Ahhh...the sight of well seasoned wood

[SolarAndWood]

But now in the planning stages for the 8 cord wood shed (16' X 8' X 8' tall)

If you are a lazy/arguably incompetent stacker like I am, I have a few recommendations for your shed:

1. Leave the wood outside until it is dry so that it doesn't shrink in your shed
2. Use a cinder/asphalt/rock base and a plywood ceiling so that you can stack tight to the ceiling
3. Locate it as close to where you burn as possible, preferably in an area where the snow gets cleared anyway
4. Size it for one seasons burn with a conservative safety stock, I like 50% but have been told by many that is much too conservative
5. If you get drifting snow, put it on the protected side of the house if you have one

I spend zero time making my stacks look pretty and go 9'+ high without worrying about them going over.

If you take pride in your stacks as more than just a means to an end or have other mitigating factors like curb appeal, bug concerns, etc., disregard the above.

 

[mike1234]

Looks like good advice. It is in line with what I was thinking.
Wife will want it looking decent, or out of sight, or both, so I have to take that into consideration.

I built a 20' X 10' horse shed last year with landscape timbers (8' long, sort of like 4 x 4's, treated and on sale for under $2.00 all the time at HD), thought I'd use those as framing, your idea of plywood on roof is good, I was going to go with just tin, but plywood then shingles would create more heat and allow me to stuff wood up the ceiling.

Are you leaving your wood out for 2 years or more before it goes in the shed?

Sorry, just realized I might be hijacking this thread, maybe I should start a different one.

But now in the planning stages for the 8 cord wood shed (16' X 8' X 8' tall)

If you are a lazy/arguably incompetent stacker like I am, I have a few recommendations for your shed:

1. Leave the wood outside until it is dry so that it doesn't shrink in your shed
2. Use a cinder/asphalt/rock base and a plywood ceiling so that you can stack tight to the ceiling
3. Locate it as close to where you burn as possible, preferably in an area where the snow gets cleared anyway
4. Size it for one seasons burn with a conservative safety stock, I like 50% but have been told by many that is much too conservative
5. If you get drifting snow, put it on the protected side of the house if you have one

I spend zero time making my stacks look pretty and go 9'+ high without worrying about them going over.

If you take pride in your stacks as more than just a means to an end or have other mitigating factors like curb appeal, bug concerns, etc., disregard the above.

 

[Henz]

covering my stacks this weekend...probably wont get much dryer

 

[andybaker]

Nice pic. I'm on my wife's computer and I just had to save it and put it up as her wallpaper. I'm sure I'll hear about it tonight when she gets on her laptop. She gets tired of seeing so much wood, but never tires of being warm in the winter. We're the only house around that opens their windows when it's 30 degrees outside.

Andybaker

 

[mikepinto65]

Just got out and took a few pictures of my wood for this winter. We have been having some great drying weather these past couple of weeks

 

[mikepinto65]

couple of my winters pile. It measures 17' in length and is four rows deep.

 

[LLigetfa]

covering my stacks this weekend...probably wont get much dryer

I had some rubber roofing over one of my two cord outdoor stacks when I was getting rain every other day but I forgot to take it off when the rain stopped. I was moving some of my heaped wood into the shed the other morning and stuck my hand under the rubber and it was soaking wet so I pulled it off. It won't be going back on until tomorrow afternoon as there is rain in the forecast for Tuesday/Wednesday. That 2 cord stack is my reserve for this Winter in case I run out of the two year seasoned stuff I have laid up in the shed. The rest of my outdoor stacks are uncovered.

We had so much rain this Summer that my heaped wood is very wet. It doesn't look like it dried much at all except for just the stuff on top. I've moved most of it into the shed already but I won't be burning it until 2010/2011 so it has lots of time to dry there. Still have a few cord to move into the shed but there's no rush on it as it's not for this Winter.

As for the sight, ja, it's like looking at a briefcase full of money. Even more than the sight, I enjoy the smell of Black Ash. With my woodshed being in the opposite direction than my outdoor stacks, I get a whiff of it from both directions.

 

[LLigetfa]

Just got out and took a few pictures of my wood...

Nice pics but to me they look like they're upside down. I always stack bark side up.

 

[mikepinto65]

Just got out and took a few pictures of my wood...

Nice pics but to me they look like they're upside down. I always stack bark side up.

I tend to stack which ever way the wood falls. Ive read that discussed here a few times but is there really any benefit as to which way?

 

[LLigetfa]

I figure that some of the rain that trickles down will be absorbed by the bark. Since the bark tends not to pass much moisture, it should keep some of the rain from migrating to the wood.

That said, I stack bark side up in my woodshed too and there ain't no rain falling in there. LOL... if you look at my avatar, you can see that I even stack bark side up for the short trip to the shed. I guess it's a force of habit.

 

[Todd]

It's been good drying weather around here too.

 

[Flatbedford]

Here too.

 

[WOODBUTCHER]

Nice pics !

WB

 

[akennyd]

I'm gonna have to tell all of you that you are nuts Looking at pictures of stacks of drying wood?!?! I mean really, don't you people have anything better to do?!?!


Oh, excuse me... it's just that I have a bad case of wood envy...I looked at them ALL and even thoguht to myself "WOW" when I looked at the first picture in full size...

Kenny
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[BrotherBart]

Mine has dried pretty well this summer.

 

[Pagey]

Mine has dried pretty well this summer.

Do I see a nice cherry desk in there? :coolhmm:

 

[wendell]

... if you look at my avatar,

That is too funny. My eyesight is not what it used to be and the avatar pictures are kind of small. I always thought your avatar was an old flatbed farm truck parked next to a barn.

 

[stejus]

Pic 1 seasoned 9 months and hopefully ready for use starting this Dec. This is from an HH pile with not a lot of sun.

Pic 2 seasoned 11 months so far and looks ready to me. This was from dead standing or on the ground wood. This is from an HH pile with a lot of sun.

 

[fossil]

I have had my wood up since April...I am sore

I just came across this thread today. Skinny, you posted this in August. I thought after 4 hours you should seek immediate medical attention. You're talking something like 4 months here. :ahhh: I don't doubt you were sore. Sure hope everything is OK now. Rick