# Best way to put wood on pallets ?



## Dmitry

I just started my first year of storing and drying my own firewood from  my property. Got  some pallets   and want to use it until wood shed is build. (At least, that what I think)
Want to make a line of pallets and store wood on  it. Do I need to leave some space between rows or it's OK to put rows side by side. Any general advice is appreciated.


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## Dmitry

Some pics


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## Babaganoosh

To dry leave space between them. To store already dry wood you don't need to leave space. I also run 2 two by fours on top of the pallets to give the wood a little extra air to dry.


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## Dmitry

Just curious how high you, guys,   stacking the splits, Most of mine wood is 20" , I stacked it  about 5' high. Seems pretty stable.


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## Hills Hoard

I stack two rows on my pallets with a gap of about 10-12 inches between the rows....then cover each row in plastic....works brilliant...


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## BigCountryNY

I do the same and I also use the log cabin method of stacking on the ends of my rows.  This way you get a squared-off row. (Mostly it's my OCD though.)  By leaving some space between the rows, your wood dries a lot faster.  If you stacked three rows of wet wood, your outer two rows wouldn't dry as fast and your inside row would hardly dry at all after a year.


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## billb3

Green wood I leave enough room to walk between them, or wheel a wheel barrel through although I now have some back to back stacks of red oak but I won't need them for 3 or 4 years. I cut 16-18 inches so there is a 4 to 8 inch gap down the center of every skid that is 40 inches wide.

tight fit, but the wheelbarrow fits in there



room for my riding mower and trailer:



4 rows on two skids back to back ( green red oak )



a little bit of space down the center of a skid for a little bit of air flow:


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## TimfromMA

Grind into sawdust, press into pellets and bag.

LOL


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## Dmitry

To TImfromMA:  Yeah , but then you need inside storage. My wife already mad at me for all the "toys" in garage.
 To Bilb3: Nice looking stash. That's what I want to do. I've noticed you got some small trees next to your stored wood. I'm planning to take all of mines down. Does it affect drying  a bit: preventing sun exposure, obstructing wind ? just a thought.


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## billb3

Dmitry said:


> To TImfromMA:  Yeah , but then you need inside storage. My wife already mad at me for all the "toys" in garage.
> To Bilb3: Nice looking stash. That's what I want to do. I've noticed you got some small trees next to your stored wood. I'm planning to take all of mines down. Does it affect drying  a bit: preventing sun exposure, obstructing wind ? just a thought.




Well if I stacked it all in the open in the middle of the driveway or front lawn  the oak might be ready in 2 years and 11 months instead of three years. I prefer to use the driveway and front lawn for other things.
Besides  most of the wood I've procured the last three years has been dead standing oak. There's tons of it here rotting away. Can't always get to it though if the weather doesn't cooperate.  I'm almost three years ahead on ready to burn wood so some green stuff isn't a logistical problem.
It's nice to be 3 or 4 years ahead.


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## Dmitry

One day I'll have 3year supply. I'm a believer. Now I just have about 3 cords scattered over my backyard waiting to be put on  pallets.


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## TimfromMA

Dmitry said:


> To TImfromMA:  Yeah , but then you need inside storage. My wife already mad at me for all the "toys" in garage.



Not if you keep them covered.


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## macattack_ga




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## splions

Here is what I do with the pallets....

Next winter's supply


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## Rossco

I have dying racks made of two pallets on the bottom (8x4) with a pallet either side as walls. Cover with a 8x4 sheet of  chip board. 

I needed to cut some boards from the side walls to allow ful air flow between the stacks. When the tight rows are covered, no wind, the damp air cannot escape.


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## Oakwood5

Ran out of space and reorganizing the pallets.  Next project on the list is to stack and put the roof back on the wood shack.


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## macattack_ga

splions said:


> Here is what I do with the pallets....
> 
> Next winter's supply


Do you move those pallets with a FEL? My little L2000DT wouldn't budge something that size.


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## Ashful

I have rows of pallets, about 100 feet long, and leave 10' between rows:


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## Woody Stover

Ashful said:


> I have rows of pallets, about 100 feet long, and leave 10' between rows.


That stack must get great drainage, on the white sand. 
I'm putting my pallets on concrete blocks. I started with 2 rows wide for better air movement, but now since I'm far ahead I have gone to 3 wide, 2 blocks under each rail. 


Here's a stack I started at my BIL's house. Looks like I need to center that row of blocks under the cut-outs. I musta got distracted.


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## Ashful

Here's a related question.  I've always stacked double rows at 20" length on my 40" pallets.  Perfect, neat, and stable rows.

Now, my new stoves have me cutting real short... 16" recommended length, 18" max.  I've lost my perfect 40" pallet-width double rows.  So, leave an 8" gap down the middle, and hope these narrow rows don't fall, or continue stacking the two rows tight, and just have the double row narrower than the pallets?

Long term, may start hunting for 48" pallets, so I can do triple rows.


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## drz1050

All of the pallets I get are 40x48. I stack perpendicular to the deck boards, 48" that way.

3 rows of 16-18" splits fit pretty easily.. there's a slight overhang at the bottom sometimes, I don't worry about that. 

I was doing single rows, well double rows with a big gap, and had a few fall over... that sucked. I stack 3 rows now, and lean the outer rows in towards the middle slightly.


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## Woody Stover

I''m stacking 3 rows of 16" splits on 40" pallets, so they hang over. I guess that will be OK but I'm not sure yet...


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## tsquini

I stopped using pallets 2 years ago. I now use the Cinder Block and 2x4. They are Cheap and Portable.


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## HItz

I recently switched to the cinderblock and 2x4 method like what the guy posted above. Not too expensive, very modular, and easy to move around/store when you empty one out.


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## CountryBoy19

My wood length is 20-22" so there is no way to stack a double-row on a normal 40" pallet and leave any usable gap. I just stack double-row and don't have any problems with wood drying down.

I do have a some pallets that are wider than normal that allow me to stack double-row with space; in that case I do stack with a space. I wish I could acquire more of those pallets, they are pretty nice. They have 4 longitudinal stringers so each of the 2 stacks is fully supported on each end of the splits with a longitudinal stringer...


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## Ashful

Thanks, guys.  Trouble with three rows on 40" pallets, with any sort of overhang, is my method of using knee braces when attaching my book-ends.  Already an issue with two rows of 20" on a 40" wide pallet, but I can always find enough shorties to fit between the knee braces.


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## Woody Stover

Ashful said:


> using knee braces when attaching my book-ends.


How about running just one row N-S in the center, and fill the remaining area E-W, in the brace area?


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## jeffesonm

I cut 16" and stack two rows across the 40" side of the pallet, touching in the middle.  Less airflow I but more stable and there's still at least one end of both rows open to the air.  I am 3+ years ahead so no rush to dry.  Top covered with lumber tarps stapled to splits every few feet and the pallet bookends.  Only cost in materials is the lag screws for the bookends.


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## Joe13

I stack a bit unconventional, but it seems to work for me. I basically alternate directions each row, with a center filled with uglies. Very stable and great air flow, but takes more space obviously.





















Lucky for me, I have plenty of space to stack and spread the wood out.


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## maple1

First thing I do is put the empty pallet down, on top of some splits. Getting the pallet off the ground first works wonders - more air flow underneath & the pallets last, the higher the better. Doesn't have to be splits - cinder blocks work too if you have some. But splits are handy & you can still burn them the next year. I've got some plastic pallets I use for that too if you can find some. Also makes getting under it with the FEL a lot easier - if lucky enough to have a FEL.

I hate dealing with the remnants of pallets rotting into the ground...


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## jaoneill

May be a bit off topic but my plan for the future is to palletize splits right off the splitter, onto a wagon for transport from the woodlot, into the woodshed when it's ready, all with a FEL. Will save handling every stick three/four times. Here is my first effort before moving down to the woodlot; splits from a box elder close to the barn that we bulldozed a year or two ago (shoulder wood). Probably will need another strap or two but had to be somewhere else about the time I finished. 3x3x4 - small and light enough to handle easily, most of my pallets are 4X4 so ten pallets should give me about three cord, 30 pallets per heating season.


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## Rossco

Jao : I like that concept.

Problem here is you need a good lid as it snows like mad.

Here's my pallet derived storage and dryin racks.





You will notice we can leave the splits rather large as the wood will be bone dry after a year regardless.


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## johneh

I have found the best way to stack on pallets is
ONE STICK AT A TIME


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## jaoneill

Rossco said:


> Jao : I like that concept.
> 
> Problem here is you need a good lid as it snows like mad.



Full pallets will either be lined up and covered, or go into the drying shed until ready to go into the woodshed adjacent to the mechanical room.


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## Poindexter

I have cinder blocks under mine and covered on top with plastic.  I find 6' vertical of green wood is about the limit for pallets with cutouts for forklift forks, I can rarely get two drying seasons out of those, in fact I don't have any on their third season.  

16" splits, leaned into each other.

If I had a fork lift, or a big concrete pad and a pallet jack - next house I tell ya - this wouldn't be the best way.  On limited acreage with no forklift, this is the best I can do with respect to not taking up the whole lawn with more pallets.

I have read many times that a third layer of wood in between the two outside layers, the third layer doesn't dry so good.  Haven't tried it, don't know, but it reads a lot like trying to get red oak dry enough to burn in one summer, just doesn't happen.

FWIW I finished splitting in February, looking for 16%MC or less by late August.  Not worried, solstice is still a month away and i have been getting really good wind this spring.


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## Woody Stover

Poindexter said:


> I find 6' vertical of green wood is about the limit for pallets with cutouts for forklift forks....read many times that a third layer of wood in between the two outside layers, the third layer doesn't dry so good.


That's why I went to centering the blocks under the cutouts, to distribute the weight better. You use more blocks though. We've got a 3-wide pallet row going at my BIL's house. It will have 2 summers before he needs it.  Fresh Hackberry in the center row, dead Red Elm on the outside rows on the first two pallets, then some dead, but fairly wet, White Ash 3 wide on the next two pallets. Never went 3 wide before, but I think it should be OK. Will top-cover.


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## maple1

*I find 6' vertical of green wood is about the limit for pallets with cutouts for forklift forks, I can rarely get two drying seasons out of those, in fact I don't have any on their third season. *

I support the middle also. Couple more splits for each pallet is all that takes. Or cinder blocks in your case. I don't go that high though - I move my pallets around with a FEL (from yard, to basement door pad & pallet jack) so they can get pretty tippy above 4' or so.


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## Ashful

I'm stacking over 6' high on pallets.  They're sitting right on the lawn, with bricks, flagstones, or thin pavers under the low side (sloppy area).  They last me at least 3 years, and I do support the middle of the elevated rail, like maple1.  They sag in the middle, between rows, but that's never caused my stacks to topple.


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## Tommytorque69

tsquini said:


> I stopped using pallets 2 years ago. I now use the Cinder Block and 2x4. They are Cheap and Portable.



How many racks like this do u need for 1 cord of wood?


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## BigCountryNY

Tommytorque69 said:


> How many racks like this do u need for 1 cord of wood?



It depends on how long you make the racks. If you use 8' beams across the bottom and stack them at least 4' high off your beam, then you have 1 face cord (1/3 of a cord).  This is assuming your splits are 16" wide.  So in that case, you would need 3 rows to make a cord.  Depending on room you could also make them 10', 12', or 16' long too.


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## BigCountryNY

I was fortunate since the previous owners of my house had put in a 40' x 15' concrete pad to use for boat or RV storage.  My wood sits awfully nice on pallets down there. It's all stacked and top-covered now with 6 mil black plastic.


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## nola mike

tsquini said:


> I stopped using pallets 2 years ago. I now use the Cinder Block and 2x4. They are Cheap and Portable.


I love that! How stable are those cinder blocks with the uprights?


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## billb3

nola mike said:


> I love that! How stable are those cinder blocks with the uprights?



As stable as the ground the blocks are placed on.

If the ground under the block compresses unevenly the stack can eventually fall over.

If a upright 2x4 has a crack and they are leaning way over from being loose in the  block hole they can crack and break  and spill the beans. Or not enough blocks for support on horizontals for the weight and span. Minor construction errors reveal failure rates soon enough.


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## nola mike

billb3 said:


> Minor construction errors reveal failure rates soon enough.


Hah. Well, that's always the concern, right? I wonder if a couple of hurricane ties or something to secure the uprights to the crossmembers would help. Looks like it would be a good idea to wedge something in the block holes to take up space. Or use 1 more block per side and face them in the opposite direction.


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## BlueRidgeMark

I got some  8 foot  pallets, so I use the 3 standard pallets on the ground (tied together with spare slats), up on cinder blocks, and use the 8 footers as bookends with braces.  I cut my wood generally 16-18", and stack two rows along the outside edge about 6 foot high, and toss the uglies in the middle.  I have had no problem at all with the wood drying that way.

I also ran a 10' toobiffer (2x4) up the center of each bookend, and used that to support a 16' toobahsix between them to act as a support beam for my heavy duty tarp.  It's 16x12, and so hangs down on each side of the beam about 6 feet, covering the wood, and a bit over on each end.  I secure it with bungie rope.  Not individual cords; I buy it in bulk and keep it long.  I have screw eyes here and there as needed on the pallets to secure the bungie.   This way I can easily push it aside to get wood, but it stays secure even in high winds.  This has been working well for me for a couple of years.


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## Babaganoosh

Here are two 16 footers. I get the landscape timbers when they go on sale. 2x4s are free, and I buy the block. They actually look very nice so if anyone has to please a wife with their wood stacking this might do it. It looks a lot better than pallets.


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## Woody harrelson

BigCountryNY said:


> It depends on how long you make the racks. If you use 8' beams across the bottom and stack them at least 4' high off your beam, then you have 1 face cord (1/3 of a cord).  This is assuming your splits are 16" wide.  So in that case, you would need 3 rows to make a cord.  Depending on room you could also make them 10', 12', or 16' long too.


Make them 24' so each row is a cord. Or do shorter and taller


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## ElmBurner

Woody harrelson said:


> Make them 24' so each row is a cord. Or do shorter and taller


This is what I do too.

7 blocks (one every 4 ft), 6 landscape timbers, and 2 2x4x8 PT cut in half for the ends.  One row is one cord when stacked 4 ft high.


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## splions

macattack_ga said:


> Do you move those pallets with a FEL? My little L2000DT wouldn't budge something that size.


Too heavy to move...I put some spare plywood on top of them...all set for the winter now...I hope!


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## sportbikerider78

I choose a kinda flat surface.  Then pound in those big green stakes to keep things nice and square.  Then I can stack kinda sloppy and not worry about it.  4 stakes per skid and share the 2 between skids.  

Enough space between to ride my ATV between them.


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## tsquini

nola mike said:


> I love that! How stable are those cinder blocks with the uprights?


If you keep the height to 4 ft they are very stable.


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## tsquini

Tommytorque69 said:


> How many racks like this do u need for 1 cord of wood?


1 cord is about 3 racks. I just use 4- 2x4x8, 2 of them I cut in half for the ends. 3 cinder blocks. 1 rack is usually just around $10. I find that 2 cinder blocks work just fine.


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## AmbDrvr253

TimfromMA said:


> Grind into sawdust, press into pellets and bag.
> 
> LOL


 
LMAO


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