Best way to stack wood in shed

[syd3006]

I was given a shed last spring that I plan on using for a wood shed, it is 12' long 10' wide and the walls are 7' 4" high. I have about 6 cords of wood cut and split that have been drying for various lengths of time, some has been drying since last summer, some as recent as June of this year. I would like to have it stacked in the shed so that I can get to the most seasoned stuff first and leaving the least seasoned for last.

I may be over-thinking this a bit but I know the folks on this forum tend to give a lot of thought these matters. Is there a "best" way of doing this? Should I avoid stacking to high to prevent toppling or maybe have some method of restraining the stacks so this won't happen.

Just thought I would ask in case some methods had been found to be better than others.

 

[SolarAndWood]

If it is a shed with a single door/opening, I would wait until you expect snow. Then, put the stuff from June in the back and fill forward finishing with the driest. You could theoretically get a little more than you have in there, but I would stack it as high as you can comfortably reach and leave some room in the front of the shed so that you don't beat the door up. If it is an open dirt floor, put pallets or similar down to keep the wood from sucking the moisture out of the ground. If its not an open floor, make sure it will support the weight.

 

[Wet1]

Given a shed? What does it have for a floor in it and how well is it supported? Is it well ventilated?

 

[firefighterjake]

As mentioned make sure the floor can support the weight of the wood.

Ventilation is good . . . but I'm guessing that if you were given a shed it's probably not really well ventilated . . . perhaps not so critical if the wood has been seasoned . . . however wood split in June of this year most likely will need more seasoning (dependent on the species, size of the splits, etc.) I would not stick the wood in the shed until the snow is getting ready to fly . . . leave it exposed to the wind and sun for as long as possible.

If it is a typical shed with one door in the front I would stick the "fresher" stuff in the back and more seasoned wood in the front . . . giving the newer wood more of a chance to season. In my woodshed (when completed . . . I am in the home stretch now though) I have an open front so I'm actually thinking of stacking the wood North to South so I can separate the wood a bit easier (i.e. more seasoned wood vs. less seasoned, slabwood and shoulder season wood vs. dead of winter wood, etc.) and access it a bit easier . . . but this may not be so easy to do with a shed with a door.

I'm also with SandW . . . I believe in only stacking as high as I can safely reach . . . less chance of the wood toppling on my wife or myself and easier to stack.

 

[SolarAndWood]

I'm also with SandW . . . I believe in only stacking as high as I can safely reach . . . less chance of the wood toppling on my wife or myself and easier to stack.

While I believe in that, I am currently stacking to 10' because of lack of roof and a good scrounging year. I'm not worried about it toppling as it shouldn't shrink much more and it is compressed against the ceiling of the sheds. We'll see how it goes when I start removing it though.

 

[gerry100]

You should be able to get 6 in there if you stack closely.

If you stack it carefully, crossing etc you should be OK.

Stack it so a mouse can run through but a cat can't follow.

 

[syd3006]

Given a shed? What does it have for a floor in it and how well is it supported? Is it well ventilated?

It was a shed we used for storing fuel barrels at work, it is well constructed, the floor is 3/4" plywood with 2 by 6 floor joists. I supported it with 3 - 12' hardwood track ties. There are small vents near the floor on the two side walls.

 

[Wet1]

Sounds good. Just make sure it can hold over 20k lbs if you're planing on sticking 6 cords of wood in it. You'll want more ventilation as well.

 

[savageactor7]

LLigetfa uses a 3 step scaffold to safely stack 10' high in his shed...that's about the most efficient use of space I've seen here...plus he's got a system. If I come across that link I edit in a link.

 

[JeffRey30747]

Any way that doesn't fall over ... ;-)

I routinely stack to the full height of my 10' tall shed but never when the stack is standing on its own. In other words, I won't go full height unless there are smaller supporting stacks on either side to brace the stack. The final product almost takes on a pyramid of stacks appearance on either end. I don't use scaffolding either. I'll stand either on one of the smaller stacks or in the bucket of the front end loader on the tractor. The loader bucket is used for some of the transport to the shed and almost all of the transport from the shed to the house.

My shed has openings on either end so that I can pull from the end with the oldest wood. Have you considered the possibility of putting another door opposite the one you already have? This can also improve ventilation in the shed.