When I first started hoarding firewood a couple years ago, I was a dummy. I made this crazy stack that included shorties/uglies/chunks, packed into a covered area that gets little wind and no sun. This is what it looked like at one point, but eventually the stacks got MUCH taller and unwieldy. A total mess. So a few days ago I moved all the good splits to a 3’x18’ stack nearby, and tossed the odd pieces to the side. Here’s what the space looked like mostly empty—you can see some of the chunks off to the right (which is typically my daughter’s play area). Then I built this 10’x4’x5’ Uglies Pen, split into two sections. All with stuff I had lying around. I put all of my uglies in one section, which I’ll burn in 2026 maybe? Mostly plum, madrone, and oak. And I even have the other section for future uglies! My whole firewood area looks worlds better…I’m stoked.
I’m definitely digging the uglies pens. If I remember correctly, the material for that is repurposed from an outdoor dog pen that someone wanted dismantled and gone?
Haha yeah I wondered if anyone would remember! I decided that, instead of building a woodshed, I’m happy with pallets and 4x20 brown tarps for stacks. More flexible as I continue to learn, blends into the scenery better, and of course it’s much less expensive.
Nice job JK! I like it! Good feeling when one gets the firewood area better organized. Interesting coincidence that i started filling a half cord nugget bin today. Couple wheelbarrows of sugar maple chunks. (ill get pics if i remember.) When i read the title i thought it might be about some ex GF's of mine!
I like that idea! I can't not take everything- the shorts, the uglies, the crooked and bent. It all burns but also makes the stacks wobbly. Something like this along with a little restraint when I'm loading the truck would be good.
It’s funny how one’s wood storage area evolves the longer they are members of FHC. I think when I joined I still had 8 pallets lying on the ground with a heap of wood dumped out of the bucket of a payloader. Now I’m working on this New wood shed build
I couldn’t agree more. And so many good perspectives here, and the fact that not everyone agrees makes it even better.
I built something similar it worked great. I swear some of the chunks and uglies gave longer overnight burns than regular pieces.
I believe it! So many chunks are knotty and gnarly, and I’ve heard a few times on this site that there’s “extra BTUs” in those pieces. They’re denser because they have to be stronger at intersection points.
We've started calling them 'heavy hotties' here for that very reason. Heavy for their size, dense, and throw the heat.
JiminyKicket, great storage setup. Makes me feel good too to condense piles and make room for other piles. We did ours a year or so back. We had an old crappy steel shed. When we moved in the roof had been caved in, and when we threw shorts and uglies in, they rang off the walls. this is the new pallet build, largely scrounged wood. Shorts stacked on the right, 8x4x4 ish volume, uglies on the left. The shed is 8x10 IIRC. I will eventually store chainsaw and other fuels there, just to get them out of the garage.
I like the uglies and chunks. A little tough to store but make great stove wood. Easy loading and they seem to burn a long time , maybe since a lot of them are crotches and knots with tight twisted grain.
I like it also. I should do something like yours. I had a heaping load of "chuglies" (chunks & uglies) in one of my totes from last year's cutting that I moved under the leanto for the shop stove that I'm going through now. Makes nice stuffers. It was okay but I hated sacrificing one of the totes for the whole year just to that.
