Had to pull all the posts in the back row of the field stacks as most of them finally rotted at ground level. I also pulled up and cut the oak stringers on the ground, so now I need to redo that whole row. So, today, I got started on that process with some older landscape posts I have. Got a small amount of the live Oak split and stacked., and decided to put the posts 12' apart instead of 16'. So, w/o further ado, here's a couple pics of that. Putting the posts a little over 9' away from the front stack so the back stack gets sun all the way to the ground all winter. Posts go down 2.5' and hold things quite well at that depth.
2 posts down, and a 3rd started (ran out of posts), and the first small load of splits. Only got one more load done before the rain started. Put everything away, went in the house, and the rain stopped. I think we got about 1,000 of an inch or so. Jeesh. I'm now hearing thunder, so I think it's coming. We need it, but it needs to get here and be gone....I gots stuff to do. This will be about 1/3 cord when I get done splitting the rest up near the shed. There's about another 7 cord still in the woods I need to get.
Nice pictures Dave! Please keep them coming. Very impressive wood stacks as always. Gotta love that oak! In an attempt to get my stacks up a little higher, I have been placing 1 - 2" rounds under my landscape lumbers to keep up everything a little higher. After a year or so they sink in the ground a little more than I would like, now the small rounds sink in the ground first and leave the main runners sitting up a bit more.
Spacing them so the sun hits the entire stack is a smart idea I think. I wish I had the area to do even get space between my rows.
When I first started these in '08, there was just this row, then the following year, I added a the "front" row and it was only 4' away. That winter, I noticed the sun wasn't hitting the bottom of this stack, so I made a change a couple years ago to move them farther apart. Makes a big difference. I pulled up the Poplar runners/stringers from another stack today that had sunk into the sand a good couple inches.
Are you using treated landscape posts for your end posts & on the ground ? Locust would work for end posts, & last many years, not sure you have any there. Yea We've both improved our wood processing quite a bit in the past few years. Noticeable improvement when it burns too.
stihl sawing, those rows are each 112' long and hold just under 6 cord apiece. I've been using an average of about 5 cord/year (except last year). Dave, yep, those are treated landscape timbers. They're the ones that have 2 flat opposing sides. I was using them as fence posts, but some broke at ground level after about 6-7 years. I pulled them all and let 'em dry out, flipped 'em so the opposite end is going in the ground. We'll see how long they last. I'm guessing they aren't treated the same as 4x4's or other treated stuff. Sadly, no locust.
Dave, looks great. Looking at the end posts makes me want to do the same. I am currently cross stacking my ends to tie everything together. The posts would eliminate the need for that.
Well, I'm not the only one who does it. Some here scoff at the method, but I don't like cross stacking, and I only need to stick posts in the ground every few years.
You must be in a good sand area. Digging down 2.5' here requires quite an effort. I seem to always hit a big beach ball sized boulder in my attempts to go that deep When the back yard is finished, I might put in some posts like you have & go single row for a bit faster/better drying I don't have a laser either, not sure how to get the row as straight as you do ?
Shhh, don't tell anybody. I used a string line/mason's line. Shhh. A really long one. Yep, very lucky to have a lot of sand. When I get down just past 2', I start hitting something similar to clay, but not nearly as tough.
Dave, the last time I was in Mexico, they told me that tool was not a post hole digger. It was a Mexican backhoe.
Yeah, the posts would be too much work for me in this clay soil and with all the roots. The least labor-intensive thing I've come up with so far is to drag up dead, straight Sassafras trunks (5" or so) with the quad, lay two parallel on the ground and then toss pallets on top of them. I've been stacking double-row, but could go triple if I get far enough ahead. The Sass is supposed to be rot-resistant, so hopefully the runners will last quite a few years. I've just been half-arse cribbing the ends, and with the solid pallet base, the stacks have stayed upright. Less work, and I like the look better than a full crib; Less disruption to the continuity of the beautiful row of stacked wood.
Yeah. The posts work here only because I can get into the sand deep enough. Your method should keep the pallets in good shape for quite a while.
Finished up the Oak splitting and stacking. This is the first trailer load today. Took a shot down the row.....it's deceiving. The far end is about half foot closer to the other row than this end. The end of the Oak I have.....until the next trip.
