I've started a new stack, for oak that I can leave in the vault for three years. First I weeded out a garden bed, and laid down two layers of water-permeable pool safety cover. I secured the edges with old patio blocks. Then pallets on top of that. On each long side, I set up metal 2x4 brackets with stringers 12 feet long. I was worried about the pallets collapsing under the weight of the stacks, so I laid down some long splits of green oak to absorb some of the load. Then the fun part, stacking! The side facing my neighbor is birch, to look pretty. Then inside all the oak chunks. This is where I knocked off, and tarped up before the rain.
Looks good! I gave up on stacking on pallets after my first two stacks. I was looking for pallets one day and came across a trash pile at Verizon in Dracut. It's a big pile of the T sections of wood that they attach to the top of the utility poles and the power wires are attached to them. My stacks are much more stable now. Id burn them too, but I imagine they are treated with something.
Sounds like a great find! I've had to experiment with bigger stacks this summer. The 2x4 brackets are great, but don't hold much wood.
absolutely! I run two of them parallel to each other about 12" apart. Its at the end of Diana Ln in Dracut if you want to give it a try
Looks nice. Propping up the stringers/pallets is a great idea, you do want to allow air to be able to flow under the stacks. You'll get that much more if you remove half or more of the pavers or just turn them 1/4 turn so they support more of the stringers around the perimeter. And they won't act like a dam if water does manage to run under. Once you tack down the four corners of that cover its not moving anyways. If you keep your eye out for some heavier pallets you can dispense with the reinforcing cross pieces all together
I will swing by there. I have a place along the fence line to stash them, and later build a stack without moving them. My lot is a third of an acre, but I still have some wood hoarding space. Luckily I'm my own wife, so no one complains!
Thanks for the suggestions, you must have really studied my pics! My thinking about all the patio blocks along the perimeter was to keep weeds from spouting from under the covering. You are right that the blocks would be better used as support underneath. The whole thing is in a slightly raised bed in a PT box, so I think it will drain OK. In any case, I'll go with what I have and see how it turns out. Mainly I just want the stack to stay put!
Don't forget that the wood piles will block the sunlight so not much will grow under there. Check out what is under these wood stacks. Just some saplings we cut in the woods. Cost = $0.00 All we had to do yet with these stacks was to top cover and pick up what was left.
Nice Midwinter but just a little hint. We've found the short pieces are best stacked toward the middle of the stack rather than on the ends. It just makes the pile a little bit stronger. I see you have some tools that are handy!
They are all short, but they mostly split into ingot-shaped rectangles, which are not too bad to fit together. That's why I wanted to build a big crib that I can just leave for a few years. The moisture content is in the 30's. On Friday, if it's not raining too hard, I'm going to tackle three big cookies, still attached along one edge, that are standing up like a stack of coins. I think I'll have to bring a step stool to get tall enough to bang my wedge. But it's oak, and it's free, and it's pretty close to home.
It sounds as if you plan on placing the wedge into the bark! Why? Lay those cookies down flat so you can get the wedge into the meat and not the bark and they will split much, much easier.