# Bee Hive Stacking ?



## Cutterman (Apr 9, 2012)

Sorry for all these questions in one day, I'm a new wood stove owner. Trying to get ahead of he drying curve for the next few years...

Question: Is there any merit to the German bee hive stacking method ? I see some on youtube that claim it dries the wood faster than the traditional cross stacking method.

Thanks,

Joe


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## ScotO (Apr 9, 2012)

Do a search on Holz Hausen here on Hearth.com.  There are lots of guys who build them.  Not sure on the facts if it dries faster than a normal stack or not, but they sure look neat sittin in the yard!


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## Jags (Apr 9, 2012)

Cutterman said:


> Sorry for all these questions in one day, I'm a new wood stove owner. Trying to get ahead of he drying curve for the next few years...
> 
> Question: Is there any merit to the German bee hive stacking method ? I see some on youtube that claim it dries the wood faster than the traditional cross stacking method.
> 
> ...


 
No merit to it.  Single row stacks subjected to sun and wind is your best bet.


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## My Oslo heats my home (Apr 9, 2012)

If the effort of stacking german style works for you by all means create...as for me the stacks work just fine and look kinda pretty when finished too.


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## firefighterjake (Apr 10, 2012)

Jags said:


> No merit to it. Single row stacks subjected to sun and wind is your best bet.


 
+1 to what Jags said . . . but building a holz miete is kind of fun and a rite of passage here at hearth.com. I've built several over the years, but I find that they do not speed up the drying process . . . if anything the wood on the inside dries a bit slower.


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## Backwoods Savage (Apr 10, 2012)

Build them if you want for looks but that would be the only reason. The claim for faster drying has been proved wrong many times. There are still some who claim to be able to stack more wood in less space but I can see no reason for that. One can stack just as much wood or more staking in a straight line. In addition, it will take twice as long to stack in a circle as staking in a straight line. So if you don't mind the extra work and have the time, do it if you want. Won't harm a thing....but won't help anything either.


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## Wood Duck (Apr 11, 2012)

i stack all my firewood in round 'holz hausen' stacks and plan to keep doing it because I like the way it looks, and because I now have 7 8 ft diameter piles of stone to stack on, which wouldn't allow me to make straight stacks on stone. Round stacks do not dry faster than single rows would dry - in fact the wood in the center dries a little slower. If you are trying to get ahead stack in sunny, windy places in single rows kept well off the ground. After you get ahead, stack in holz hausen to show you have style.


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## Backwoods Savage (Apr 11, 2012)

Or just stack neat to show your style and save a lot of work.


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## dorkweed (Apr 11, 2012)

I've seen pix of these in the "round", but I've never come across "tips or pointers" on how to construct them.    Anyone???!


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## firefighterjake (Apr 12, 2012)

Dorkweed . . . contrary to what some folks believe . . . once you build a couple you'll find that they're really not that much harder to build or stack . . . as long as you follow some basic rules of continuing to have the wood tip in slightly to the center.

If you do a google search on holz hausen or holz miete I think you'll find several suggestions on how to build them, but here goes . . .

I build mine on four pallets pushed together. I start the base by going around in a circle with the splits . . . just keep stacking up until you get maybe two feet up or so and then you may want to put in a layer of thin splits stacked perpendicular to the rest of the wood and on top of this start your next row -- this will have the effect of tipping in the wood slightly. Truth be told I often put in the thin splits whenever and wherever I think the wood should start tipping in to the center. For me, at about 4 feet high or so I start to put in more of those thin splits more often so the top starts to tip in more dramatically. Perpendicular split, a couple rows maybe of wood . . . another perpendicular split.

A few other rules or considerations . . . chunks and uglies work well with holz mietes. I fill up the center of the HM with my chunks and uglies as this is a great place to hide this unsightly but perfectly good wood.


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## firefighterjake (Apr 12, 2012)

dorkweed said:


> I've seen pix of these in the "round", but I've never come across "tips or pointers" on how to construct them. Anyone???!


 
Here you go . . .  

http://www.holzmiete.de/anleitung.php

Being German though they're a little more detailed oriented than my own stacks . . . I mean talk about meticulous and exacting. I don't bother with the rulers, but then again my stacks don't look quite as nice.


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## dorkweed (Apr 12, 2012)

firefighterjake said:


> \
> A few other rules or considerations . . . chunks and uglies work well with holz mietes. I fill up the center of the HM with my chunks and uglies as this is a great place to hide this unsightly but perfectly good wood.


 




I still wonder what the guys, that post the perfect straight wood stacks pictures, do with the chunks, uglies and cookies?????   Some of those pix looks like the slide-rule, plumb-bob, level, and measuring stick were put into "overuse"!!   Must be nice to have nice straight wood with no knots etc.

Heck, even my straight wood is crooked  Scroungers paradox I suppose.  I'm just thankful to be finding free wood


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## adrpga498 (Apr 12, 2012)

Just finished another HH. 4 pallet base, 7' tall all locust. Sure hope the neighbors don't talk too weird about me. Oh well.


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## Backwoods Savage (Apr 12, 2012)

dorkweed said:


> I still wonder what the guys, that post the perfect straight wood stacks pictures, do with the chunks, uglies and cookies????? Some of those pix looks like the slide-rule, plumb-bob, level, and measuring stick were put into "overuse"!! Must be nice to have nice straight wood with no knots etc.
> 
> Heck, even my straight wood is crooked Scroungers paradox I suppose. I'm just thankful to be finding free wood


 

Well, my stacks are not perfect by any means and are not as pretty as some but we do get uglies. Here is a picture showing what we do with the junk wood. Throw it on top to hold down the covering. You will also notice the poles. Those are what we use under the wood stacks. I've since moved those to where we will be stacking this year's wood. Some of the smaller poles are just thrown on top too to hold the roofing down.


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## kbrown (Jun 3, 2012)

Kinda late to the party here, but I finished my first one today. Still don't quite get the art of leaning the splits in and then finishing off the roof. But lots of wood to go to practice with
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




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