Wood pile advice

[DuaeGuttae]

I'd try to get your foundation (plywood or pallets or whatever) up off the ground on cinder blocks. That space underneath REALLY helps the lower part of the pile get & stay dry - good for the foundation too. The more space the better.

I double stack on elevated pallets - no tip overs yet after all these years (knock on wood...). Double stacks are usually somewhat more stable.

I'm sorry. I was unclear. There is plywood on the ground, cinder blocks on top of that, and landscape timbers on the cinderblocks.

My eighty year old mother came to visit today, and she has cut, split, and stacked all the family's wood for the past 40 years (thankfully now she's getting a little help with the big stuff from a men's group at her church since she has a bad arm). She looked over the rack and is going to consult if we split enough wood tomorrow to commence again.

I did feel that it was a victory that she's now talking about building a holzhausen with some wood she needs to stack and doesn't have room for in her primary seasoning or storage spots. She examined mine pretty thoroughly (corrected one piece she felt was not secure enough) and even stepped on the side to look inside.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

i recently re-did a few of my stacks. 1 of them went holzhausen, and it worked pretty well. i had to build it into a hill, but it has made it a few months now and it is still standing. it is about 4.5ft diameter,and about 7 ft tall. i wish i could have gotten up on pallets, but I didn't really want to deal with leveling the ground there.... probably a good thing too, since i most likely would have at some point hit the pallets and knocked over the whole pile!
...

I've seen some grand holzhausen on this site over the years, but they've been so grand that I never thought seriously of making one. I think I saw yours on a different thread, and it got me thinking about it because of the smaller diameter. I'm also really loving the storage of the chunks and uglies (we have a lot, but hey, that can be days and days of heat!). I've made it as high as I want to go. I just need to split some pieces for the roof or just cover it with bark. I'll have to see what seems best when I have my materials in hand.

All that to say, thanks for the inspiration.

 

[ValleyCottageSplitter]

I just did a criss-cross stack last fall with my stash of cottonwood. They were all sorts of different shapes and sizes. I did two towers 5' tall with a space in between for smaller cuts.
Took awhile to stack but it never fell down and was pretty sturdy. The main trick was just to keep the outer two logs even and taller than the inner pieces. Then just make sure it stays straight vertically and relatively level.

Seems like the standard. Not quite as nice looking as the holtzhausen but it gets the job done. I bet if you do a 2x2 grid it won't fall but will have slightly slower season rate than a single row.

 

[Dobish]

I've seen some grand holzhausen on this site over the years, but they've been so grand that I never thought seriously of making one. I think I saw yours on a different thread, and it got me thinking about it because of the smaller diameter. I'm also really loving the storage of the chunks and uglies (we have a lot, but hey, that can be days and days of heat!). I've made it as high as I want to go. I just need to split some pieces for the roof or just cover it with bark. I'll have to see what seems best when I have my materials in hand.

All that to say, thanks for the inspiration.

I was the same way, but decided it's with a shot to try it!

 

[Wood Duck]

I stack all of my firewood in round stacks. I make mine eight feet in diameter with two rows of horizontal splits along the outer edge. I put odd pieces, uglies, etc. in the center..

I make sure to stack the horizontal splits so that each one slopes toward the center of the stack. This requires some pieces be used to prop up the outer edges and to bridge gaps. I think the splits settle as the stack ages and I want them to settle inward, not out. I also try to stack the center part carefully so they don't settle too much or collapse outward, potentially pushing the outer wall out. The outer wall bulging out is how these things fail. Most of mine stay upright for the three years or so until I use them.

 

[red oak]

I stack on the ground - using a sacrificial row of wood like railroad ties to keep the rest off the ground. I go up to about 5 feet at most and stop. Any wobble to the stacks will mean it can come down at some point. Grab a piece and try to shake it in the stack. I just did my first holz hausen last summer and yes I did put a lot of chunks and uglies in the middle but any piece that will fit will work. With either method I am constantly looking at the stack and making sure there's no lean as I'm putting it up. I did have one fall recently but that was the dog's fault.

 

[baseroom]

The only time my stacks have fallen was because I made them way too high. Yes a nice high stack looks cool and is rewarding but definitely not practical. And by high I mean about 6ft off the ground. If I keep it to 4 then it's fine. We had a wind storm a month or so ago with 80+ mph gusts and my stacks held tight, surprisingly...

Just be mindful to keep everything straight and even as you're stacking. Takes a bit more time but picking up fallen stacks is the worst.

Ya know I just thought about that too! None of my stacks fell in that crazy wind either!

 

[Fred61]

Ya know I just thought about that too! None of my stacks fell in that crazy wind either!

The stacks usually tip or crash toward the side that gets the sun or at least the side that dries the fastest.
Every piece in the stack shrinks a little on that end and turns the stack into a dish.

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