Question about how firewood is stacked

[Franny K]

Normally we cut everything to 20" long. I am thinking about switching to 18", that way we could sell some if we wanted to. Most people that buy wood can't use 20" pieces. According to my calculations, the wood shed will hold 2 cords more if the pieces are 18" instead of 20".

A chord of wood is a unit of four foot long pieces stacked four feet high and eight feet long. It stacks up smaller when cut and split. It is kind of a vague measure as only a small percent of people harvest in four foot lengths.

After a while, number of years perhaps 10 or so the pile becomes more attractive. I like rubber roofing, the thicker 60 thousands stuff cut into sections that can barely be handled. A layer of rocks at the bottom (wood contacts rocks not dirt) helps and the cover need not go all the way to the ground. It might not be all that necessary to cover the pile or long mound until fall.

How much moisture removed from green is another discussion. If you have a catalytic stove they like finely diced dry wood burned mostly with secondary air. They also make a hot spot at the catalyst and often need repair if run to get significant heat.
That whiskey odor you get going past a sawmill operation has got to have energy in those volatiles. They actually inject steam to get more heat from some (oil or bunker oil) boilers I am told by folks who work around them.

I have to decide a lot more than once whether to heap or stack in the process from near the stump to near the stove.

 

[turnkey4099]

I really didn't think it would make much of a difference. The only thing that got me thinking about this was I wouldn't have to worry about criss crossing the end pieces if I stacked in short rows since each end would be against the wall. Do you lose space by criss crossing pieces? Now that I think about it, it would cause more pain and headaches then good. It would make it harder to add wood to the shed. The building is 19'x12' and if my calculations are correct, it holds a hair more stacking long ways. And no trusses are not an issue.

"chimney stacking" aka 'criss crossing' greatly reduces the amount of actual wood in those 'end towers. Time saved by not having to do that is, by its self, reason to stack the short way.

Harry K

 

[Wood Doctor]

Criss-Crossing the Ends

"Do you lose space by criss crossing pieces?"
------------------------
Not very much, but I usually limit the criss-crossing to the end caps of the stack. That way the entire row needs no stake support and goes straight up on the ends. I haven't pounded a stake in the ground to hold up a row of logs in at least 20 years. Cutting all the logs about 18" long seems to be ideal for a cross-cross layer that's three logs apiece with the smaller of the three logs in the center.

 

[memory]

I am measuring by cord, not face cord. I used this cord calculator to come up with my figures, Cord Calculator

According to that calculator, I can get 2 extra cords in my shed if I cut everything to 18" instead of 20". My shed is 19'x12' rough measurements. How is it you can get that much more by cutting them smaller? I figured there would be a difference but not that much.

As far as stacking the opposite way, I am not going to do that and never intended to. I was just curious if it made a difference which it really doesn't.

As far as stacking green wood in my shed, yes we used to stack green wood in there but not all of it was green. That was before I was really involved with cutting wood. Now we stack about 6 or 7 cords outside which has been there all summer before it gets stacked in the shed. We will slowly keep filling the shed back up when ever there is space. Once the outside stacks gets emptied, that will get refilled with green wood until it is dry enough to burn.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

If you have more than a one year supply of wood in your shed it is all about accessibility, being able to bring green wood in and getting the seasoned wood out. And sometimes that is harder than you might think. I like stacking on treated 2x4s on edge (cleated together at the ends with 14" spreaders) 8' long even if it is a 24' stack. That way when I use the wood I can move the 2x4's and do not have to stumble over them and I can move them to where I'm stacking green wood.

 

[Trailsawyer]

I am measuring by cord, not face cord. I used this cord calculator to come up with my figures, Cord Calculator

According to that calculator, I can get 2 extra cords in my shed if I cut everything to 18" instead of 20". My shed is 19'x12' rough measurements. How is it you can get that much more by cutting them smaller? I figured there would be a difference but not that much.

As far as stacking the opposite way, I am not going to do that and never intended to. I was just curious if it made a difference which it really doesn't.

As far as stacking green wood in my shed, yes we used to stack green wood in there but not all of it was green. That was before I was really involved with cutting wood. Now we stack about 6 or 7 cords outside which has been there all summer before it gets stacked in the shed. We will slowly keep filling the shed back up when ever there is space. Once the outside stacks gets emptied, that will get refilled with green wood until it is dry enough to burn.

Must be "new math"..............?

 

[stihl sawing]

I stack mine in one big ass pile. :msp_wink:

All those cookies must be hard to handle.

 

[palbin]

Here are my piles:

View attachment 278778

The blue one is the one I am taking wood from now - obvisouly dying .

The two 40-50 cubic meter ridges to the left are bigger than they might
seem from the picture as it is the short-ends of them you see - they are
from last year ... .

The begun build to the right is from this winter ... .

 

[Dalmatian90]

A chord of wood is a unit of four foot long pieces stacked four feet high and eight feet long. It stacks up smaller when cut and split. It is kind of a vague measure as only a small percent of people harvest in four foot lengths.

It's not vague, your definition is wrong.

It's a 128 cubic feet stacked compactly in whatever form you're selling the wood. 4' logs or 16" split pieces doesn't matter, if you call it a cord it means 128 cubic feet stacked in its present form.

 

[Woody912]

If you think about it, the idea is to stack to minimize air gaps. Usually this will be done with longer rows rather than shorter ones because you waste more air at the ends. The logs tend to interlock and knock out air when side by side, but the flats along the wall going vertically will tend to generate air space.

Regardless, we are probably only talking about a 5% to 10% difference inside a typical shed. The primary consideration should be ease of stacking and removal. If you intend to pack the whole shed, it might be better to start at the back and work your way toward the door.

Seasoning is another major factor. Try to stack the greenest logs (and the species that take the longest to dry) first and the dryest logs last because the last logs you stack are usually the first ones that you burn. Stacked inside a packed enclosure or shed usually works out to be a LIFO system (Last In First Out).

Most important part! How can you stack it so you can get to your oldest driest wood first and then put new wood in so it goes to the back of the line if you have multi yr storage capacity? I have not found an answer short of multiple doors

 

[palbin]

I'snt multiple piles a good solution - two or more, that is?
One in use for contemporary/current heating and one to
stack new wood in?

As long as these two (or more) storages are big enough to
each last one season all problem with "green wood" should
be gone ... .

Otherwise what I see in Sweden is that people use storages
with just roofs but no walls - supposedly good for allowing
drying winds blow thru - and allowing optimal access for
stacking and use for heating ... .

 

[wayabs]

"chimney stacking" aka 'criss crossing' greatly reduces the amount of actual wood in those 'end towers. Time saved by not having to do that is, by its self, reason to stack the short way.

Harry K

No difference at all if you're stacking 2' 4"x4"s.