holz hausen?

[Got Wood]

I'm planning a Holz build as well, and had the same thought about the aesthetics of dismantling. If you built the HH with two or three of the "outer rings" you could probably just take off one outer ring each year. Then it would just get skinnier each year. Of course you'd have to have multiple HH or other stores of wood.

This would work if the inner rings were completed in the same fashion as the outer rings. But you'd have to make a mighty large one. The interior is not made of more rings - but the splits are stood up on their ends. Mine is 4 pallets in a square and I doubt you could go much smaller. The tighter the circle - the spokes of the wheels gap more. It makes stacking more difficult.

You have to start out with a shim footprint so the next few courses stacked tilt in. When it levels - you must put down another shim ring. Doing this kind of building on multiple rings would seem time consuming verses using the interior to stack splits on their ends. The tighter the ring - the more it flares out the laid out splits. This is hard to explain - but I doubt you could do a really skinny HH. You might be able to do two rings. You'd need small splits. My HH was tough enough using regular 16 inch splits that were hand size. I would be concerned about settling and when you remove the outer ring - it may lose it's lock and collapse.

I also hide my uglies and shorts in the middle.

My first one - my wife and kids helped with and they were not schooled in the proper technique. The kids were tossing uglies in it like a basketball net and we had a wall kick out. I corrected it and it's still standing today. I think as they shrink - they lock even tighter. A fun project and nice to look at. I may do another this year.

Oh yes I see what you're saying about tight rings being more problematic. So on your 4 pallet HH, how many rings of splits are laid flat before you started laying in the middle of uglies and shorts?

Here is a couple pic's of mine being built.... I had a single outside ring

FYI - if you look close you will see I put in a metal pole in the center. I put a rubber ring at the roof level at the very top to see how much it shrinks over time (down around 10" now ...built in Feb 2010)

 

[skyline]

Here are pics of mine. I like Holz hausen because they stand on their own. I have no idea if they season the wood as fast as other stacking methods. I assume they are slower than single ranks because they allow less air flow, but I haven't tried both methods side by side so I can't say for sure. I think they look nice.

Wood Duck,

I figured you might have some good looking HH. I'm not sure if they would season faster especially around here (PNW) but I have some thoughts as to why they might.

I can see them absorbing a significant amount of heat in their core that it retains after sundown which lowers RH and EMC and perhaps sets up some convective air movement. If that happens for several extra hours everyday, that is a lot of extra drying time.

They might be at a disadvantage on windy days compared to a single row but even their round shape might provide an advantage like air flowing over a wing, it has to accelerate to meet on the other side and you might get extra draw out of moisture due to less pressure/increased velocity.

I think the one thing that could help them dry better would be a vapor barrier under them. Can't tell if you have them but I don't see many folks using it under their stacks.

 

[golfandwoodnut]

I've not built one yet but maybe some day will try it. I've just not been impressed and it looks like more work. I also imagine how it will look as one starts removing the wood. Then it surely would not look too neat.

I'm planning a Holz build as well, and had the same thought about the aesthetics of dismantling. If you built the HH with two or three of the "outer rings" you could probably just take off one outer ring each year. Then it would just get skinnier each year. Of course you'd have to have multiple HH or other stores of wood.

much easier to just take a piece of pie, like you would cut a pie. The rest of the HH will stay standing. I used half of mine last year and rebuilt it, this year using the other half.

 

[bigtall]

Just seems like a lot of extra work.

 

[Wood Duck]

I think the one thing that could help them dry better would be a vapor barrier under them. Can't tell if you have them but I don't see many folks using it under their stacks.

I don't have a vapor barrier. Mine are stacked on loose rock from the garden. I tried to stack the bottom few layers as loosely as possible, but I am sure that there isn't great air flow at the bottom, and like all wood stacks, the top dried better than the bottom. I am taking down the first one now, starting in the back so I can't see the hole in the HH. I plan to burn two of them each winter, but I don't know if that will work out. I am not sure what I'd do with a partial holz hausen at the end of the burning season. I'll probably do nothing until fall, when I'll burn it, but it won't look as nice as the complete ones.

 

[firefighterjake]

Random thoughts . . .

I don't find the punks, chunks and uglies put much pressure on the outside of the stack . . . then again the outside is always leaning in slightly.

For the life of me I don't understand why anyone needs a pole . . . never used one in the two times I built my holz miete.

Much more work . . . you would think so . . . but I didn't find it much more work vs. a traditional stack of wood . . . in fact in some ways it was easier to just pitch the punks, chunks and uglies into the middle . . . and wood that had a nub from a branch worked well on the outside.

Someone mentioned pie . . . great . . . now I'm getting a hankering for a slice of coconut cream pie.

 

[Got Wood]

Random thoughts . . .

I don't find the punks, chunks and uglies put much pressure on the outside of the stack . . . then again the outside is always leaning in slightly.

For the life of me I don't understand why anyone needs a pole . . . never used one in the two times I built my holz miete.

Much more work . . . you would think so . . . but I didn't find it much more work vs. a traditional stack of wood . . . in fact in some ways it was easier to just pitch the punks, chunks and uglies into the middle . . . and wood that had a nub from a branch worked well on the outside.

Someone mentioned pie . . . great . . . now I'm getting a hankering for a slice of coconut cream pie.

Jake - I built the HH (or HM) only for fun and just to see how it would go. The only reason I put the pole in there was because I thought it would be interesting to see the shrinkage and the pole was an real easy way to monitor that. No need at all...just curiosity. If/when I build another I wont stick the pole in there.
I agree it wasnt much more work, probably and equal amount.

 

[basswidow]

Just seems like a lot of extra work.

Well, I am gonna go against the grain and say yes - it is more work. But only slightly. By the time you've made a few - I am sure it becomes second nature. But my initial feeling is that it's more work than a straight stack.

Here's the reason I feel that way.

When I stack in straight rows - you are just laying splits down. If your base is level - it's easy to just roll with it - very quick.

With the HH. I had to cherry pick the shim pieces, eyeball my circle to make sure it looked right, cherry pick the pieces for the outer wall (like a stone mason laying a wall), making sure the pieces were leaning in. Constantly eyeballing it as you go to make sure the walls are straight. Pick out the uglies and shorts and put them in the middle. Seems like more thinking to me.

Still, it went up just as fast. Just involved more thinking, picking, and eyeballing.

As for using it, I never thought about slicing the pie. You're right - the remaining part would stand.

I've got a big old oak a neighbor has down and is giving me. Since oak takes two years - I may make it into a HH - so it looks nice for 2 years!

 

[trailmaker]

I've not built one yet but maybe some day will try it. I've just not been impressed and it looks like more work. I also imagine how it will look as one starts removing the wood. Then it surely would not look too neat.

I'm planning a Holz build as well, and had the same thought about the aesthetics of dismantling. If you built the HH with two or three of the "outer rings" you could probably just take off one outer ring each year. Then it would just get skinnier each year. Of course you'd have to have multiple HH or other stores of wood.

much easier to just take a piece of pie, like you would cut a pie. The rest of the HH will stay standing. I used half of mine last year and rebuilt it, this year using the other half.

Thanks for the info, I never considered the pie removal. I think first I will attempt to build it in a way that allows for one outer ring removal at a time. I plan on making the outer ring from Doug Fir, then Oak, then Madrone. Hopefully the Fir will dry in a year, the Oak in two years, and Madrone on the inside because I've found it to be very resistant to rot. I'll report back with pics when I get started.

 

[golfandwoodnut]

I think you are ill advised to build in rings unless you are going really big diameter. An 8 footer you can only get one ring (I use 20 inch splits so there was not even much of a hole to fill. A 10 foot it is feasible, but you would have to actually keep both walls sloping in and I think you will be amazed how much wood you will need. I did use two rings in the 10 footer because you can get more wood in other than just throwing them in. However on the rebuild I just tossed them in.

 

[Vic99]

I am currently building my 6th and have not had one fall yet.

Very important: Cover the top all year. When rain & melted snow get in the middle it really promotes mold and mushroom growth. Some of middle pieces may even be useless without cover.

I agree with pretty much all else that has been said.

 

[bigtall]

I have a nice flat covered space, but one day I may attempt a HH project.

 

[golfandwoodnut]

I am currently building my 6th and have not had one fall yet.

Very important: Cover the top all year. When rain & melted snow get in the middle it really promotes mold and mushroom growth. Some of middle pieces may even be useless without cover.

I agree with pretty much all else that has been said.

I would have to disagree with that one. My wood is very dry in the middle and not one sign of a mushroom. I believe that would ruin the whole look of a HH and that is one of the main reasons to build one in my opinion. The only time I cover anything is when I am dismantling and want to keep the snow and ice off of it.

 

[Wood Duck]

I think you are ill advised to build in rings unless you are going really big diameter. An 8 footer you can only get one ring (I use 20 inch splits so there was not even much of a hole to fill. A 10 foot it is feasible, but you would have to actually keep both walls sloping in and I think you will be amazed how much wood you will need. I did use two rings in the 10 footer because you can get more wood in other than just throwing them in. However on the rebuild I just tossed them in.

I build mine with two rings of splits, then an open area mostly filled with tossed oddball pieces. I make 8 ft diameter hausen, and use 16 inch splits, so there is about 3 ft of open center ring to toss uglies. Scrounging all my wood I get lots of odd pieces and this ratio of straight to odd pieces is about the same as my wood supply; I end up tossing some nice splits in the center to make up for a slight shortage of uglies for most of the holz hausen. I have had one partially collapse, and I am pretty sure it was because I got lazy about putting 'spacers' to make the outer ring of splits slope toward the center. Since that collapse I haven't built another yet, but when I do I think I will make both the outer ring and inner ring of splits slope inward, with the idea that if a split that is sloped decides to shift, it is going to shift inward and the whole thing will get more compact and sturdy as it ages. I leave a bit of a gap between the two rings of splits, with occasional splits placed across the gap for stability. I hope this means better air movement.

I just broke into the oldest hausen and found the inner wood looks quite fresh - it is bright in color, not grey like the outer wood. It still feels pretty well seasoned, but I haven't burned any yet. I guess the grey color comes from rain and sun, not just from time seasoning? I don't see how two-year old splits near the top of the holz hausen could be poorly seasoned; they've been in a very windy spot well off the ground.

 

[golfandwoodnut]

Yes wood duck, I find the wood on the inside looks like fresh cut, but mine are seasoned, I checked with the Moisture Meter. So I guess that does mean alot of the wood is staying dry in the middle. All that grey means is that wood got wet, just like the deck gets from rain and sun. If you think about it, a 2 x 4 looks like new if you keep it in the garage. Put it outside for a couple of months and it is grey. They both are seasoned.