Ideas for stacking w/ little real estate?

[Stegman]

Where do you get reclaimed rubber roofing? I only see shingles and then plaza stores with a tar like substance slathered on for a roof. Definitely not educated in this area...

I found some on Craigslist a couple of years ago cheap. A roofing company was ripping some off a commercial building and selling it for pennies on the dollar. I think I spent $35 or so for a whole bunch. Best money I ever spent. You might want to call around to some commercial roofing companies in your area and ask if they have any scraps lying around or have any jobs coming up where they might be removing some.

 

[clemsonfor]

Your back yard is huge!! What about putting a privicy fence about 20-30 feet from your back yard property line and stacking back there?? Yea not the best but that yard is huge?? Or how about putting the very best splits and wood in a beautifully neat double or triple stack along the very back of your yard? Keep the splitting area in that junky area in the video and jut take the very best stuff to stack in the back. Leave the smalls and uglies by ur current stuff. Wood stacks look nice, not country?? Country is a good thing anyway??

You got a big problem as I only really see 1-2 years of wood Max depending upon how much u burn . Where is that junky area anyway is that where folks can see it?? Looks like the end of your drive. I can see why city folks and your city wife don't like the aesthetics of it.

Sorry don't take what I post bad as I don't mean it that way.

Here is a oic of some of my stacks. Other is one behind the Toyota as well then there is a pic of my shed. Its not the most beautiful thing either. I need to get my but in gear here and get more wood.

 

[NE WOOD BURNER]

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/firewood-rack.110070/page-2


not the one I recalled but similar. the one I saw just let the ends lean out with out the block spacers in the cement blocks.

 

[Bster13]

stacking in the back of the yard is shaded 24/7 by neighborhood trees in the lot behind my house. My backyard faces South.

My wife's biggest concerns for stacking in the backyard involves out Westie (dog). He goes after critters like nobody's business and she fears he would dig under a stack of wood and it would collapse on him (he is very motivated when he sniffs a critter nearby)

The other kicker is.... I'm lazy. When I unload wood in the side yard, it's right off my driveway. I split and stack it right there. And then.... when I need wood in the winter, is is very close to the back door to grab some. I'm not interested in stacking wood to dry it, then restacking it in a woodshed closer to the house.

She is a graphic designer, and very particular of aesthetics (it's amazing I pulled off the efficient Blaze King Princess Insert, she didn't like the looks, haha), but ya never know.

Being in coastal CT, I figured I'd burn 4 cords max for my 1957 built, 1974 sq ft, one story ranch. No idea if that will pan out though. I thought I had two years worth of wood there, maybe more. Guess not?

The junky area where the uglies are and the fallen splits is between a neighbor's house and mine, to the left of my house. The neighbor has a fence so they don't go there really. When u walk past the uglies and into the more shaded area, we are venturing into my neighbor that butts up against my side yard (I'm kind of on a corner lot). Back there I want to cut down one more sassafras tree to let more sun in and get rid those darn vines.

I hope in time I am just neater, and pay closer attention to how straight I stack and probably the biggest deal is to regularly shovel up the sawdust and scraps as well as split what I have ASAP and don't let it sit for months while your POS HF 7-ton splitter is broke. Haha.

Your back yard is huge!! What about putting a privicy fence about 20-30 feet from your back yard property line and stacking back there?? Yea not the best but that yard is huge?? Or how about putting the very best splits and wood in a beautifully neat double or triple stack along the very back of your yard? Keep the splitting area in that junky area in the video and jut take the very best stuff to stack in the back. Leave the smalls and uglies by ur current stuff. Wood stacks look nice, not country?? Country is a good thing anyway??

You got a big problem as I only really see 1-2 years of wood Max depending upon how much u burn . Where is that junky area anyway is that where folks can see it?? Looks like the end of your drive. I can see why city folks and your city wife don't like the aesthetics of it.

Sorry don't take what I post bad as I don't mean it that way.

Here is a oic of some of my stacks. Other is one behind the Toyota as well then there is a pic of my shed. Its not the most beautiful thing either. I need to get my but in gear here and get more wood.

 

[MrWhoopee]

Once your wife starts feeling hoe warm.

I'm hoping that's a typo, not some derogatory reference.

They make brown tarps, but they still will deteriorate pretty fast. U need some old rusty metal roofing. It blends well.

Camo tarps are the obvious solution, or maybe the camo netting the military uses over tanks. The neighbors will never know it's there.

 

[clemsonfor]

I'm hoping that's a typo, not some derogatory reference.



Camo tarps are the obvious solution, or maybe the camo netting the military uses over tanks. The neighbors will never know it's there.

Haha yea that's a typo. It should saw "how". Stupid phone and virtual key board.

 

[clemsonfor]

OK I was not paying close attention. If you have 8 cords your good I think. That princess will really have to chew through the wood to burn 4 cords.

 

[teutonicking]

My wife's biggest concerns for stacking in the backyard involves out Westie (dog). He goes after critters like nobody's business and she fears he would dig under a stack of wood and it would collapse on him (he is very motivated when he sniffs a critter nearby)

I know you said you didn't want to spend any more $$, but my suggestion if you are willing to spend just a bit is to buy a few adjustable Landman racks (and add pressure treated 2x4s) and you can make some really nice looking, neat stacks in the sunny back yard. You can get them for less than $25, and I have found some on craigslist for even less. Everyone wins--your wife might appreciate wood that is neatly stacked and it would dry faster. Just my two cents.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0030T13F4/ref=oh_details_o00_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I see folks with a good amount of land being able to stack a lot of wood, but are there any tips/pics/videos/examples of folks cramming in a lot of wood in a small amount of space?

Already, I would no longer stack some of my first stacks individually, but I would lean two stacks into each other. The other thought is to use some very tall garden stakes (the big green, metal ones) at the ends of my stacks. This would allow me to stack "regular" right up until the very end and not have to criss cross the ends.

And of course I could stack higher, but it looks like in order to do this in a stable way I'd have to put perhaps 3 or 4 rows tightly together for the additional stability as I stack higher.

My wife is sensitive of looking too "country" in the neighborhood, so I hope to keep it relatively clean and neat. (Heck she wants me to install a fence in front of my stacks, but that would increase the payoff time for switching to wood heat)

Not sure belief systems enter into it, but have you ever tried one? My stuff dries quickly and they do look good. Good luck

I would agree the plastic on top doesn't look great, but I could straighten it out some. Do they make dull gray colored tarps? (that won't disintegrate like the typical blue plastic tarp after a year)

First, you can use t-posts or even build racks like Dexter Day has done or you can stack up against a fence or whatever but cribbing the ends is simple and easy once you learn. It also can look decent. If you want to use t-posts (buy them at Tractor Supply) to use like zap does, that is okay too. I still like cribbing as it is so easy and no cost.

Now as for the wood stacks looking bad. Again, I'd guide you to zap and Dexter's stacks but there are many others on this forum that are really neat. For sure neater than mine. In the pictures below, the first picture shows what the ends can look like after being stacked for several years. I think that is the same stack as the 3rd and 4th picture.


This is what they can look like stacked without covering and stacked with covering.


This is from a bit further away. They may not be perfect but I doubt anyone would call them ugly and they would fit into suburbia as well as the country. Show the pictures to your wife and ask if it does look too much like "country."


As for the holzhausen stacking, many have debunked the old belief that it dries faster. As for taking less room, there is no way a circle would take less room than squares or rectangles. In addition, there is much more work involved with the holzhausen stacking. If one likes the way they look, that is fine but that would be the only benefit.

I also question the wisdom of cross stacking the entire wood pile. That would definitely take more room and would not look as good either. I also would doubt one would gain much in drying time stacking that way. In addition, we have never noticed any difference in the drying time of our middle row when we stack in 3 rows together. Shoot, we've stacked over 20 rows together and never had a problem drying the wood.

I would choose a different method of covering your stacks. Yes, they make gray tarps and even brown ones and they are stronger than the blue tarps. However, if you have a space between the stacks, you would have to put something there to keep the tarps from sagging. It would not take much water or snow to ruin a tarp if there was no support under it.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

stacking in the back of the yard is shaded 24/7 by neighborhood trees in the lot behind my house. My backyard faces South.

This is good because it would get more wind and sunshine.

My wife's biggest concerns for stacking in the backyard involves out Westie (dog). He goes after critters like nobody's business and she fears he would dig under a stack of wood and it would collapse on him (he is very motivated when he sniffs a critter nearby)

Most dogs won't do more damage to a wood stack than woodchucks do. In addition, unless you stacked your wood 15-20' high, your dog would not get hurt if the stack tipped over. He might yelp a few times but he would only be bruised; physically and emotionally. lol


The other kicker is.... I'm lazy. When I unload wood in the side yard, it's right off my driveway. I split and stack it right there. And then.... when I need wood in the winter, is is very close to the back door to grab some. I'm not interested in stacking wood to dry it, then restacking it in a woodshed closer to the house.

You can make this work.

She is a graphic designer, and very particular of aesthetics (it's amazing I pulled off the efficient Blaze King Princess Insert, she didn't like the looks, haha), but ya never know.

Being in coastal CT, I figured I'd burn 4 cords max for my 1957 built, 1974 sq ft, one story ranch. No idea if that will pan out though. I thought I had two years worth of wood there, maybe more. Guess not?

I'd guess closer to 3 cord per winter than 4.

The junky area where the uglies are and the fallen splits is between a neighbor's house and mine, to the left of my house. The neighbor has a fence so they don't go there really. When u walk past the uglies and into the more shaded area, we are venturing into my neighbor that butts up against my side yard (I'm kind of on a corner lot). Back there I want to cut down one more sassafras tree to let more sun in and get rid those darn vines.

I hope in time I am just neater, and pay closer attention to how straight I stack and probably the biggest deal is to regularly shovel up the sawdust and scraps as well as split what I have ASAP and don't let it sit for months while your POS HF 7-ton splitter is broke. Haha.

You will get neater and even faster in time. Good luck.

 

[basod]

As to your dog tipping the stack over, your wife is concerned with the current situation of the stacks, not the way your are going to stack them neatly and securely - you will learn
My 3 dogs work the wood piles daily Billy Bob(my lab looking Ker dog) will sniff and tear at piles the other two chiweenie and yorkie stare, run or flush without ever turning a pile over.
I've seen Billy Bob pull a 10lb rock from a chipmunk hole but never attempt to yank a split from the pile - all dogs are different though.
Might give the bugger something to do, I get a kick out of watching them tag team a chipmunk takedown - it's their natural habit

 

[DexterDay]

My shed is small (10 x 10 x 5.5'-6' height) There is 3 rows on the right and 2 on the left. That's 3.22 cord in there now.

Or you can make racks (can place closer than mine) My racks are 12' long x 4.5' tall x 18" split size. Or about .63 cord per rack. 8 full racks is a hair over 5 cord. Either way, more than what most would burn in a year. (3-5 cord average, for full time burner)

Or go with mass stacking like Backwoods or Scotty suggested.. Works great and packs a bunch in a small area. This is over 6 cord here. Or around 2 winters worth for a low usage user.

You want to stay at least 2 yrs ahead. Let it sit for 2 summers before burning. Will ease a lot of pain and will keep you and your family warmer and safer.

 

[lumbering on]

In deference to my wife, in-laws and neighbors, I have chosen not to cover the stacks. It looks a bit "cleaner" that way.

A lot of the perfect looking stacks we see on this site are people who cut their own logs to consistent uniform lengths.

Everything I have is pre-cut curbside scrounge. So I have lengths from 12" to 24". It can create a messy looking stack.

As I've gotten into my 4th and 5th cords, I have given up on crossing the ends. Way too much work trying to find uniform lengths with all my variety.
Went with T-posts, and the green color blends nicely. Landscaping timbers up on cinder blocks, cut grass as mulch underneath. Looks neat and tidy.

 

[paul bunion]

Where do you get reclaimed rubber roofing? I only see shingles and then plaza stores with a tar like substance slathered on for a roof. Definitely not educated in this area...

Old conveyor belts are another thing that will do the trick too if you can find them in the proper width and length.

 

[weatherguy]

Looks like you have more room than me and I got 13 cords stacked. I stole pallet petes idea and made racks with pallets, I stand up a pallet on the ends and secure with 2 x 4's 6 feet high. Looks nice and neat and I got 3 years worth in a small area and have a good size area to dump off scrounges and cut and split.
I would think 3 1/2 cords will get you by in a year.

 

[HDRock]

Do da cube man

 

[Trooper]

Dexter, those stacks in your last picture are simply gorgeous.

 

[Bster13]

Yeah, I've always wondered how everyone has perfectly lengthed splits to go in their stacks. Us scroungers have to take what we can get haha.

In deference to my wife, in-laws and neighbors, I have chosen not to cover the stacks. It looks a bit "cleaner" that way.

A lot of the perfect looking stacks we see on this site are people who cut their own logs to consistent uniform lengths.

Everything I have is pre-cut curbside scrounge. So I have lengths from 12" to 24". It can create a messy looking stack.

As I've gotten into my 4th and 5th cords, I have given up on crossing the ends. Way too much work trying to find uniform lengths with all my variety.
Went with T-posts, and the green color blends nicely. Landscaping timbers up on cinder blocks, cut grass as mulch underneath. Looks neat and tidy.

 

[Bster13]

So you have covered and not covered.... do you notice a difference in drying time one way or another? (I assume you cover what you are going to burn immediately close to the house)

First, you can use t-posts or even build racks like Dexter Day has done or you can stack up against a fence or whatever but cribbing the ends is simple and easy once you learn. It also can look decent. If you want to use t-posts (buy them at Tractor Supply) to use like zap does, that is okay too. I still like cribbing as it is so easy and no cost.

Now as for the wood stacks looking bad. Again, I'd guide you to zap and Dexter's stacks but there are many others on this forum that are really neat. For sure neater than mine. In the pictures below, the first picture shows what the ends can look like after being stacked for several years. I think that is the same stack as the 3rd and 4th picture.
View attachment 109261 View attachment 109262 View attachment 109263

This is what they can look like stacked without covering and stacked with covering.
View attachment 109264 View attachment 109265 View attachment 109266

This is from a bit further away. They may not be perfect but I doubt anyone would call them ugly and they would fit into suburbia as well as the country. Show the pictures to your wife and ask if it does look too much like "country."
View attachment 109267

As for the holzhausen stacking, many have debunked the old belief that it dries faster. As for taking less room, there is no way a circle would take less room than squares or rectangles. In addition, there is much more work involved with the holzhausen stacking. If one likes the way they look, that is fine but that would be the only benefit.

I also question the wisdom of cross stacking the entire wood pile. That would definitely take more room and would not look as good either. I also would doubt one would gain much in drying time stacking that way. In addition, we have never noticed any difference in the drying time of our middle row when we stack in 3 rows together. Shoot, we've stacked over 20 rows together and never had a problem drying the wood.

I would choose a different method of covering your stacks. Yes, they make gray tarps and even brown ones and they are stronger than the blue tarps. However, if you have a space between the stacks, you would have to put something there to keep the tarps from sagging. It would not take much water or snow to ruin a tarp if there was no support under it.

 

[NE WOOD BURNER]

a circle of 12dia is 113.0973 s.f. x 10' high = 8.8357 cords

4x8=32s.f. x 8cords =256 s.f


Hmm?

holtz wins the space requirement unless you can stack your rows 8' high.

 

[Bster13]

I think the comparison would be a 12 ft diameter circle vs. a 12 x 12ft square.

a circle of 12dia is 113.0973 s.f. x 10' high = 8.8357 cords

4x8=32s.f. x 8cords =256 s.f


Hmm?

holtz wins the space requirement unless you can stack your rows 8' high.

 

[teutonicking]

My shed is small (10 x 10 x 5.5'-6' height) There is 3 rows on the right and 2 on the left. That's 3.22 cord in there now.

Or you can make racks (can place closer than mine) My racks are 12' long x 4.5' tall x 18" split size. Or about .63 cord per rack. 8 full racks is a hair over 5 cord. Either way, more than what most would burn in a year. (3-5 cord average, for full time burner)

Or go with mass stacking like Backwoods or Scotty suggested.. Works great and packs a bunch in a small area. This is over 6 cord here. Or around 2 winters worth for a low usage user.

You want to stay at least 2 yrs ahead. Let it sit for 2 summers before burning. Will ease a lot of pain and will keep you and your family warmer and safer.

View attachment 109283 View attachment 109284 View attachment 109285 View attachment 109286 View attachment 109287

I now have stack envy!