Stacking VS Piling
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jhoff310
ArboristSite Guru
stacking for sure..
Stacking provides more air flow so the wood can season and dries off any moisture that would help fungus and rot. Stacking look s neater than a big old pile of wood.
Piling- will not allow maximum air flow, will not dry off moisture after rains, thus enabling the growth of fungus and allowing rot and decay to occur.
If you want a neat stack check out holz hausen wood piles...pretty neat, some swear by it
Jeff
Stacking provides more air flow so the wood can season and dries off any moisture that would help fungus and rot. Stacking look s neater than a big old pile of wood.
Piling- will not allow maximum air flow, will not dry off moisture after rains, thus enabling the growth of fungus and allowing rot and decay to occur.
If you want a neat stack check out holz hausen wood piles...pretty neat, some swear by it
Jeff
I'd say stacking as well. Piles might work well if there was super good drainage ,and on concrete ,or gravel .
jimmyrup
ArboristSite Lurker
Stackin vs piling
Stacking if yer da particular homeowner or small quantity F Wood dealer that has a lot of extra time
But if yer sellin more than 20 cords that's a lot of stackin of course when done properly you will get better drying if you stack it where it can get a lot of sun & wind exposure
Thrown if yer doin large quantities simply cause after you run the processor I have a Wallenstein (the Wife named him Wally) all day and you got a 10' high pile the last thing you feel like doin is stacking it
We ( me & da Wife ) got 2 stacks 1 from the Wally approx 25 cords piled off the conveyor
And the other of wood that she split with our MTD splitter 30'x16'x7 high if I get motivated I will post pics later
So the bottom line boils down to personal preference and time if you got it
Stacking if yer da particular homeowner or small quantity F Wood dealer that has a lot of extra time
But if yer sellin more than 20 cords that's a lot of stackin of course when done properly you will get better drying if you stack it where it can get a lot of sun & wind exposure
Thrown if yer doin large quantities simply cause after you run the processor I have a Wallenstein (the Wife named him Wally) all day and you got a 10' high pile the last thing you feel like doin is stacking it
We ( me & da Wife ) got 2 stacks 1 from the Wally approx 25 cords piled off the conveyor
And the other of wood that she split with our MTD splitter 30'x16'x7 high if I get motivated I will post pics later
So the bottom line boils down to personal preference and time if you got it
JHctRednek
ArboristSite Operative
I stack only whats cut in the summer (sap is still in it) pile the rest, don't have the time to waste on stacks, most gets loaded with a tractor anyway so its not pretty going in the truck to the buyer.
just my 2 cents
just my 2 cents
ss~zoso~ss
ArboristSite Operative
Stacked here, though if we had a OWB we'd probably pile too!
Here's a pic of both;
stack of rounds;
More stacked wood;
Not sure why I decided to post so many pics, but hey I'm sure nobody will complain! FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE!
Here's a pic of both;
stack of rounds;
More stacked wood;
Not sure why I decided to post so many pics, but hey I'm sure nobody will complain! FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE!
Stacking is best. The firewood guys around here have these huge piles that sit all summer. Then they call it seasoned. I bet you that only the first few layers are actually somewhat dry.
I wouldn't want it.
I wouldn't want it.
zogger
Tree Freak
I do both, and probably handlemy wood too much. I'm not a neat freak, but like some air to get to those big fat juicy rounds. Big rounds get stacked until they check, then split and put into split stacks. Small rounds get thrown in with the uglies and longs and shorts and crotches. Some I mix in with the split stuff when that gets stacked, others just stay in a pile until they get burned. That's all I am burning now is junk pulled from the thrown in pile. I tried just leaving everything in a pile until I split it, didn't work as well for me, the rounds didn't dry near as fast and didn't check well.
..thinking about it I still have a lot of unsplit rounds more than a year old now. Doesn't bother me a bit, it's always a good bonus if the bark falls off completely when they get split. I'd just as soon not burn bark and splitter junk (have plenty of kindling, don't need it) and just shovel it up once in awhile and till it into the garden.
Cutting and splitting etc, is just as much a sport/hobby/exercise to me as it is for heating the house. That's just gravy, I just like saws and working with the wood, then thumping them with an axe or maul, and I think it is just spiffy cool it has this nice practical side to it.
..thinking about it I still have a lot of unsplit rounds more than a year old now. Doesn't bother me a bit, it's always a good bonus if the bark falls off completely when they get split. I'd just as soon not burn bark and splitter junk (have plenty of kindling, don't need it) and just shovel it up once in awhile and till it into the garden.
Cutting and splitting etc, is just as much a sport/hobby/exercise to me as it is for heating the house. That's just gravy, I just like saws and working with the wood, then thumping them with an axe or maul, and I think it is just spiffy cool it has this nice practical side to it.
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thombat4
ArboristSite Guru
Nice pics...I usually end up piling my wood. Never had a problem with getting it to burn. Stacks look so much nicer though.
woodman6666
ArboristSite Guru
I would disagree our piles are very large and I have personally took the most grey piece right off the south side of the pile and tested the moisture content, then after loading 15-20 cords out of the pile I grab what is as close to the very bottom center of the pile and test it for moisture content and have yet to fine more than a 2% difference, I have done this several times over several years. These large piles are on concrete and all the concrete has a slope for drainage.
When you deal in large volumes the labor to stack it all just isnt justified, or necessary especially when it gets loaded with machinery anyway.
Chuck Diesel
ArboristSite Operative
What works for me is.
Standing on end the first row of wood then pile on top of that, only keeping the piles 8' x 6' x 60' and growing.
I stacked for five years on pallets but it comings down to it if you burn alot of wood, how many times to do you want to touch it?
Chuck D
Standing on end the first row of wood then pile on top of that, only keeping the piles 8' x 6' x 60' and growing.
I stacked for five years on pallets but it comings down to it if you burn alot of wood, how many times to do you want to touch it?
Chuck D
jrider
Addicted to ArboristSite
I put all my wood in windrows running about 100' long 14' wide and 8' high. The piles run almost directly north south and sit out in the middle of a field. The wood will stay like that anywhere from 6-18 months. I have never seen any green or fungus what so ever anywhere in the stack. A few days after a decent rain, the driest wood can be found from about 2' into the pile and on down.
Now I once did this on another part of the property where the sun didn't get on the one side as much as the other and the stacks ran almost directly east west. I did see green, fungus, and wet wood days after a rain so that was the last time I ever put the wood there.
greenskeeper
ArboristSite Operative
I stack, but only end-to-end in the same direction (90 from the lay of the pile). I don't have enough room to do the alternating 90, 90 method.
MotorSeven
Addicted to ArboristSite
I don't do the criss cross either for the same reason. I do think it will dry out faster that way then any other method. I bought a bunch of those metal sided pallets cheap, so I just toss them in, then move the cages around with forks.
Henry and Wanda
ArboristSite Operative
Hello,
Since stacking wood is the least favorite part of burning wood for me, if I had a big covered area with a roof over it, I would just put it in piles. However, since that is not the case, I rack my wood like most other people !!!!
Henry and Wanda
Since stacking wood is the least favorite part of burning wood for me, if I had a big covered area with a roof over it, I would just put it in piles. However, since that is not the case, I rack my wood like most other people !!!!
Henry and Wanda
We stack, mostly because it keeps the lot looking nice and clean as well as keeping it dry off the ground.
I've piled before and man the stuff on the bottom never gets dry and is actually usually soaking wet, but we don't have super good drainage in our back lot.
I've piled before and man the stuff on the bottom never gets dry and is actually usually soaking wet, but we don't have super good drainage in our back lot.
Big_Al
ArboristSite Guru
I can understand someone that is selling 50-100 cords a year not wanting to stack it. As a homeowner that mostly cuts for himself, it takes up a lot less space to stack the wood. For example if I'm out cutting I will just throw it on the truck until it looks like an full load of wood. Then we'll jump in truck and stack the same wood and it will come out to about 2 rows stacked. That leaves room for 4 more rows.
Put it all in a pile....windrow that is. Cut enought of it that if the center of the pile is not as dry you just move to another part of the row. Have yet to have that problem, but that is the plan if I ever do. Also helps to take the loader and "stir" the pile if you're worried about it.
