Firewood tarps

[Haywire Haywood]

Just got my NT catalog and they have made-for-the-purpose firewood tarps. 4x18, 6x24 and 8x32 with grommets for tiedown. Almost perfect for tarping a stack of firewood. http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200316925_200316925

The review for the 6x24 model said it was cheap material and that it probably wouldn't hold up. The review for the 4x18 model said that it was great material and that it should last for years. The 8x32 review said they were total crap and not to waste your money. Go figure, I guess opinions vary.

Ian

 

[J.Walker]

Ian
I saw some pictures of your wood piles. Did you buy a case of tarps? Nice piles! You did all the splitt'en by hand?
Your new saw will not have anything to cut when it comes.
Take Care
Jack

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Nope, 2 of the 3 reviews tell me that I need to pass. I just thought I'd throw that out there and see if anyone wanted to try them. I wish they were made of canvas or something similarly durable.

Ian

 

[DWittenbreder]

firewood tarp

Go to H. Depot and buy a roll of 3 mil. black plastic. It's cheap disposable if you dont want to keep and the black sucks up the sun and dry out the wood real good!

 

[VelvetFoot]

I too use the black plastic with pieces of wood holding it down. I was thinking of putting rope between two pieces and letting them hang down so it would hold down the sides, which tend to blow up sometimes.

 

[ericjeeper]

Carpet pieces

My dad forever used plastic and then he had several large pieces of take out carpet. The carpet was stiff enough with a few pieces of wood tossed on top to hold the plastic down. I do not cover my wood until winter gets close. Or if I am unsure of her. LOL Then we should cover our wood every time.

 

[stihl025]

Sorry that this is way late, but was just browsing the old threads. My buddy uses pieces of old rubber roof to cover his wood pile. He works construction and got some old take off material. Really heavy and waterproof.

 

[OilHead]

I recently made a dump run & noticed a swimin pool cover someone had tossed out. By the time I got unloaded the cat bulldoser operator took a stab at it but it rolled off to the side. Picked it up anyway & was able to cut it into 3 huge pieces each one enough to cover 4 cords. The plan is to cover it first with the pool cover then install green colored farm tarp like you can get from harbor freight over that. In the past with just the tarp the wood makes small holes & causes leaks. I then take 12 oz. round fishing sinkers and attatch them at each of the grommet holes with zip ties. It keeps the wind from blowin it off & is easy to get at that way.

 

[Pcoz88]

??????

I read on this site in other posts not to cover wood.So whts the deal?:chainsawguy:

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I read on this site in other posts not to cover wood.So whts the deal?:chainsawguy:

I always cover just the tops of my woodpiles (split pieces) with a folded-over piece of black plastic; this has worked for me for many years. I guess it's a "to each his own" kind of thing-experiment with it!

 

[OilHead]

I dont cover it up untill the rains begin.It looks better in the yard uncovered rather than looking at the tarps all summer long.Then when it does get covered up prefer the green coloed instead of blue. All the wood I have was harvested 6 mo. ago & is allready cracking at the ends just as it should be. If by chance your pile isnt covered up when the first rain arrives 2 days in the sun and it will be good to go again. Of course thats here in Ca. we dont get rain off & on during the summer like some of you all get in the midwest.

 

[Mad Professor]

I go to the local lumber yard and dumpster pick the lumber covers they discard. Some are huge and can cover whole "beehive" piles of cordwood. For stacked wood I fold and/or cut into appropriate sized widths.

Best of all its FREE!!!!

 

[Patrick62]

Why bother?

I have a shed for the wood for my shop. Keeps snow off of it.

The rest of the wood is left for all the elements. Let it be.
I would need a "shed" the size of a grocery store. Or a plethora of tarps!
Then the wind would blow them off anyway. :bang:

Other climates would make things different, but here this works fine.

-Pat

 

[Tree Machine]

I know what you mean.

 

[ericjeeper]

Tree machine..

How does that Arch work? worth a hoot? or wish you had never owned it?

 

[Tree Machine]

The answer to that is, I wish I'd have bought it years earlier.

I work alone for the most part, so there is a need to have every affordable advantage possible.

On this particular job another tree company took the tree down, but they didn't have a saw big enough for the stump, so they took the money and ran, leaving the homeowner with the problem. My buddy, the stump guy, got the stump job so as a favor I went over and did the cut, but left the stump. The next morning the stump guy, two landscape guys and the owner, all four of them, tried to move the stump and they could budge it, but couldn't shift it out of place. I happened to swing by on my way to a job and saw them, stopped to say hi to the stump guy. The owner was asking me to pleeease take the stump away. I said, No way. It's not my job. Call the guys you hired and tell them to come finish the job, I have an appointment." "But you did the cut. Just finish the job!" "I did the cut, as a personal favor to the stump guy, for no money. I don't clean up other tree guys' messes. Call them and have them come finish the job they started."

See, I had bid this job and some yokels lowballed me and got the job, so I was a bit yerked.

The landscape guys and the stump guy were all watching this exchange of the homeowner acting like I owed him something. I felt the need to let the homeowner know of the time I had into the estimate, the time bringing the firewood guys over to assess the amount of wood and bringing an employee over to discuss the dismantle, all that time and effort flushed down the toilet. "Call your worker dudes and have them come get the stump. Tell them Tree Machine did them a courtesy cut."

I'm still kinda ticked on that.

Anyway, the stump guy really wanted to grind, and the landscape guys were there and all set up and ready to work, so I went and got the arch, did the lift and wheeled it out. This is what that looked like. Then I brought it to the firewood pile and I'll dice it up later.

 

[Tree Machine]

Anyway, this thread is about firewood tarps. Sorry about the derail.

I know that at Farm and Fleet, or Tractor Supply you can get black tarps. This would help, I assume, but more than the black and the extra heat, I think, the more important thing is for rain to be kept off the pile and air able to circulate through. Sometimes that's not even practical and you just let the elements do as they will, like the pile up above.

(ps For more arch images, type arch into the search function here at Arboristsite. There are a few dozen pics and threads dedicated to these helpful tools)

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Interesting "hinge" the other guys left eh? I would have offered to move the stump for a fee. Time and equipment is money and you used both there. I hope the other guys there were appreciative. Maybe they will send some business your way.

Ian

 

[kellog]

I believe wood should be covered however it must get sun and wind. I use the racks shown in the pictures below. The water stays off and the heat builds up under the roof like your house attic. They are not the most elegant or cheapest but they look OK. Any tarp or plastic can be used for the top.

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u230/kelsmi/IMG_0894.jpg
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u230/kelsmi/IMG_0893.jpg

 

[crowbait]

I'd read that you don't gain much by covering split wood.
I've read that moisture tends to gather under tarp/plastic, and keeps the wood damp.

Also, I've read that an uncovered wood pile, left to the elements, including rain, will only take a week or two, to get to the same dryness of a covered pile. And, as long as you bring the wood to some kinda "staging area" before burning, a couple of weeks before burning...all is well. Assuming your staging area is indoors, or covered, out of the elements.

I have a rack in my garage that'll hold about 2 weeks of wood. My plan is to fill it, and feed my fire from it. Any recent rain will dry off that wood rather quickly in my garage.