# Covering Wood



## nate379 (Oct 26, 2011)

Seriously starting to think I'm not going to bother covering the wood piles anymore.

Last year I had them covered with tarps.  Everytime it got a bit windy, tarps were all over the place.  I had them nailed down, wood over the top along with tires, other lumber, pieces of metal, etc.

This year I thought I got smart.  I got a bunch of OSB and plywood and put that over the top.  Screwed the pieces together and weighted it down with pieces of wood.  Figured it would be plenty heavy.

Yeah right.  First small wind storm we got.. I'm talking only 35-40mph winds, they all flew off!

I started fixing it yesterday.  Got one stack back covered and used over 100ft of rope to tie it down.  I didn't have time to finish the last ~10ft before leaving for work.  Got out this morning to finish tieing it down and that part is ripped off and way out in the woods.

I got all my stacks tied down today, took almost $40 of rope and eye bolts though... and I'm not sure that will be enough even when we get real wind storms.  Happened every winter and not uncommon to have 70-80mph gusts.


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## red oak (Oct 26, 2011)

Alright!  Another member for the club!

I never cover my main woodpile no matter how much rain or snow we get.  For me it's a combination of laziness and..... well I guess it's just laziness!

I tried to cover with a tarp one year and I think they are about the worst thing you can use - only lasted a few weeks.  

I like to keep a few week's supply under my deck beside my basement door and a bit more in my basement.  That way if we do get a lot of precip I have dry wood.  But mostly I use uncovered wood all winter and for me it's never been a problem.  I'm sure it's better to have the wood top-covered but for me it's not worth the effort.


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## nate379 (Oct 26, 2011)

My stacks are out in my backyard and I have about 1/2 a cord on my front porch.  I fill the wood box off that and once that stack is gone I haul some more up from the backyard.

Would like to keep it covered just for the simple fact less moisture on the wood means it will last longer before it starts to rot.  I have enough wood right now to last me until 2015 if I burn the same I did last year.

I'd like to get setup with a wood shed, but I haven't figured out a good way to set it up without having to move wood all the time.

I want to be 3-4 years ahead with my wood which means ~12 cords.

The way I have it setup right now is I have 3 seperate stacks, more or less a stack for every year.  The summer following I get more wood and fill that depleted stack.  The next winter I pull from the next stack.


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## red oak (Oct 26, 2011)

Until 2015?  In Alaska?  That's awesome!  I'm definitely jealous!  Both of the wood supply and where you live!


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## nate379 (Oct 26, 2011)

Last year was the first year burning, but I heated the house from September to April on about 3 cords of wood.  House is sealed up well and also well insulated.  It doesn't take much to keep it at 70-75* even when it's -20* out.


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## bogydave (Oct 26, 2011)

I hear you about tarps. Not worth the problems with our winds. I spent way to many years chasing, tying, weighing down etc. tarps.
I even worry my shed may want to go flying & I anchored it down pretty good. So far so good & better than tarps.
At least we don't have to worry about "air circulation" thru the wood. LOL
Good luck.


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## pen (Oct 26, 2011)

I've had good luck putting a tarp over the woodpile and running a cord through the grommets and hanging a brick w/ a hole in it off of that cord in a bunch of places around the pile.  

pen


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## nate379 (Oct 26, 2011)

Yeah, that is something I worry about if I built a woodshed as well.  Wind catch under the roof and it's 1/2 way to Anchorage before I even notice.

Couple years back we lost the WHOLE roof off a ~30x80ft vehicle barn that way. 



			
				bogydave said:
			
		

> I even worry my shed may want to go flying & I anchored it down pretty good. So far so good & better than tarps.
> At least we don't have to worry about "air circulation" thru the wood. LOL
> Good luck.


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## North of 60 (Oct 26, 2011)

NATE379 said:
			
		

> Last year was the first year burning, but I heated the house from September to April on about 3 cords of wood.  House is sealed up well and also well insulated.  It doesn't take much to keep it at 70-75* even when it's -20* out.



Thats less than 1/2 a cord a month burning 24/7.
Sounds pretty good.


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## MasterMech (Oct 26, 2011)

pen said:
			
		

> I've had good luck putting a tarp over the woodpile and running a cord through the grommets and hanging a brick w/ a hole in it off of that cord in a bunch of places around the pile.
> 
> pen



Scale that up a bit and that's exactly how we weighed down the giant tarps we covered round bale stacks with. The tarps were looped at the sides for 2" PVC pipe and then we chained cinder blocks along the edge, hanging one every 10 feet or so. Another way was to lay #9 galvanized fence wire under the pile before we set the bales in place and strap/tie the tarps down to that. Could work well if you stack on pallets.

Spent much time in my teenage years untangling scraps of that wire from the mower. #$%!


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## nate379 (Oct 26, 2011)

I had a bunch of cabinets for my garage under a heavy duty canvas tarp with pallets over the top of it and on the sides.  Everytime it got real windy it would pull the tarp up and throw the pallets off.  It's hard to explain maybe but the wind is just brutal here.  It blows hard enough that it even shakes the walls in the house and I would not be surprised if it moves around some.

It's just in the winter that we get these winds.  I'm not sure where it comes from, but it gets ugly.  Have been told gusts over 100mph have been recorded before.

When I built my shed in my backyard, a 16x20 building, I had the floor and 4 walls up.  We had a good wind storm roll in and it moved the whole building over in the skids by a couple inches.  2x8 12OC floor with 3/4ply... all pressure treated and fully frames/sheathed 2x4 walls.  Nothing very light.


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## Cluttermagnet (Oct 26, 2011)

For some reason, I've never had my tarps blow away. I weigh them down with bricks, also rocks or ugly wood chunks. Also, I have rarely had any problem with ice gluing the tarps to the splits. I do live in a neighborhood with a lot of mature trees. I think they are creating a lot of turbulence and slowing the wind that does blow through. I think it tends to force a lot of it up and over the trees. Might be a whole different situation out in the open- or up on a ridge line. ;-)


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## CTYank (Oct 26, 2011)

There are all sorts of tarps. Some (the blue ones) will start disintegrating in about a year. Others are much more durable and some of those (silver one side) stand up much better to direct summer sun.

Having any part of a tarp able to catch the wind under it, or flap like a flag in the breeze will increase probabilities of either taking flight or tearing itself apart. So, you want to locate stack in such a place/way that influence of wind is reduced as possible. And you want to lash it down with small bungees as possible. (Think deck screws into end of splits a few rows down.)

Then you want to cover it for the sake of keeping the wood dry, not just for the sake of tarping it. Stand the tarp off the top with scraps. Keep the tarp pitched down to the sides, ideally reaching out some distance from the stack. Actually, something like a roofed pergola with loosely closed E & N sides would seem to be optimum. Kinda like a shelter I built about 5 yrs back for grins.


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## krex1010 (Oct 26, 2011)

I don't cover my stacks either, I tried it once and had tarps covering the top half of my stacks ( I stack in single rows) and used some cord to wrap around th stacks and hold the tarp down.  Then along came a heavy wind storm and this tarps caught that wind and half of my stacks blew over.  Haven't covered since and I don't think i will ever again.


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## nate379 (Oct 27, 2011)

I sure hope the wind doesn't blow them over.

One of the stacks I have it's kind of caddy wompus.  I think when I use up some wood I am going to re-think the way I have it stacked.  Either put some some patio blocks under the pallets to level it out or maybe haul in some gravel to make small pads for the pallets to sit on.


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## CTYank (Oct 27, 2011)

You folks up in AK could well use wind-turbines, if they're available to withstand your williwaws.


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## nate379 (Oct 28, 2011)

The problem is that this wind is only something that happens in the winter.

In the summer it's fairly calm.  Maybe gentle breeze and once in a while a bit blustery but nothing like in the winter.

I priced out a wind turbine a couple months ago and they wanted $34,000 for a turbine big enough to power my house installed.  To compare that, I pay about $1000 a year for electricity.  It would never pay itself off. (expected 20-25year life before replacement/major overhaul.)
I decided to part ways with this company (Susitna Energy Systems) after I had to fight to get a quote (took them almost 2 months) and when I did get a quote they didn't want to go over the prices they listed... some of it was for uneeded items.  Also the turbine lists online for ~$6000, they are charging $8500 for it!


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## bogydave (Oct 28, 2011)

CTYank said:
			
		

> You folks up in AK could well use wind-turbines, if they're available to withstand your williwaws.



There are a few around. 
Not quit cheap enough & like Nate said, no dependable winds here. When the wind blows though, it gets with it. 
If you supplement with solar panels, our dark winters make that seasonal too.

Several out in the bush  "off the grid" folks. some have  Solar & wind & diesel gens & big battery banks. Burn more diesel than anything but if you can afford it & get some Gov. money & tax breaks the pay off may be OK. 
Alaska has had several wind studies & several big wind systems are going up around the state. Villages on the W coast have some. Fire Island in Anchorage is one of the sites. State & fed money.


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## Lumber-Jack (Oct 28, 2011)

Iâ€™ve listed my solution to tarps before in this forum, but it just seems to get ignored. However Iâ€™ll try one more time.
First of all, as CTYanks mentioned, most of those cheap tarps out there are crap. Most will only last about one season if that. That doesnâ€™t mean you have to spend a fortune on some expensive tarps, quite the opposite is true. All you have to do is locate a source of used lumber tarps. My best source is a place where they manufacture laminated beams. But most (all) lumber supply places will have used tarps. I find the tarps I get at the beam place to be in the best shape, and they always have plenty on hand.
It has been my experience that the lumber tarps stand up to the weather and sun better then most of the cheap tarps out on the market (and often better then some expencive ones too). I have had some that lasted 5 years. Not bad considering they were free.
Now for the fastening them down. Weighing them down on your stacks is not the way to go about it. First of all; it encourages water to accumulate in the weighted down areas, second; it does nothing to stop the edges from flapping in the wind (which will prematurely wear out the tarps), thirdly; youâ€™ll have to move the weights every time you want to get at your wood under the tarps.
Grommets and ropes donâ€™t really work either. The grommets will out  very quickly in the cheap tarps, and ropes are a hassle trying to figure out what to tie them to.

So here is the solution:  Youâ€™ll need an portable electric drill, screws and some small plywood (or OSB) cleats. Cover your stacks with your free lumber tarp, which you can cut to the exact size you need. it was free anyway right? so you donâ€™t have to worry about cutting it. Youâ€™ll want just enough overlap to shed water off your wood stacks,  while not covering the sides too much, so the wood can still breath. Now, along the sides off the stacks you take your little plywood cleats, that are around 4â€ square, and screw the edges of the tarps down on the sides of the stack. Any loose folds in the tarp you fold up tightly and put a cleat right over the fold to stop that area from flapping in the wind. After you get one side done you can pull the tarp easier and tighter while screwing it down. 
Thatâ€™s it, the result is a nice tight cover that will not flap in the wind or come loose. Those cleats hold much better that weights on the top or ropes through grommets, and they wonâ€™t rip. I guarantee it. Best part is the free lumber tarps hold up extremely well and donâ€™t cost you anything.  Normally, from what Iâ€™ve seen, you have about 3 colors to choose from. White, black and a light brown color. Of course they usually have lettering on one side, but you just flip them over.
If you are using the wood from the stacks under the tarps you can take a small bucket or box to put the cleats in, and your small hand drill and unscrew the first few cleats at one end of the stack. Grab what wood you need and either pull the tarp down tightly again or fold it back and re-screw the cleats in over the folded tarps.

This works. It doesnâ€™t mater how strong your wind is.


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## ansehnlich1 (Oct 28, 2011)

Rubber roofing, cut 24 inches wide, on top, works like a charm.

I also put plywood/osb cutoffs on top the woodpile, just pieces spaced apart, and then put the rubber roofing on TOP of that....gives a nice flat surface for the cement block to sit on, guaranteed no blowing off unless hurricaine winds come along.


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## sheepdog000 (Oct 29, 2011)

I too was wondering if I should cover my wood stacks.  Mine are pallets on 3 sides.  Will the wood rot?  I am stacked two rows on each of my pallet setups, with about 4-6" in-between the ends of the two rows.  

As far as the Chinook Winds in Alaska or the Anchorage and Mat-Su Valley, their brutal.  I can remember x'ing out our bay windows on base with 100mph tape several times.


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## nate379 (Oct 29, 2011)

I'm going to see how this works out with the OSB tied down.  I don't think it will blow off... though I hope it doesn't catch the wind so much that it pulls the stacks down.

I like to keep them covered... some summers we get so much rain it's hard to get a chance to cut the lawn even.  I wouldn't worry about it so much for winter, but see I'm going to be out of country for about a year, leaving pretty soon, so I won't be around to mess with it.


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## nate379 (Oct 29, 2011)

Probably would but I'm not going to spendy several hundred $$s on roofing material to cover firewood!



			
				ansehnlich1 said:
			
		

> Rubber roofing, cut 24 inches wide, on top, works like a charm.
> 
> I also put plywood/osb cutoffs on top the woodpile, just pieces spaced apart, and then put the rubber roofing on TOP of that....gives a nice flat surface for the cement block to sit on, guaranteed no blowing off unless hurricaine winds come along.


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## NH_Wood (Oct 29, 2011)

NATE379 said:
			
		

> Probably would but I'm not going to spendy several hundred $$s on roofing material to cover firewood!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Keep an eye on Craigslist - took me a year searching about once per month to find a used rubber roofing deal near my home. Bought a 10'X50' roll for $100. Cut enough squares to cover 33 pallets (about 3 years of my supply). Need to get some more, but for now, most of the wood is covered - seems to be working great so far. Cheers!


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## bogydave (Oct 29, 2011)

Carbon_Liberator said:
			
		

> So here is the solution:  Youâ€™ll need an portable electric drill, screws and some small plywood (or OSB) cleats. Cover your stacks with your free lumber tarp, which you can cut to the exact size you need. it was free anyway right? so you donâ€™t have to worry about cutting it. Youâ€™ll want just enough overlap to shed water off your wood stacks,  while not covering the sides too much, so the wood can still breath. Now, along the sides off the stacks you take your little plywood cleats, that are around 4â€ square, and screw the edges of the tarps down on the sides of the stack. Any loose folds in the tarp you fold up tightly and put a cleat right over the fold to stop that area from flapping in the wind. After you get one side done you can pull the tarp easier and tighter while screwing it down.
> Thatâ€™s it, the result is a nice tight cover that will not flap in the wind or come loose. Those cleats hold much better that weights on the top or ropes through grommets, and they wonâ€™t rip. I guarantee it. Best part is the free lumber tarps hold up extremely well and donâ€™t cost you anything.  Normally, from what Iâ€™ve seen, you have about 3 colors to choose from. White, black and a light brown color. Of course they usually have lettering on one side, but you just flip them over.
> If you are using the wood from the stacks under the tarps you can take a small bucket or box to put the cleats in, and your small hand drill and unscrew the first few cleats at one end of the stack. Grab what wood you need and either pull the tarp down tightly again or fold it back and re-screw the cleats in over the folded tarps.
> 
> This works. It doesnâ€™t mater how strong your wind is.



Great idea.
I'm gonna check next time I'm at the lumber yard.
I have some stuff not in the shed, be a good test (max wind last year was 80 MPH, took a few of my shingles)


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## ansehnlich1 (Oct 29, 2011)

yaya, i got my rolled roofing cheap, from a guy that listed it on craigslist. It was in pieces say 10x14, 12x8, you name it. I think it was $20 a roll. I just cut 'em into  24 inch strips and use 'em like that. None of 'em have torn yet, they stay put, and I've been using the same for 3 years now. My wood stays covered year round, tops only.



			
				NH_Wood said:
			
		

> NATE379 said:
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## oldspark (Oct 29, 2011)

I have found the best, easiest and cheapest way to hold down tarps is old milk jugs filled with water placed on both sides of the row of wood connected by bungee straps, no amount of wind has displaced this system so far. The fact that tarps suck is another story.


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## velvetfoot (Oct 29, 2011)

In mid summer, I had 4+ cords on the driveway covered with plywood screwed together and fastened down with nylon twine, passed through drilled holes in the plywood close to the wood, and fastened below to drywall screws in the wood.  I looked at it, ruminated, and then took off the plywood, fastened to the garage end wall, and stacked two rows to the ceiling - 4 cords.  I still had a cord or so on the driveway, covered with a piece of plastic.  With this little snow we've had so far, I'm reminded why I think that whole exterior winter wood moving sucks.


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## NH_Wood (Oct 29, 2011)

oldspark said:
			
		

> I have found the best, easiest and cheapest way to hold down tarps is old milk jugs filled with water placed on both sides of the row of wood connected by bungee straps, no amount of wind has displaced this system so far. The fact that tarps suck is another story.



When I used tarps, I just used nails in the pallets or in lower splits and attached the bungees from grommet to nail. Cheers!


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## oldspark (Oct 29, 2011)

NH_Wood said:
			
		

> oldspark said:
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 Ah I might give that a try.


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## Llamaman (Oct 30, 2011)

We missed most of the snow but wind over 50mph took down one of my big white pines - root ball ripped right out of ground.........also peeled off the tarps my wife picked up last week to cover our stacks - I am a believer in covering tops only with plywood or other materials and did not want to give her a hard time about the tarp thing but she can deal with it!  Lol


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## nate379 (Oct 30, 2011)

Let me know if you find anything and there is extra.

A while back I asked at SBS for some pallets and I may as well have asked for the guys first born kid.  AND it's not like I have never been there before and asked... I in there a few times a week and even have an account with them.



			
				bogydave said:
			
		

> Carbon_Liberator said:
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## bogydave (Oct 30, 2011)

Lumber yards think pallets are gold. They use them  for everything. So if they give any away, I don't think they would even make good kindling.
Pallets free at the place they sell shingles on Bogard, they got lots, by Furgeson, (was Arctic Builders but SBS bought them) or HD & Lowes.


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## nate379 (Oct 31, 2011)

Galco.

I got a whole bunch from the dog food place down the road from me up on the Palmer-Wasilla.

Just doubt I'm getting tarps from SBS without buying them.


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## Lumber-Jack (Nov 3, 2011)

NATE379 said:
			
		

> Galco.
> 
> I got a whole bunch from the dog food place down the road from me up on the Palmer-Wasilla.
> 
> Just doubt I'm getting tarps from SBS without buying them.


They wouldn't seriously try to sell the used lumber tarps to you would they?
When I get them at my local lumber yard the only trick is to get them before they throw them in the garbage.
At the beam laminating place, where I often get them, they actually have a bin just outside their property where they nicely fold up the used  tarps and put them for people just like me who have a use for them.
I rarely use them for covering wood anymore since I have a nice woodshed, but i use lots of them as coversheets for my stucco business. In a year I probably go through 2000 lin. ft of these used lumber tarps


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## Lumber-Jack (Nov 3, 2011)

This IMHO is the simplest cheapest and most durable way to cover your wood stacks. 

*Cut the old lumber tarp to size.*






*Fold tarp edges and srew plywood cleats into the wood over the folded edges.   Done!*




No cheap retail tarps, ropes or bungees to buy and wear out,no metal roofing or sheets of plywood to worry about flying off in the wind and killing someone, no milk jugs. blocks or other types of weights to hold anything down. 
Nice and simple and clean.


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## bogydave (Nov 3, 2011)

Good picture.
We just had some 70 MPH winds, (found a few thing I forgot to store or tie down ) I may try it but I'll put the screws in some of the larger pieces,
I could just see the tarp with a few splits hanging on, flying away. 
I might modify it just a bit & put a hole in the very top to let any moisture out, as I'll be covering some fresh green stuff. When I've covered green stuff with tarps, I've noticed ice/water forming on the underside of the tarp from condensation, so letting some air escape may help drying the green stuff.


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## nate379 (Nov 4, 2011)

Like Dave said, that would never hold with the winds we get.

THOUGH my weighted down and tied down covers didn't move!  Did have my flag shred apart and then then mount broke off the house.  Also need to rethink the boxes I built for my 2 young trees to protect them.  One is 8 feet tall the other 6ft.  I had put in 4 pieces of #5 rebar 3ft long into the ground and tied the boxes at all corners to the rebar.  The 550 cord I used didn't hold up.


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## Lumber-Jack (Nov 4, 2011)

It will hold up in the wind if you make sure you wrap it well and secure it to some large rounds as Dave suggested. 

Here's a little wind test for you.   ;-)


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## bsj425 (Nov 4, 2011)

Glad we don't get those winds up here just a whole lot of snow and a whole lot of cold. I have my stacks cOvered with tarps with a few splits on top holding them Down they shouldn't move.


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## bogydave (Nov 4, 2011)

Carbon_Liberator said:
			
		

> It will hold up in the wind if you make sure you wrap it well and secure it to some large rounds as Dave suggested.
> 
> Here's a little wind test for you.   ;-)



AWESOME.
Fly much?


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## Lumber-Jack (Nov 4, 2011)

LOL
I thought you might get a kick out of that Dave.   
I was actually just putting the machine away for the winter and I usually do a final engine run in the driveway before mothballing it. So I thought why not.
Frankly it did expose a weakness on the tarp on the camera side where it started to lift one of the pieces of wood, but I didnâ€™t really secure the tarp on that side the way it should be. I didnâ€™t secure it right down to the ground like I normally would have. I had only put that tarp on to take a picture and demonstrate the how simple and cheap that method is for covering wood stacks. I donâ€™t plan on leaving that stack covered, it will be split and stacked in the woodshed this weekend, and Iâ€™ll be getting another load to replace it as soon as I can. I don't know exactly what the wind speed would be coming off that prop, but I'm sure it's at least 70 mph, probably more.

And yes, after not flying for two years I made up for it this summer.  :cheese:  I even put up a couple of new youtube flying video.

Here's one > Flying video<<<


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## bogydave (Nov 4, 2011)

I thought the wind test wast perfect. 
I got the wood shed full. Maybe should cover the spruce this spring. I think the cold dry winter will dry it even more.
Got a cord of birch to split, need 4 more for 13 - 14 stuff. 

Saw a flying bag on there. That's what the kite guys call my chute.
Real nice video. Great camera mount too.


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## snowleopard (Nov 4, 2011)

NATE379 said:
			
		

> I'm going to see how this works out with the OSB tied down.  I don't think it will blow off... though I hope it doesn't catch the wind so much that it pulls the stacks down.
> 
> I like to keep them covered... some summers we get so much rain it's hard to get a chance to cut the lawn even.  I wouldn't worry about it so much for winter, but see I'm going to be out of country for about a year, leaving pretty soon, so I won't be around to mess with it.



Are you deploying?


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## BrotherBart (Nov 4, 2011)

How big a prop must a tarp withstand,
before you can trust it on the stack?
How my MPH must the stack be able to take,
before it pleases this man.
And how many times just for grins,
will that poor wood be fanned.

The answer my friend is blowing in the wind,
the answer is blowing in the wind.

- Billy Bob Dylan


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## bogydave (Nov 4, 2011)

But will the screwed down tarps handle this?
Closer to my winds LOL :lol:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DBRnZnjeCg


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## nate379 (Nov 8, 2011)

Some days it's darn near that!  I have to put earplugs in to be able to sleep cause it's so loud even in the house... and I worry about the roof coming off!

The leaf blower "test" (ahahahaha) isn't anything close to the winds we get.  Those little trees near the wood pile would be all broken in 1/2 in a few mintues.


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## Mass. Wine Guy (Nov 9, 2011)

How do you put a hole in a brick?



			
				pen said:
			
		

> I've had good luck putting a tarp over the woodpile and running a cord through the grommets and hanging a brick w/ a hole in it off of that cord in a bunch of places around the pile.
> 
> pen




I want to cover my wood because silly as it sounds, I think rain will make the wood wet. Call me crazy, I know.

All I have are a few pretty cheapo tarps. I don't know where I would find corrugated steel, plastic or oter better solutions. With the tarps, is it best to cover only the very top of the piles?


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## WoodpileOCD (Nov 9, 2011)

bogydave said:
			
		

> But will the screwed down tarps handle this?
> Closer to my winds LOL :lol:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DBRnZnjeCg



Is this what you are talking about.  100 mph winds to hit Nome Alaska today.  
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45218633/ns/weather/#.Trr_YZzrWM0


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## bogydave (Nov 9, 2011)

Usually the ice is there by now, Ice keeps the waves down. No sea ice yet this year, Gonna do lots of damage to the coastal villages.
I'm 500 miles (as the crow flies) South/East & 2 Mt ranges away, The storm won't do much here, if anything, a little snow from the tail may make it this far, but not much impact at all.
Few years back, I got 100 mph winds, lost a Green house, most of my roof shingles, canoe & some other damage.
Last year one storm hit  80 mph winds, lost a few shingles, Cleaned up the driveway good though.
We get less snow & more wind storms than years ago, something in the weather patterns has changed.

But yes, we get high winds from the North. We had one so far, blew over the end of a row of  some stacked spruce splits. 70 MPH gusts.  BWS said I might have it stacked to high, he was right.


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## Stax (Nov 10, 2011)

Nate...with summers that don't reach 70, it currently @ almost sub zero temps and with wind storms that almost rip your roof the hell off, can I ask why you live where you do?


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## bogydave (Nov 10, 2011)

Stax said:
			
		

> Nate...with summers that don't reach 70, it currently @ almost sub zero temps and with wind storms that almost rip your roof the hell off, can I ask why you live where you do?



Good question  :zip:


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## nate379 (Nov 10, 2011)

Call me crazy but I like it here.

I don't mind at all summers being mild temps.  The days are long and a 65* day is perfect to work all day long.

I do hate the wind, but at least it's not ALL winter.  We get several bad windstorms each winter and the rest of the time it's not bad.


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## bogydave (Nov 10, 2011)

Not Crazy at all. 

The saying here for  the wind, the people in Palmers say:  "Wasilla Sucks"
The saying here for  the wind, the people in Wasilla  say:  "Palmer Blows"

I live in between so either or, I get the wind. LOL 

I just wait until the wind stops & go pic up stuff that was once in Palmer.
Got several tarps last year 
The High school rivalry is strong, pretty clean, most of the time.

Summers are Great, Daylight all the time, never too hot, salmon are running, lots of wildlife, great scenery.
Winter is fun too, you can go just about anywhere on a snow machine. Northern lights are visible allot.
Or just enjoy a warm fire. 

Besides, somebody has to do it. Might as well make it fun.


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## BigV (Nov 11, 2011)

ansehnlich1 said:
			
		

> Rubber roofing, cut 24 inches wide, on top, works like a charm.
> 
> I also put plywood/osb cutoffs on top the woodpile, just pieces spaced apart, and then put the rubber roofing on TOP of that....gives a nice flat surface for the cement block to sit on, guaranteed no blowing off unless hurricaine winds come along.



My son is a roofer so I get all the old rubber roofing material I need. He cuts it into 60" sheets and rolls them up. 
I use a staple gun to secure the rubber on the sides of the stacks. Never had any blow off and it lasts for years.


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## Adabiviak (Nov 12, 2011)

I've had good luck with the cheapo retail tarps... they last for a few years, more if I don't stress them improperly when tying them down. When they start to fail, they're used one last time to catch wax shavings from my snowboard during the ski season. I don't have nearly the gale-force winds that some of the other posters here seem to have though. 

Big V, that much wood would heat my house for like seven years, seriously.


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## nate379 (Nov 19, 2011)

Well giving up on covering.

Went out today to see the damage from this last storm.  Been working a 6PM-6AM shift all this week so didn't have a chance.

The OSB covering was a fail.  I had lashed it down every 6-7 feet across the top down to the pallets.  Each sheet was also screwed together to the next, so it was like one big sheet.  It was also covered with a bunch of uglies and about a foot of snow.

Well most of that mess is gone now.  Only thing that remains is a couple sheets of OSB that were directly under the ropes.


Like I said, there is NO way a tarp would hold up.  I can't even get 1/2" thick OSB that weighs ~40lbs a sheet to hold up.


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## firefighterjake (Nov 20, 2011)

Time to start thinking about a woodshed? . . . well maybe thinking about this in the Spring would make more sense.


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## nate379 (Nov 20, 2011)

I'm just going to leave the wood uncovered.


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## doogiegh (Nov 20, 2011)

Here's what I did...

I do have a wood shed and she's filled to the brink. So I got more wood stacked next to it.. 16' away, I put a 2*4*10  three feet in the ground and cemented it in.  I ran a steel cable from the side of the wood shed to the 2*4 and pulled the cable tight using a come-along (gently, as I didn't want to snap the 2*4, just make sure the cable is TIGHT).

I then drape a tarp up and over the cable, which then drapes over ALL of the wood and onto the ground.. Think of it as a shower curtain..

Snow, rain, and all water simply runs off the tarp and slides on down to the ground. My wood is stacked on 2" PVC so it's off the ground - that dirt hasn't had a drop of rain on it for over a year now..

And the wood shed of course is reading less than 10% MC.. Yeah for me.


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## nate379 (Nov 20, 2011)

That would last about 5 mins here with the wind.  Hopefully the tarp would just shred apart, because otherwise it would either rip that post out of the ground or tear down the whole wood shed.


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## ohio woodburner (Nov 20, 2011)

NATE379 said:
			
		

> I'm just going to leave the wood uncovered.



+1   you talked your self into it Nate.   :lol:  I've never covered my wood.  although i keep about 3 weeks worth on my porch so that helps.  tarps and covering the stacks just seem to be a pain in the azz  IMHO


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## red oak (Nov 20, 2011)

ohio woodburner said:
			
		

> NATE379 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



+2 - I'm sure you'll be fine - and you won't lose anymore tarps!


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## nvanhar (Nov 2, 2014)

Okay, so for those of you who do not cover your stacks, does it take you any longer to season your wood than the others?  Do you have a place that you move your wood to in the days/weeks before you burn it?  We have a spot in our basement where we could store up to a cord.  If we left our stacks uncovered and just moved some into the basement periodically as we needed it, do you think we'd get the MC down to where we want it?  Still feels weird to consider not covering the stacks outside, but I have to admit, I love the look of the stacks without anything on them and the prospect of dealing with tarps blowing away and just how to weigh them down is sounding even more daunting to me.  If I tell hubby that I think we should just leave the stacks uncovered, he's going to scoff at me.  Any data available to help me convince him?  Thanks a bunch!


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## KindredSpiritzz (Nov 2, 2014)

i seldom have issues with my tarp coming off. All i do is throw a few strategic  bricks on top of the tarp and it stays on just fine. After a really windy day i might have to go straighten and tuck a bit.  My biggest issue is stacks tipping over.


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## nvanhar (Nov 2, 2014)

Good to hear...we just tied down our current tarps and they seem to be holding ok - it was a super windy day so it was a great day to see how they would hold.  Still hoping to build a woodshed in the next year or so.  Glad to hear I'm not the only one to come home to a stack that has tipped too!  What dismay...


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