Looking for feedback, good, bad or indifferent. This may be lengthy, fair warning. My primary wood stacks last summer sat about 10’-12’ away from my old barn and stacked in a north south direction or line. As I was mowing between the barn and wood stack I realized the temperature was significantly higher closer to the barn. No big revelation, the barn is tin and the sun is hot, I mean we aren’t down at the Cape launching rockets here. It got me wondering though , could that reflective heat aid in seasoning my wood any faster ? This year I have built a new rack and moved the wood about 4’ or less from the barn and still in a north/south row. I have stacks 6’ tall, 10’ long and in pairs about 12” apart. So three 10’ sections of double stacks - I will add pictures at the end of this. I also have East/west stacks coming off the front side of the others. My thought is this. We get a bunch of hot south wind here in Oklahoma in the summer, the gap between the stacks should allow for plenty of airflow and the barn and wood stack is in direct line of the hottest part of the sun in a given day of summer, typically like 4-6 pm. It will have full sun during this time all summer long. The East west stacks will benefit more from the wind than the heat from the metal barn but it is mostly going to be Ash so not a huge concern there. I do plan to stack my next oak tree East/west to compare but a couple weeks yet before I have any more of that , have to finish the Ash tree job first. Anyway, I am full aware that seasoning firewood short of kiln drying is a long process, just curious if this may speed it up at all. Even half a year improvement could help ya know. Here are some photos of the wood stacks as well as my moisture content notes and when it was cut , split and stacked. Figure I will check it every month or so and update my notes. Ok , won’t let me add a photo ? I will post a reply and see if I can there. Thanks in advance for any feedback!!
I would have thought the opposite, although I stack most of mine north south. I have always assumed wind helps the most and if stacked East West you would get more direct wind from the warm south winds. I suppose prevailing winds are different and vary by location though
What I experienced was when you run the piles East/west, the northern side didn’t get as much intense sun and had more moisture. Think about the north facing side of a building or trees- it’s the side that grows the most moss or lichens
Air circulation is still important for drying wood and that is why we stack more out in the open. Sun and heat do help a lot but I'll always go for air circulation first as it will carry that moisture out of the stack.
Do you cover the stacks? At our camp, I need to get mostly green cut oak red in summer 2020 ready to burn winter 21-22. I have a bunch of Jersey flatlanders that don't understand wood drying. They think as long as you cut it and it will fit in the Grandma, that's another story, all you have to do is stack it tight in the woodshed. I like your stacking method.
i do not cover them. I was taught growing up that the getting wet and drying out can actually help it. I do cover seasoned wood but only if the forecast is cold and wet.
Sorry bout the flat slur. I owe you one. I was rantin. My buddy from AV started cuttin the new load of logs we had dropped at camp (cut green last summer) and stacked 2 racks in the wood shed in front of 2 old stacks of ash, red maple and birch. Thought we needed more wood to get thru the winter.
North-South stacks work better in my opinion because you’re able to take advantage of that west to east wind, exposing the whole stack. As far as piling wood near the barn with the metal siding, I’m a believer that the radiant heat coming off it will help you some. This past July I processed a face cord of tulip poplar that I was hoping to burn by fall. I stacked it right next to my driveway, top covered only and by October the MC was below 20%. Granted tulip dries fast regardless, but I’m convinced that the radiant heat coming off my driveway helped it along. I even noticed there were more cracks in the end grain on the pieces facing the driveway vs the ones on the opposite side of the stack.
For fresh cut wood, I'll leave uncovered for a full year. Then, covered until ready to burn. Stack where the prevailing winds are blowing against the cut ends of wood.
If say if you are trying to get oak that was cut this summer, ready for next winter's use, that there's pretty much nothing short of a kiln that will get it to that moisture content by that time. You said a "camp", which to me having lived in Maine, means a cabin. That is if NJ terms are comparable to mainers. Here, "camps" are due a week or so, so less wood would be needed. Do you have access to quicker drying wood? Also, how much wood are you talking to be needing for next year at the camp?
Camp is in Pa. Some members are from Jersey. 18 miles south of the Flight 93 Memorial on top of 2500' Savage Mt. It's a 2 mile drive up the mountain behind a gate. Hard to get wood up there. We got this load last summer when the Game Commission was logging out on top. We have a Grandma Fisher that heats the 2 large rooms of the cabin about 10 days a month from Oct to Apr. Cabin built in late 40's by WWII vets and is tightish with some insulation in the attic, but the block walls are uninsulated. Grandma can keep er warm, but it takes a lot of dry wood. Based on past average winters and use we go thru 2 -3 cords. I'm hoping to get the pile cut before April and looking at stacking on skids and racks where the west winds hit us the hardest and also in the afternoon sun. I figure if we split it smaller, cross stack and keep the top covered, by October it will be ready for the wood shed. We will also scrounge some dead stuff on the road to camp, but gotta be careful as it's PA Game Commission property.
No worries. We love our Jersey "Flatlander" friends. In fact we would like to give them Philly! Yes Grandma will burn anything, but has been abused. I had to work on the doors to get the triple seal to work on the bottom cause guys would try to pry long logs into the stove using the bottom edge of the door frame. It seems the Jersey crew can't help but cut long wood. Took some grinding, but I got her to seal. Will replace the bottom channel. Also started on a baffle in the late season. Will finish that this spring so we get the most out of her.
