To cover, or not to cover, THAT is the quesion

[Lumber-Jack]

You don't "need" to cover your wood, just like you don't "need" a roof on your house. It just works better that way, that's all.

 

[Trooper]

This picture is from Spring...65' long,7' high and 3 rows deep.

Woody alert! By my calculation (assuming 16" splits) that's over 14 cords!

 

[Machria]

Woody alert! By my calculation (assuming 16" splits) that's over 14 cords!

14 RUINED cords, because they are covered!

 

[USMC80]

I covered all the stacks for this winter last night. Before with the old furnace I only covered what was closer to the house. That pile seemed to always burn better so figured I would try covering all this time around

 

[oldspark]

Let me sum this up
Covered dry wood in winter is all good.
Cover wood rest of the year is your option.
Now die thread die!

 

[BrotherBart]

Let me sum this up
Covered dry wood in winter is all good.
Cover wood rest of the year is your option.
Now die thread die!

You are always either complaining because a thread got closed or because a thread isn't closed.

 

[BillLion]

Let me sum this up
Covered dry wood in winter is all good.
Cover wood rest of the year is your option.
Now die thread die!

Why stop now? I see a 7th page by tomorrow!

 

[Locust Post]

Woody alert! By my calculation (assuming 16" splits) that's over 14 cords!

closer to 18" just about 15 cords.....have another pile with about 4 cords and 5 to 6 cord in rounds to split. I think I'll be ok for winter. But I am really getting the itch to cut some more.

 

[Ashful]

Now die thread die!

You are always either complaining because a thread got closed or because a thread isn't closed.

AND... oldspark is usually the largest contributor to these "cover/don't cover" threads! He has posted 23 times on this one alone. Maybe he's just trying to do the rest of us a favor.

 

[Trooper]

Covering it does nothing. This stack is 100% green Black Locust...

View attachment 111000

Nice wood racks, Machria. Can you share how they were built and rough dimensions?

 

[ansehnlich1]

Ain't a need for anybody to get their dander up, or become testy. One of the things I've learned from this thread is that different locations/climates often result in different ideas and methods.....that's one reason the topic is contentious at times.

Secondly, species of wood matters. I know locust is used for fence posts, reason that is would be that it is very resistant to rot.....so is eastern red cedar. Now, you stack some boxelder out there and see what happens if it ain't covered.

And here's one more.....there's wind around here, some times a thunderstorm will blast through, but it's rare that my stack cover ever blows off.....NOW, in hurricane prone areas, or otherwise high wind areas, having a bunch of tin on top a wood stack when goodnight Irene is blowing through town might not be a good idea

.....we at 7 pages yet?

 

[oldspark]

AND... oldspark is usually the largest contributor to these "cover/don't cover" threads! He has posted 23 times on this one alone. Maybe he's just trying to do the rest of us a favor.

Please dont remind me.

 

[ScotO]

You don't "need" to cover your wood, just like you don't "need" a roof on your house. It just works better that way, that's all.

EXACTLY!!

 

[oldspark]

I dont know but I really think I need a roof on my house.

 

[ScotO]

I dont know but I really think I need a roof on my house.

Glass roof, maybe?

 

[NortheastAl]

I went out and got tarps form the Christmas Tree Store that are 6'x8' for $1.99 each. They are thin blue ones, but who cares at that price. They almost come to 8', and I put them on 2 stacks that are for next year. They are right under big Norway Maples, and I won't want all the leaves in there. Making cord stacks of 4'x4'x8' is easier for me to fit where I put them. One more cord stack gets sun all day is going to get covered shortly. The other two cords are in single row stacks so they will remain uncovered for now, even though they are part of this winter's supply.

Did we hit 7 pages yet?

 

[Machria]

Nice wood racks, Machria. Can you share how they were built and rough dimensions?

You need qty 6 treated 2x4x8 (or 10') studs for each rack.
1. Bury four 2x4x10' studs into the ground about 2' deep. Just dig a whole straight down with a post digger, drop the 2x4 in, and fill in the around it. Tamp it down around it very good (I used another 2x4 on end to smash down the dirt into the hole). I spaced each pair bout 14" apart on center. And then 9 1/2' across from one another (or 7 1/2' across from one another if you want them 8' long instead of 10' long). So the 10' x 2x4 base cross members can be bolted to each side.

2. Bolt using 4" galvanized lag bolts, the cross members an inch or two off the ground. Thru bolt each cross member with 2 bolts. My cross members are 8' long, the racks are 8' tall, and 13" wide ID and 16" wide OD which is perfect to hold my splits which are from 16" to 20" long.

3. Place the next rack adjeacent to this rack and space over by about 1 1/2'. This will leave enough space for the longer splits to stick out the sites, and leave about 1' of open air between them for seasoning. I placed two racks side by side like this, and then spaced the next set of racks 3' away. This gives me access to at least one side of each rack, so it can be filled/stacked and wood removed when needed.

4. Lastly, screw on a top cross member to each set of racks for stability. I did not do this at first, and the top of the racks were warping a bit/leaning in one direction or the other. So I added this support beam, which holds them all straight because the 4 posts all pull against each other via this cross member. Now they are staying nice and straight.

So my racks end up being about 8' tall, 8' long and ~18" wide which calculates to 0.75 cords per rack, and takes up very little space, yet dries the wood very nicely since they get air/wind/sun on all sides (bottom, top, and both sides). You could make them 10' long instead, and make it a full cord, but I was limited on space. The treated wood will last a loooooong time, so the cost will be spread over time since I can re-use them, and I don't have to rebuild it each year.... The wood is off the ground, and has great ventilation all around and will season quickly. This rack is seasoning at least twice as fast as my other normally ground stacked racks in double rows. And it also looks very nice and neat.

 

[Trooper]

You need qty 6 treated 2x4x8 (or 10') studs for each rack...And it also looks very nice and neat.

Thanks so much, Machria, for taking the time to post. I'll need a few of these in order to advance from wood-a-holic to psycho

Question: Do the 2x4x10 uprights get impacted by the earth to wood contact? The ground is quite hard where I am, making digging difficult. Am wondering if I could set the uprights on a concrete cap rather than post digging...

 

[Machria]

Question: Do the 2x4x10 uprights get impacted by the earth to wood contact? The ground is quite hard where I am, making digging difficult. Am wondering if I could set the uprights on a concrete cap rather than post digging...

Not sure what you meant by "impacted"? I use the ground to hold them up, since they are pressure treated, they will take many many moons to rot if that is what you mean. A regular 2x4 would rot out pretty quickly. You could certainly sit them on a contrete slab or patio blocks or somthing instead. I dug mine in because the ground where they are is very unevenm, and sloping as well. The backside is 1 1/2' lower than the front side. So my bases althought hard to see are on a bit of an angle downward to the back. Teh back is also a foot off the ground while the front is sitting on the ground.

If your on a flat area, you could just use 2x4x8'ers and not dig them into the ground, just bolt it all together, the weight of the wood will hold it in place.

 

[Trooper]

Thanks Machria, I was wondering about termites and rot with the earth to wood contact. I think I will just spend the extra buck apiece for the concrete slabs for the piece of mind.

Now....get that wood covered!

 

[Ashful]

The 2x4's Machria is buying are almost certainly 0.25 ACQ, which are NOT ground contact rated, but it's all you'll find at home centers or most lumber yards. It will last a few years in ground contact, but will not be a long-term solution for most people away from the coast. Machria lives in an area with very sandy soil, though, so he may be luckier than the rest of us in that regard. ACQ 0.25 may actually hold up okay in a well drained sandy soil. Also, many of the organisms that rot wood will not live in or near salt water, which is working in his favor.

I use ACQ 0.25 to build some of my wood racks (it's cheap and available), just accepting that the pieces in contact with my wetter and less sandy soil will rot in a few years, which they do. Higher ACQ concentrations are available, but for something like this, not worth the expense. Most home centers and lumber yards carry ACQ 0.25 for all 2" dimensional lumber, and ACQ 0.40 for all 4" and larger.

 

[Locust Post]

So now that were 6 pages in and the horse is bloody as all get out, I was just wondering about what the percentage is amongst members. Cover or not.

 

[Ashful]

...I was just wondering about what the percentage is amongst members. Cover or not.

Well, now you have to start a new thread, with a poll.

 

[Locust Post]

Well, now you have to start a new thread, with a poll.

Just ain't gonna do it......that would be a horse of another color

 

[Machria]

So now that were 6 pages in and the horse is bloody as all get out, I was just wondering about what the percentage is amongst members. Cover or not.

Cover what?