Wood pile and aging

[Havlikn]

I have about 15 cords of wood in my back yard. I’m fortunate to have a neighbor who gives me free wood.

I usually don’t cover the wood because it dries nicely and I test with a moisture tester.

Any suggestions for handling this large of wood pile? Should I provide more space between rows for drying?

 

[begreen]

Keeping the wood off the ground is the most important thing. Sell some if this is much more than needed for the next 3 yrs.

 

[brenndatomu]

Top covering that would give it an almost indefinite shelf life...

 

[bigealta]

In the future i'd do 2 stacks back to back then a space big enough to walk thru before doing another 2 row stacks back to back....and repeat as many times as u need to.

That way u have very good drying and Full access to all the splits.

 

[all night moe]

In the future i'd do 2 stacks back to back then a space big enough to walk thru before doing another 2 row stacks back to back....and repeat as many times as u need to.

That way u have very good drying and Full access to all the splits.

A little better is a wheel barrow's width.

 

[bigealta]

A little better is a wheel barrow's width.

Ha,.... yup that's what i meant.

 

[Havlikn]

How many years should someone have at their disposal?

 

[all night moe]

2 out is good. 3 is better for Oaks especially.

 

[Caw]

All hardwoods should be dry enough to burn well by 3 years with proper storage. Even the long drying ones like oak and locust. A 3 year cycle is all you really need unless you just enjoy hoarding it. The rest can be sold.

 

[brenndatomu]

3 years is the goal... I'm at 5 and gaining...have started selling a lil here n there...but it's been so darn warm here the last few winters, and so many people are selling EAB killed Ash firewood, it really doesn't pay too well...and I'm not giving it away, so...

 

[Wildflush]

Personally if that was my stash I’d have pallets on patio bricks and cross cross stacks. Then I would top cover. Single rows elevated with patio bricks on 2x PT 2x4’s would also dry quickly. Again I’m a fan of top covering my stacks. If I spend so much time trying to season and dry my wood why not keep it that way. 3rd and more expensive option is a large wood shed.

 

[Solarguy3500]

Unless the woodshed is made out of free pallets and used roofing...

 

[DonTee]

3 years is the goal... I'm at 5 and gaining...have started selling a lil here n there...but it's been so darn warm here the last few winters, and so many people are selling EAB killed Ash firewood, it really doesn't pay too well...and I'm not giving it away, so...

Some people around here have become wood snobs with ash. It’s like the new pine.

I like burning it personally. I’ve been selling my oak/maple/hickory and keeping a lot ash for myself. My cat stove doesn’t seem to care what kind of wood I put in it, as long as it’s dry.

 

[Wildflush]

Actually I prefer Ash. Seasons faster than red oak.

 

[brenndatomu]

Some people around here have become wood snobs with ash. It’s like the new pine.

I like burning it personally. I’ve been selling my oak/maple/hickory and keeping a lot ash for myself. My cat stove doesn’t seem to care what kind of wood I put in it, as long as it’s dry.

This winter has been so warm here that I have been burning a bunch of punky Ash that I squirrelled away for "shoulder season". (which may be the whole winter with the way things have been going) I wish I had more of it!

 

[Wildflush]

Crazy season. Burning today first time in a week here. Warmest December in years. Have not even burned a 1/3 cord yet.

 

[marty319]

Same here one of the coldest provinces in canada and end of December and haven't put heat on in my crawl space yet

 

[kennyp2339]

I’ll burn ash any day, I’m just not impressed with it, sugar maple and red oak are my favs

 

[30WCF]

I see a 4wheeler. Screw the wheelbarrow. Space it for a cart pulled behind the 4wheeler. Anything left over you can drop at my house.

 

[Caw]

Unless the woodshed is made out of free pallets and used roofing...
View attachment 321750

Is there pitch to the roof? Curious how it handles the snow load. My pallet shed is in progress. It'll take a few years as I burn through stuff and replenish on the pallets.

It's a start!

 

[Solarguy3500]

Is there pitch to the roof? Curious how it handles the snow load. My pallet shed is in progress. It'll take a few years as I burn through stuff and replenish on the pallets.

It's a start!

View attachment 321944

Looking good!

My roof has about 10° of pitch toward the back. I used extra 2X4s from some pallets I had taken apart to lay on the flat along the front edge and middle on top screwed down in order to pitch it toward the back. I think I stacked them 2 or 3 high in the front and a single one in the middle to get them all running at the same angle and create that 10° plane. I probably could have gotten away without supporting the middle as the total unsupported span would have been less than 4' but I tend to overbuild things. I'm about to find out how it handles the snow load as I just built it this fall so it hasn't seen snow yet.

Looks like we might get a snow storm Saturday night and Sunday so that will be the first test. I don't expect to have any problems because those pallets are the super strong ones I mentioned in another thread. Made with 2X4s and 2X6s.

 

[DonTee]

Man I’m jealous of all the nice pallets you guys can get. I’d have to drive into the city to get pallets.

 

[Caw]

Looking good!

My roof has about 10° of pitch toward the back. I used extra 2X4s from some pallets I had taken apart to lay on the flat along the front edge and middle on top screwed down in order to pitch it toward the back. I think I stacked them 2 or 3 high in the front and a single one in the middle to get them all running at the same angle and create that 10° plane. I probably could have gotten away without supporting the middle as the total unsupported span would have been less than 4' but I tend to overbuild things. I'm about to find out how it handles the snow load as I just built it this fall so it hasn't seen snow yet.

Looks like we might get a snow storm Saturday night and Sunday so that will be the first test. I don't expect to have any problems because those pallets are the super strong ones I mentioned in another thread. Made with 2X4s and 2X6s.

Nice nice nice. Excited to hear how it goes but yeah I think you should be fine. How much will it hold?

I'm building mine a bit bigger and have 6 x 10 ft bays that will hold 1.5 cords each so there would be a long span unsupported by pallets with similar construction. My plan is to go more permanent for the roof and dig footings on both sides for posts and beams. Then lay rafters, purlins, and metal roofing. It'll cost some $ but with pallets not supporting anything it'll be easy to replace them down the road.

I've got 6 cords stacked in front of the area so this is a long term project. Not moving wood twice. Once that wood is burned we can keep going. For now I'm just continuing to expand the pallets, have 3 bags built, and tarping.

I'm curious how the middle row seasons. I historically did double stacks connected with an 8" air gap but I'm moving to triple stacks to consolidate and get even more wood. I think it should be fine since I'm on a 3 year cycle and it's a primo drying location. It faces the afternoon sun and prevailing wind.

 

[Garbanzo62]

This winter has been so warm here that I have been burning a bunch of punky Ash that I squirrelled away for "shoulder season". (which may be the whole winter with the way things have been going) I wish I had more of it!

I have a lot of Punky ash. Dead standing in a swamp will give you lots of it.

 

[Caw]

I'm out of shoulder season wood without digging through other stacks. I bailed out and am just burning the wood I had earmarked for winter. It's overkill but that's what I have ready.