whats wrong with my Wood Stacking See Pics

[Blkbeard]

Hi everyone. I know this may sound odd to the guys who have been doing this for years but I have been looking at other peoples woodpiles from pictures on here and I have to say they look like artwork. My piles just look like wood in a pile. Is it because I use whatever I can find wood / various pieces of wood? and different types? Or is this just a practice thing. this is my 2nd Pile any tips would be helpful

Thanks Again for everyones Help.

./BlkBeard

 

[termv]

We buy triaxle loads of log ends from a local lumber company. We can get oak logs already sawn 2'x2.5'x4' to the wedges they cut when felling the trees. Our piles look like artwork when we stack the wood from similar sized wood like the oak mentioned above. When it comes to the wedges, knotty, and the "wacky grained" suff that splits the way it wants to split, yeah it looks like yours. Sometimes it is amazing we can even get it stacked. Sometimes pieces are that oddball it just can't be stacked so it goes into a bin for campfire wood.

 

[fossil]

Blkbeard, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the way you're stacking your wood. If you really want to get into the world championship level of competition woodpile art, you have to compete with the like of whoever this guy is. Rick

 

[Backroads]

Stacking wood in MHO is almost an art and I compare it to stone. Some stone walls are just rocks piled on each other while others are decorative pieces of work. Do they both serve the same purpose? Absolutely, they both are lines of demarcation. Stacking wood is the same in my book. Just because it isn't appealing to ones eye doesn't mean it won't dry.

 

[DriftWood]

compete with the like of whoever this guy is. Rick

I do have a stump and a wood pile next to it does that count. If my pile stands up and is not leaning to much I'm happy.

 

[Hogwildz]

Its merely your irregular shaped splits, no big deal. If it stay stacked and dries out, your good to go. I stack similar, leaving the air space between the front & back stacks. I use a few longer splits here and there and span them between the front & rear stacks to add stability, works pretty darn good.

 

[RedRanger]

Now there is the reason why I have 4 woodsheds. got a special place for those odd balls. Don`t even begin to try and stack-em,, just chuck em in there.

 

[gyrfalcon]

We buy triaxle loads of log ends from a local lumber company. We can get oak logs already sawn 2'x2.5'x4' to the wedges they cut when felling the trees. Our piles look like artwork when we stack the wood from similar sized wood like the oak mentioned above. When it comes to the wedges, knotty, and the "wacky grained" suff that splits the way it wants to split, yeah it looks like yours. Sometimes it is amazing we can even get it stacked. Sometimes pieces are that oddball it just can't be stacked so it goes into a bin for campfire wood.

Ah, those odd-shaped pieces! I have to get my wood C/D/S, and while it's pretty good wood (mostly beech and soft maple, some black birch), and split way down for my small stove, the beech particularly isn't very amenable to neat splits. My wood supplier throws in all those odd pieces that won't split cleanly, have giant knots in them, etc., but they're completely unstackable. I also get a number of ends, half-rounds only 4 or 5 inches long. Can't stack those, either.

What do you do with them, just throw them in a pile on the ground and live with the fact that the stuff on the bottom is going to get pretty gross? I have two acres of completely open space that gets full sun and almost constant good breeze, so I can keep my stacks well separated and have lots of room to spread out. (the mice sure like those piles waiting to be stacked, which makes the cats very happy...)

 

[gyrfalcon]

Hi everyone. I know this may sound odd to the guys who have been doing this for years but I have been looking at other peoples woodpiles from pictures on here and I have to say they look like artwork. My piles just look like wood in a pile. Is it because I use whatever I can find wood / various pieces of wood? and different types? Or is this just a practice thing. this is my 2nd Pile any tips would be helpful

Thanks Again for everyones Help.

./BlkBeard

That's not so bad! If you can drive pairs of tall stakes or metal fence U-posts into the ground at the ends, you can stack right up to those and it'll look a little neater and won't all roll down if the cat jumps on top and decides to play.

 

[N/A N/A]

Your pile looks good! You are doing a fine job. But to be honest, to try and make it "look neat" is very time consuming. I take a little extra time with mine not because I want my stack to look good but because I enjoy it and it gets me out of the house and away from the other half that likes to ride my a$$ about dumb stuff. Maybe next time and if you want a little challenge stack it in a box..three splits facing north-south then three ontop of that running east-west and so on until you get your desired height. Look at the pic I attatched on the far right hand side...this is what I mean and this is how I stack my wood. Its almost like a giant puzzle...Have fun! :cheese:

 

[gyrfalcon]

Your pile looks good! You are doing a fine job. But to be honest, to try and make it "look neat" is very time consuming. I take a little extra time with mine not because I want my stack to look good but because I enjoy it and it gets me out of the house and away from the other half that likes to ride my a$$ about dumb stuff. Maybe next time and if you want a little challenge stack it in a box..three splits facing north-south then three ontop of that running east-west and so on until you get your desired height. Look at the pic I attatched on the far right hand side...this is what I mean and this is how I stack my wood. Its almost like a giant puzzle...Have fun! :cheese:

Oh, man, that really, really doesn't work if your wood is uneven! Maybe braced up against a back wall, but not out in the open. Been there, done that, picked it up after it slid over and went back to long stacks braced at the ends with stakes. Even the long stacks are, like you said, a giant jigsaw puzzle. Takes a long time to put 'em together so they're stable. I'm probably paranoid about it because my land is sloped and uneven and my splits have to be short (14 inches) to fit the stove, but as long as it takes to fit it all together carefully so it's solid and stable, it's not as long as it takes to redo an 8-foot stack that keels over!

 

[N/A N/A]

Your pile looks good! You are doing a fine job. But to be honest, to try and make it "look neat" is very time consuming. I take a little extra time with mine not because I want my stack to look good but because I enjoy it and it gets me out of the house and away from the other half that likes to ride my a$$ about dumb stuff. Maybe next time and if you want a little challenge stack it in a box..three splits facing north-south then three ontop of that running east-west and so on until you get your desired height. Look at the pic I attatched on the far right hand side...this is what I mean and this is how I stack my wood. Its almost like a giant puzzle...Have fun! :cheese:

Oh, man, that really, really doesn't work if your wood is uneven! Maybe braced up against a back wall, but not out in the open. Been there, done that, picked it up after it slid over and went back to long stacks braced at the ends with stakes. Even the long stacks are, like you said, a giant jigsaw puzzle. Takes a long time to put 'em together so they're stable. I'm probably paranoid about it because my land is sloped and uneven and my splits have to be short (14 inches) to fit the stove, but as long as it takes to fit it all together carefully so it's solid and stable, it's not as long as it takes to redo an 8-foot stack that keels over!

LOL ya for sure. My ground is slightly sloped. I figure it takes me between 10 to 15 min per stack to get it about 6 foot tall. After you do it a lil you kind of get the hang of it and can pic the splits out that will go together well. I have never had an issue with them falling over..maybe just luck???

 

[savageactor7]

Your stacked wood looks OK to me...sure you're not suffering from Holzhausen envy?

 

[Redox]

Yeah, if you've got it stacked to 4-5 feet without falling over, you're doing good.

I also end up with some really odd pieces and I save them for the top of the pile. It always seems that when one of my piles "settles", there will be a few odd pieces that were too far down in the stack. I'm not sure stacking on old pallets is the most stable way to go, though. I use leftover pieces of lumber to keep it off the ground. My ground is also not level and putting a 4x4 on the low side and a 2x something on the high side lets me adjust the level. Sometimes I rock the stack to see if it feels stable and even restack it sometimes if it isn't. Even though you want airspace in the stack, I usually try to stack it as tightly as I can. It's like a rough jigsaw puzzle, isn't it?

Chris

 

[Carl]

Your wood stack looks like most I see, including mine. If it were me I would tighten the two rows and put them tight to each other. No need for space between them since air will circulate through them with their many openings and air spaces anyway. That would solve your problem of them falling over sideways.

Just got two trailer loads of seasoned cs oak and I tried the Holzhausen way. I like it since it leans into itself and no ends to try and hold up. Got one trailer last night and had to get the rest this morning. Going out to stack the second trailer load now. Will post a picture later tonight.

 

[sapratt]

Looks like mine also. I figure as long as it does the job and not fall over every day it doesn't matter what the stack looks like.

 

[gerry100]

The only reason to stack it regularly/neatly is to maximize use of the woodshed vulume( if you have one) and to be able to eyeball how much you have.

As long as you don't have rainwater pooling in the pile and it gets enough air you'll be fine.

The real "uglies" get stacked on the top or if that won't work, pile them all in one place and let them age a little longer.

If it's dry and will fit in the firebox you've succeeded.

 

[Blkbeard]

Thanks for The Ideas Guys. I will put them to use next year. as some of you know in the city (20 yr old subdivision) there is not alot of space thats why I have placed eveything in the back corner of the yard furthest away from all houses. I will add the poles to the end of the piles next year. Maybe in 8 foot spans. As much as I am curious about the Hotzhouzen, I dont really have the space and to me I think a stack of wood around the perimiter of my backyard will look better than pressure treated fencing.

thanks again..

 

[BrotherBart]

Wood piles are like lawns. The other guy's always looks better.

 

[Ken45]

The problem with your woodpile is that it is in the wrong location. It needs to be in MY backyard ;-)

Other than it, it looks fine

Ken