Wood Stacking Question

[Parallax]

I just finished a nice wood shed that, according to my calculations, should hold 10.35 cords. Will post photos soon.

Here's my question. I've been told a cord is a measure of tightly stacked wood. Does that mean as tightly stacked as possible? If not, how much space can be left.

When stacking the wood to dry, is it best to stack with a little more air space even if the result is I don't get my full 10.35 cords under cover?

 

[Soundchasm]

Can't believe there aren't 40 responses already, but I can give the rookie perspective. I would want to believe a cord would be well-stacked, and not stacked like an artisan might do it. I think I've also seen a different formula where a cord is converted into board feet, and you would use that to calculate a cord from, say, 2x4s.

I also see "stack loose" for drying. I can't really seem to stack "loose" or "tight". I want it to have some structural integrity so it doesn't fall over. So I do the best I can to that aim.

The two easiest distinctions to make are stacked or thrown. That would come into play if you were buying out of a pickup bed.

My belief is that wood dries from the ends, so single row stacking is best, and cubes make it a little tougher, so I'd leave a few inches between rows if possible. But time heals all wounds, so even a tightly stacked cube can dry after 2-3 years, unless it's oak, and I've read claims both on the long and short side of that debate.

I'd stack to make sure that all 14/15 fuel is under cover, and everything else is off the ground. Good job.

 

[Woody Stover]

I think " tightly stacked" just means not tossed in a heap; I don't think you have to try to stack it super-tight for it to qualify. If this is your supply for next season (I hope that's not the case,) I would stack it single-row in my windiest spot and hope for the best. If it was fresh-cut wood, you may not be able to get it near dry enough in coastal WA for quite a while.

 

[velvetfoot]

Stacking it in the wood shed to dry might not be the best. Oh, I see you're in WA. I don't know then.

 

[Applesister]

There was a guy from Canada who just posted pics of his full shed. Hes got single rows with airspace, not alot of airspace, but ANY shed space is premium space.
If I had a shed thats how I would stack in it.
I would maximize what you can stuff under cover. Under most all circumstances that would be bad advice but in your climate perhaps not.

 

[1kzwoman]

Buying a cord of wood it should be tightly stacked as in no spaces. Drying a cord of wood it should be loosely stacked. Reality lies between the two.
Climate and species guide how you stack for drying, is standing dead pine vs live oak. Some people move wood from drying stacks to seasoned wood shed for burning.

 

[midwestcoast]

...

When stacking the wood to dry, is it best to stack with a little more air space even if the result is I don't get my full 10.35 cords under cover?

Absolutely. Space = airflow = faster drying.
How much are you burning per year? Are you planning to stack everything in the shed as soon as it's split or rotate wood into the shed once it's seasoned / partially seasoned?

 

[Parallax]

Thanks for all the responses. Since I'm in a very rainy place, all the wood gets split and placed immediately in the woodshed. Not a lot of room between the rows but it's Douglas fir which I understand dries relatively fast. I've got some wood already well dried but not much (maybe 3/4 of a cord). I'm hoping some of this stuff will be ready late in the season. Maybe I'll stack a couple of cords loosely, single row, in an open spot over 2 X 4s or on palates, just for the summer. We get little rain from July through September (if we're lucky). Then I can cover it with a tarp.

Don't know how much wood it will take to keep our house warm. This will be our first season. We're getting the Blaze King Ashford installed soon. It's a cat stove so the wood needs to be well dried. It's a large home (2650 square feet) but our climate is moderate and it's a modern, efficient home with a fairly open floor plan so I'm hopeful that the Ashford will do the trick. Perhaps we'll need space heaters in some of the upstairs bedrooms, at least until we figure out where to set fans and where to make vents between the floors. Some of this is going to be trial and error. Fortunately, I know the house is efficient because we heated this last season with three or four (depending on time of winter) 1500 watt space heaters. The Ashford on its lowest setting puts out about as much heat as three of these little space heaters.

 

[midwestcoast]

Okay, so big, efficient home, coastal climate & an efficient stove I'd bet you'll burn 3 cord a year or less. Some other PNWesters will probably give you a better idea on that.
You'd have enough space for over 3 seasons in the shed & that's good. Of course you'll have to load it so the fresh stuff isn't blocking the 3 year old stuff…
For now I'd stack about 3 cords (for next season) into 2/3'rds of the shed with space between rows. I'd try to get at least another 3 cords stacked outside & top cover, then move into the shed in fall. After that you'll start to get a feel for how your wood is drying & whether you can stack fresh stuff right into the shed.
Most first year burners get on here in fall struggling with issues related to wet wood. Yours may not be perfect, but you're ahead of the game so far!

 

[Parallax]

Thanks for the feedback. The shed is divided into two halves. I figure I'll work through one side and then reload while burning through the other side. That way there will always be nice well-dried wood. Since Doug fir dries fast, and each side will take more than a year (perhaps two years) to use up, I hope this will work well. If not, I'll have to figure out another way, perhaps by subdividing into three sections.

 

[tsquini]

I stack the wood as right as possible. As the wood seasons it shrinks. My theory is that as the wood shrinks the stack shifts causes leaning.

 

[paul bunion]

I stack the wood as right as possible. As the wood seasons it shrinks. My theory is that as the wood shrinks the stack shifts causes leaning.

I'm pretty sure that's not a theory. My stacks definitely open up and get unstable as the wood shrinks. If you try to stack extra air space you are asking for an even more unstable stacks when it dries.

 

[Parallax]

That's a bit scary, particularly since my shed allows me to stack wood 9 feet high. But the way it's loaded, I can't see how it could fall down. The walls of the shed are pretty darn solid and the wood, which runs parallel to the walls, cannot topple end over end or jump out.

 

[bassJAM]

If you have 2 solids walls to put the ends of the stacks against, I think it's be fine. The issues I've had is when you have free standing stacks and put the criss-cross stacks at the ends to keep the stacks up.

My dad stacks 7' high in his barn with concrete walls on either side and he's never had an issue losing stacks. And they don't really pay much attention to stacking it pretty, so I think you'll be fine.

 

[Parallax]

That's what I'm thinking. I ask because my wife is pregnant and, in a few years, we'll have a little fella running around the yard, no doubt making havoc. I don't want a pile of wood to fall on him. We'll see how stable it seems when the time comes.

 

[BrotherBart]

That's what I'm thinking. I ask because my wife is pregnant and, in a few years, we'll have a little fella running around the yard, no doubt making havoc. I don't want a pile of wood to fall on him. We'll see how stable it seems when the time comes.

Think ya gotta few years of stacking to think about that one before ya have to worry about it. Lamps and a million other things will be between now and then.

 

[unhdsm]

An old saying is that the wood should be stacked so a mouse can fit through but not the cat chasing it.
(This is from a Heartstone instruction manual!)

 

[Parallax]

Is that mouse/cat thing for drying and also for measuring a cord? Or is it just the former? I'm beginning to wonder if this cord concept is just an approximation.

 

[bassJAM]

IOr is it just the former? I'm beginning to wonder if this cord concept is just an approximation.

I'm sure there's an "official" method of measuring a cord as far as how tight a stack is, but for the most part a cord of wood can be defined as simply tossed or stacked. I wouldn't worry about it too much, stack it however you want. It really doesn't matter if you use 3 cords a year of tightly stacked wood, or 4 cords of loosely stacked, just as long as you have an approximation of how much you need to store.

 

[fossil]

I'm beginning to wonder if this cord concept is just an approximation.

It's not a "concept", but rather a defined and commonly accepted quantity (volume). And yes, it is, to some extent, always an approximation. Don't get too anal about 0.35 cord. A cord you stack wet will be less than a cord after it's nice and dry. Rick

 

[unhdsm]

It pertained to drying wood but it is also how I measure wood. Genreally the stack won't stand up very well if it is stacked too loose and no one would ever want to spend the time t stack it too tight-- so somewhere in the middle.

 

[fossil]

My belief is that wood dries from the ends

Well, it does...just very very slowly. But after it's split, it dries much more effectively from the freshly exposed (and vastly larger) side surfaces. Leaving wood in rounds simply delays any meaningful seasoning of the wood until it's split. Rick

 

[Parallax]

That raises another question. Should I split everything or is it best to leave smaller rounds un-split? I would imagine a round would tend to burn more slowly. But it would also dry more slowly. Also, it seems kind of silly to dry a round that's really small.

 

[fossil]

Some folks leave rounds up to 6" or so in diameter, because they love them when loading up for the long overnight burns. No problem at all with that, so long as you keep in mind that those rounds will take a long time to be dry all the way through. Much longer than splits from the same tree. Only way to be sure is to split one when you're inclined to start burning them, and see what the moisture situation is in the middle. Other folks split everything that they feel comfortable (safe) splitting...down to as small as 3" or so. Rick

 

[bassJAM]

Personally, I feel it's better to leave the splits as large as you can if you've got time to let it dry. I'd much rather load in 3-4 large logs and let it sit for several hours then 5-8 smaller ones and have to check add more in a couple hours.

On the other hand, my buddy's dad love to split everything to 3-4", and then has to babysit his stove all evening. I think he just enjoys running a splitter an loading wood though.