Crosswise stacking secrets

[gzecc]

Okay, you want stacks? Here's mine!

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Ralphie, Is this real? Looks fake to me.

 

[Ralphie Boy]

Ralphie, Is this real? Looks fake to me.

It's real. Those are trees in the Northwest being readied for processing into either paper or timber. I "lifted" the picture from a wood production website.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Okay, you want stacks? Here's mine!

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That is cheating! I believe that stack was in Canada.

How much do you burn per season, say on a 5 season average?

3 cord. Used to be double that until we bought the Woodstock Fireview.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Is there a reason why you guys go three wide on your stacks? Wouldn't two wide or even singles be better for air flow and quicker seasoning. Is it solely a space saver?

Many do think that Berner but we have not found it to be true at all. I have to admit that at first I was reluctant but now it is normal. We've even stacked as many as 20+ rows tight together and had no problem with drying the wood.

The reason is that it is easy and quick stacking that way and it does not take as much space. The reason it is easy for us is that we split the wood only once in a year so it is all in a big heap. This means that when we stack, there is no carrying the wood. We just simply reach for a split or two, turn and lay it on the stack. Makes for quick work.



In the first picture you can see there are many rows together. The second picture was taken during a stacking day and you can see that there is no carrying of the wood. Simply reach for a couple splits, turn and lay them on the stack.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

The secret is in the split not so much the stack. Split rectangle or square rather than triangle. If the split is correct, the stack is as easy as stacking blocks....... uh, well dats jes what you doin I guess. Not to worry, after 30 or so years of learning how to split square and uniform, you to will have artistic stacks like Backwoods. I am humbled by, and bow to his experience.

We do split in rectangles a lot but most of those get used for cribbing the ends. I am humbled at your words. I am not perfect and many stack a lot neater than we do. One thing is that we do not attempt to stack really tight which allows for better air circulation. If you stack the wood really tight, it looks good but takes just a little bit longer to dry.

 

[Ralphie Boy]

That is cheating! I believe that stack was in Canada.

You're most likely correct about those stacks being in Canada. I couldn't remember what website I lifted the picture.

 

[chris5150]

How do you split a round log into rectangles??

 

[jatoxico]

How do you split a round log into rectangles??

Same way they get 2x4's. Oak is very easy to get squares out of. Some of my splits are almost too pretty to burn...almost.

 

[chris5150]

Same way they get 2x4's. Oak is very easy to get squares out of. Some of my splits are almost too pretty to burn...almost.

I have been able to do this with large oak rounds but the normal 16" rounds I get, I don't think I could make splits like that. Would be nice to pack the stove tight with them though.

 

[Wood Duck]

Single or double stacks are better for fast seasoning, but obviously take more space. Plus, the wider stacks stand up a little better, in my experience. I can't speak for anyone else, but if I wanted fast seasoning, I'd go single or double wide, but if I were stacking for a couple of years or more, I'd go triple wide.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

How do you split a round log into rectangles??

Depends a lot on the size of the log. Here is one example:


If the log is not too large, you could do away with that horizontal line. If it is bigger, then you would want to do another horizontal or even more. It all depends upon the size of the log.

 

[BEConklin]

I like splitting rectangles - especially when the log is big enough. You can get 8 good sized rectangles out of it with no bark on them....or 6 and one big square.....or 4 big squares.....etc...

I was splitting nice hickory rounds the other day with my Fiskars X-27 I was able to do something like this below with every round from the trunk below the first branching - probably 40 feet of log or so. I wanted some variety of sizes so I tried to get one big square at least out of each round - then the rest would be rectangles and the slabs off the sides.

and all those rectangles and squares have no bark - like Jatoxico said - they're almost too pretty to burn

 

[Berner]

How much fluff is in the cross stacking? I know it depends on how much air you put into the stacks but on average how does it compare to regular stacks? Would a 8X8X2 cross stack be a half cord or more like 3/4 of a cord? I ask because space is a limiting factor for me and I'm not sure how much wood I can store on my property.