Trying the Central European way

[Fly]

Trying the 1 meter long stacking method they do here- they stack high and then cut before putting into the woodshed or cellar. I was always against this but getting lots more wood and no place to put it all until the woodshed is done and the house reconstruction. This was standing dead oak and is dry already for the most part. I split the rounds with a maul and/or wedges and stacked in two days. Over 3 cords in the big stack. I live next to retired foresters who say that if you leave the hardwood for 3 years it is dry and the soft for 2 just as if it were cut to length. The plus is lots of wood in a small area and stability. The minus is handeling it twice. The smaller stack is softwood cut to length and the oak is only bookends. Think I will use them more years.

 

[velvetfoot]

Nice looking stack, and trees behind it.

I wonder if the people that split one meter long logs don't have special processing equipment. My hydraulic splitter can go up to 24", and there's no way I would fool around with trying to do that by hand.
Then, as you said, there's the double handling. I
Also, when you cut up the tree, it's harder to get the last length equal to the others, if you know what I mean.
I can see the stability. Here, a pallet is about 48"x40", as I recall. I stack three rows together of 16", when I use pallets, but then the stack still needs a "tune up" after a while.
How short do you have to cut them for the stove?

On the other hand, there must be reasons people do it that way.

 

[Jags]

On the other hand, there must be reasons people do it that way.

I have yet to figure out why you would cut - split - stack, just to have to cut it again before it gets used. It is not saving ANY cutting, yet requires handling it an extra time. Does not compute (to this dude).

 

[maple1]

I have yet to figure out why you would cut - split - stack, just to have to cut it again before it gets used. It is not saving ANY cutting, yet requires handling it an extra time. Does not compute (to this dude).

Doesn't to this one either.

 

[begreen]

I am envious of the level location for stacking and the relatively equal sized splits. Our wood seems to have a knot or a limb stub every 3d round.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I don't have space to let anything sit for 3 years like they said, but boy that sure is a nice stack job!

 

[Applesister]

Some people I know that use the OWB's have very large piles of rounds and splits that never get stacked. If you look at large volume, I guess some shortcuts are inevitable.
Now just to make sure I understand this, you are saying you stack splits in double sized lengths so you can stack higher for stability and less footprint?

 

[Fly]

Yes Applesister, I halve them at 50 centimetres (19.7 inches ) before putting them into the wood shed (being built next month- tore down the old one to make way for a stone wall). Need to cut them anyway, so cutting and then stacking or stacking and then cutting are the same. Stacking took 15 minutes since you don't need to worry about falling over etc (except for the bookends- they took longer so want to use them more years). Again, this wood is dry and it a storage question more than a seasoning one. Have a sawbuck that holds 6-8 splits and will cut them and don't need to do it on the ground. Including a pic of my neighbour's stack and then a couple of big ones from a game farm down the road. I have always wanted to stop the car and take pics of the monster stacks around here but my wife does not get it....yet.

Jags, I also resisted this with the same logic as yours but I do see a couple of good things- that is the stack is not going to fall over and I have limited space and can go to 7 or 8 feet if I want. It's just an experiment and even if i decide to do it our way again, the bookends can stay and will be able to stack higher and then put the long pieces in the middle of the stack to stabilise it and then a row on top to keep it in place.

 

[Fly]

Velvetfoot, splitters here take 1 metre upright but I think most operations use the maul and wedges if necessary since labour is cheap. I have to say that in the past I split 1-metre lengths with a friend and the Birch was a nightmare but this oak was quite easy except for the really dry stuff. Lots of the oak rounds took one or two hits. They generally leave soft wood in rounds for a year or more and then split it and the hard wood is easier to split fresh. The cheapest way to buy it is in 2 metre lengths, then 1 metre and then 50 cm, 33 cm or 25 cm. Most people buy it in one metre already-split lengths as it is the most economical. I heated with beech the last two years and could not imagine had splitting it- the small ones are bad enough. I had some beech in this but they were mostly limbs etc. so I only scored it.

 

[velvetfoot]

I have a pile that's 7 feet because I needed space, but it fell over once.

I like your neighbor's stacks along the driveway. I've done that in the past: it's easy to get to, but caused some problems with snow blowing-I might do that again anyway.

 

[mass_burner]

I am envious of the level location for stacking and the relatively equal sized splits. Our wood seems to have a knot or a limb stub every 3d round.

+1 on both these points. I often need to cut off sizes to isolate a y or a big knot; and property is graded for drainage.

 

[Jags]

I do get the stability part. For sure it is more stable than 18-20" wide stacks. And I also have a tendency to forget that over the pond, the majority of firewood is new growth stuff. Small in comparison to what I commonly deal with. I can't imagine dealing with 2 meters of this stuff:

 

[blades]

You have to remember that most of the wood over in europe is cut from managed forests, so not large logs most under 8" bulk in the 4-6" range, In the various pic from our comrades there, I notice that a lot are stripped of bark- in which case those 3'+ poles will dry in the time mentioned previously.

 

[Bret Chase]

This would be "The old way".... the way my father, grandfather, and his grandfather does/did it... the only difference is they do it to cordwood (4') length. split it with a 4' splitter... stack it, and leave it.. then break out the tractor powered cordwood saw and buck it up before it goes inside.

My dad says my method of cutting down to 16" rounds is a "waste of time"

 

[D8Chumley]

My wood gets handled enough from the woods to the stove, pretty much by me only. I'll take the extra step and cut mine to length for the stove. I do cut mine at 22ish inches as my stove can take up to 24" so my stacks are a little more stable I guess. just this guys .02. They are some nice looking stacks Fly!

 

[ccmac]

I like the look just not the concept. I am with the others that are not interested in handling the wood more than I already do. I do see the sense of accomplishment I'd have if my stacks were that pretty though.

 

[Fly]

Yes, I do think you are all correct in terns of seasoning- I just don't have the space right now. Need to get the shed built in the back of the yard, a 6 foot stone wall between us and our neighbours on the other side and have a large pile of stones in the middle! Need wood to fill the shed and burn this year plus the next year and starting to wish I had decided to buy in the country and have some space. On the plus side a short walk to the river pub where beer is still cheaper than a small water- a dollar a pint, not to change the topic.....Pic of the start of the wall.

 

[velvetfoot]

Nice looking start. I know two people that got hernias when moving stones...just sayin'.

 

[D8Chumley]

I'm not knocking you, I'm just saying for me, since none of my family can be bothered in my wood processing from A-Z its in my best interest to cut it to size. But they sure like to stay warm in the winter, go figure nice looking wall btw

 

[Jo191145]

I've seen quite a few videos of screw type splitters being used in parts of Europe. Using a screw on long straight stuff might make for easier work. Maybe that's how the custom started.

 

[macattack_ga]

I wonder if the people that split one meter long logs don't have special processing equipment. My hydraulic splitter can go up to 24", and there's no way I would fool around with trying to do that by hand.
Then, as you said, there's the double handling.

Some answers...

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Jags]

I really like the design of that big splitter. It could easily be adapted to a smaller version.

And yes, the video does confirm the extra step of re-cutting the already cut/split/stacked wood. Still "does not compute".

 

[billb3]

Their equipment and methodology has evolved around their wood species supply.

Handling wood twice, if doing half the work now and half the work later is still the same amount of work.

When you need multiple lengths for multiple heating devices, cookstove, parlor stove, gasifier it makes sense labor wise to just do the work you need to do today to get the wood drying and then 2 or 3 years from now cut to the length you need in the quantities you need for those individual devices.




A similar system was used here decades ago when trees were primarily felled and sectioned with a two man saw, transported out of the woods in sections by horse/dray/drag and then cut with a buzz saw on a small tractor or even smaller one man saws. Sawmills and gristmills were local community operations. Operations often delayed for when manpower was available.

 

[Fly]

Thanks for the video macattacka; that's exactly how my neighbors do it (different ones than in the picture earlier). Their tractor mounted splitter is upright, though, and the son uses a pickeroon to pull them up and then they split the logs. Stacking is super fast and then one day a year they cut everything (from previous years) with a buzz saw also on the tractor and put in their shed. I agree with bilb3 that it is just work delayed, which has its advantages sometimes as they do it in when it is cooler. You can only harvest here in the early spring according to the rules and then need to wait till it is dry enough to get out of the forests without damaging the farm land around and then my neighbors on all sides cut in October/November. Some use chainsaws but most prefer the buzz saw since it wastes less wood and processing is fast and once stacked, is easy to pull out and place in the buzz saw without bending over to do it on the ground. Again, not saying it is right but just they way it is in Austria, Slovakia, Czech and at least in Bavaria- not sure about other parts of Germany. Funny that the stacks look even nicer in Austria and Germany- when I go shopping in Austria every week you can really see the difference immediately. The same lengths and methods but really nice looking stacks.