Is it feasible to stack small 'rounds" ( unsplit ) ??

[rockandroller]

Yep, lazy!!! - would prefer not to split if it's at all possible.

Have recently cut down dozens of small "ice-bent" birches, trunk diameter about 3-6 inches.

When we bought the house, it had a small supply of similar (un-split) chunks cut up for the wood stove - all bone dry.

So I'm assuming this kind of birch can dry OK around here... even if it's not split.


A couple days ago I bucked half a dozen of the fallen birches,

(first one looked like this):

View attachment 230805


and today... took a look at stacking them for seasoning.


I was planning to try the traditional "criss-cross" wood pile end pillars system.(like this)

View attachment 230801



BUT... OOPS - in practice, the perfectly round little logs just roll all over the place, it's not looking like we'll get stable "pillars" from them.
:msp_confused:
Is it a lost cause? (Must I split them to build stable "pillars"??)

Various pics around the internet indicate it's possible to build 'pillars' out of 'rounds' - I'm just not sure what the trick is!
Any advice would be much appreciated...

 

[alderman]

I'd split enough to make the pillars on the ends and fill In between with the rounds. Just give the rounds plenty of time to dry.
I split pretty much everything just because the rounds don't burn so well in my stove.


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[Jakers]

i do that all the time. i dont bother to split anything smaller than 6". i also dont even stack my wood. the ash rounds burn just fine in the stove after a year. red or white oak needs a couple years before it burns "good" but i just toss a couple splits in with em for a nice overnite burn and the oak will leave nice coals. i have no personal expereince with birch but i cant see much difference there. if your stacking it you should be fine IMO

 

[oneoldbanjo]

When stacking the small round pieces....I go the lazy route and drive 2 steel fence posts on each end (4 total) and just stack in between the posts. If your ground is soft I would recommend a strand of wire at the top of each post to keep the posts from splaying out. I also put a strip of plastic on the ground to keep the moisture from coming up - and I lay some sacrificial branches lengthwise on the ground between the posts so that the bottom layer of wood is supported off the plastic.

 

[Whitespider]

My experience with Paper Birch is it will rot if left in-the-round unless you take care of it. Stack it in the sun, where plenty of air can move on both sides of the stack. If stacked in the shade and/or butted against something (like another stack, or wall) you’re likely to have mush in about a year. It also helps to "split" the bark on the larger rounds, just run the tip of your bar down the length of the round.

 

[zogger]

Get a large diameter chopping block, throw a truck tire on it. Put as many of those small rounds in there as possible, now just whack them in half. It'll go fast. You can use those to build your end pillars.

You could also "split" the difference, only split half of them, leave the other half in the round.

I burn tons of "in the round" wood. Works fine once dried.

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

It can be done and I've done it but not very fun. Depending on where your stacking (indoors or outdoors?) I'd suggest between tree or posts as others have said outdoors. I store indoors so I normally keep my end ricks and pull out the middles and refill if they are still decently straight. As you have found, it's time consuming and frustrating to do so I try to avoid it.

 

[Fred Wright]

It can be done as the guys say. I've been mixing smaller rounds with splits on the stacks. The splits deter rolling. If you stack round pieces only with no end to end support you're gonna have an avalanche.

The further up in the pile hierarchy your rounds are, the less chance they'll roll out from under the weight above. Placing rounds in the center of your stack helps, too.

 

[carlseawolf]

I don't split anything under 6" round as i leave my wood to season 18 months , the only exeption to this would be poplar as it has a high water content.

 

[borat]

I do it all the time but I store the wood in a shelter. I'll leave rounds as big as ten inches because they store more efficiently and give longer overnight burns. I've never had problems with bucked birch rounds rotting due to the bark. Generally, most moisture is drawn from the ends of the piece. Birch is no different.

 

[Dale]

borat, from a man without an avatar, have you ever considered changing yours ? :confused2:

 

[Jredsjeep]

why not just mix in some splits so the pile can roll away, thats what i do when i get a pile of rounds to stack. a few triangles in all the circles sure helps out

 

[Dale]

Stacking cordwood sure gives a person a simple understanding of basic Geometry, eh ?