, all at least a year old now.
---
4.5 total for next year

Given that I burned 3 cords this year I'm pretty comfortable...

Now 2011/12 isn't quite so rosy..

2.5 cords red oak split over last winter
.5 cord red oak in rounds needing to be split
.5 cord misc (mostly soft wood) rounds sitting since last fall waiting to be split.
---
3.5 Total but not nearly ready...

Seriously hoping that I'll stay closer to 3 cords/year burned so I will have some left over.

However - given that this time last year I was nowhere near this far ahead I see progress. Goal may well be to get 3 years ahead, but I'm sure no everyone does it in the first year. If I can add 2-3 cords net each year to the 'ahead' pile I'll be sitting well within one to two years. Four kids 7 and younger, wife and I both have FT jobs... rather proud of my progress really

 

[smokinj]

I'm feeling pretty good about next year now that I have so much left over from this year - I have:

1.5 cord of mixed hardwoods (all of it now over 3 years old) left over from last year
1 cord of poplar split late last spring
1 cord of black birch split late last spring
1 cord of misc other wood (including a good bit of apple) gathered during the early part of last summer, all at least a year old now.
---
4.5 total for next year

Given that I burned 3 cords this year I'm pretty comfortable...

Now 2011/12 isn't quite so rosy..

2.5 cords red oak split over last winter
.5 cord red oak in rounds needing to be split
.5 cord misc (mostly soft wood) rounds sitting since last fall waiting to be split.
---
3.5 Total but not nearly ready...

Seriously hoping that I'll stay closer to 3 cords/year burned so I will have some left over.

However - given that this time last year I was nowhere near this far ahead I see progress. Goal may well be to get 3 years ahead, but I'm sure no everyone does it in the first year. If I can add 2-3 cords net each year to the 'ahead' pile I'll be sitting well within one to two years. Four kids 7 and younger, wife and I both have FT jobs... rather proud of my progress really

you should be and in a couple years you will have helpers! lol

 

[LLigetfa]

Ja, I sometimes get old trapped behind newer. The wood I burned this past Winter was older than the wood I burn the year before. Kind of a bonus. I would not move/restack it if I could avoid it.

I burned less wood this Winter than I anticipated and have 2 cord left over in the half of my shed that needs to be renovated before I put the wood that is sitting outside into the shed so I will have to move/restack it to renovate the shed. The other (renovated) side of the shed is full so I'm set for two or more years. None the less, I've been put on notice (by the wife) to move the wood I have out by my processing/drying area. Also need to make room for another grapple load next Winter to stay ahead. I think I'm going to move my drying area over to the fence line as it borders my Southern neighbor's hay field which will give me better wind and sun and be set back further so the wife doesn't see it as an eyesore. Funny though, her friends comment on how nice my stacks look. Maybe it just isn't "uptown" enough for her. It is the first thing you see when you turn into my driveway.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I think most folks burned a lot less wood this year than the last couple of years. For sure this spring has been much better. Most will remember how long they kept fires going last spring!

Slow, I think you are doing just fine. Keep up the good work.

 

[Flatbedford]

I have only 1/4 acre so this is an issue for me too. I stack on pallets three rows deep by about 35 feet. Last year I had three different stacks in different places along the line. Some was left overs, some was more seasoned than others. I am left with about 1/2 cord in the middle and about 1/4 toward the end of the row. :-S I'll have to move all the left overs to one end so I can run the 11/12 all the way across. I started a new row that is about 25' long on the other end of the property line for my 10/11 wood last fall. Now I will be able to work from one end to the other and fill in the new stuff behind. Having to long rows to rotate and getting a little further ahead should make managing my supply a little easier and less labor intensive.
Here's the long one last fall.

And the short one about 1/2 way done.

 

[wendell]

Now that you've moved it it's a little late but I would've moved just a little to one side and left the rest in the back, then when it is time to burn work your way to the back through the old wood along the side and then take the rest of the old old from the back and then work your way forward. Then, when you restack, your leftover will be at the front ready for the next year.

 

[firefighterjake]

When I stacked my wood into my woodshed last Fall I deliberately stacked the wood "north to south" so my "older" wood will not be buried behind the newer wood . . . I also labeled my stacks with the year that I loaded them into the woodshed with the knowledge that the date actually reflects the fact that they were cut and split and left outside for at least one year previously. I use no wine before it's time . . . uh, I mean wood . . . I burn no wood, before it's time. Next Fall I expect to be burning some vintage 2009 ash and maple.