This guy does some good vids and this one is no exception. He seems to adhere to the basic principles that work for all of us wood hoarders...
You and me both. My first thought after watching the vid was 'Dang, this dude is bored!' I did like the way he pitched his outdoor stack and the tarp idea was pretty slick though.
Sorry folks, but I am not impressed. Most of stacking firewood is pretty darned simple and easy. He does pretty good but there should be some clarification done there. For example, the way he stacks, with cribbed ends only on the corners and the wood going different directions in the interior. That is okay....if the wood is already dried before the stacking is done (which his was). But if you want the wood to dry in the stack, it had better be running the same direction so that air can flow through the stack. I absolutely do not like his idea of stacking tight to the building; that is, using the building to hold up the stack. Same with using trees. Of course with trees, they move when the wind blows so not only will this have an effect on the stack but the stack will also tend to scar the tree! If you don't want the tree there, then go ahead; otherwise. crib the ends rather than going the lazy way. The building doesn't sway like the trees but geeze, I don't want to stack wood against a finished building, especially if that building is a house. His thoughts on the t-posts are correct. I've always tried to imagine covering the stack when t-posts (or other posts) are used. As you remove wood, the top lowers but the t-post still is the same height. If you slant the stack as he did it is okay but I really do not care for his idea of slanting the piles. Why not build the pile so the center is the highest part? Or if the ground is already slanted, the problem with water is then taken care of for you. Many times we've stacked the same height all the way but the ground has some slope to it so water does run off the end. Besides, t-posts are for building fences. In short, the video is okay but I would not rate it as excellent, by a long shot. Oh yes, I may as well comment on his comment about cribbing on each end and the stacks falling over. Why doesn't his outside stacks tip over if what he says is true? Those cribbed ends do not have to topple over. This firs picture is wood from 2008-2009 winter. We have the last of this wood on our porch at this time so this stack is now history. This is some older wood. By the time we finished burning from this stack, we were burning 8-9 year old wood. No, none tipped over and the ends are cribbed. Here is a neighbor we helped out last year because of a back injury. He came with his tractor and trailer and we loaded him up. That stack of wood was put there from the 2009-2010 winter's cutting. Stack stayed solid even though, as you can see, the woodchucks undermined it. Even in the barn, we crib the ends. Even the ends against the far wall are cribbed.
Dang Sav. I feel like a kid who thought he'd aced a test only to get it back and there's a big fat D- at the top. I agree with you on every point Sav (thanks to your advice I've got my wood off the ground using small diameter stuff I cut while thinning my property). My situation is different in that all the wood I split is dry and ready to be burned so the big cube method works great. This pic is of my stash that I gathered this year and the only thing I'll do differently next year is to give the stack a bit of a pitch for drainage. I learn something every year it seems. Oh, and Sav... I thought for sure you'd mention that he was stacking directly on the ground....
Yes, I should have. However, I've also been known to stack right on the ground many times. It can be done but it depends upon the soil and can at times depend upon the slope of the ground. Still most of the time I do not stack on the ground. Maybe I'll do some of that this year?!
Nice stacks Trundle.... Backwoods your stacks are like the 8th wonder of the world.... If only my stacks looked 1/8 as good. Mine get the job done just not pretty...
Dennis proves why he's the captain of the Cribbed Ends team!! That guy was junior varsity at best.. The one thing I did like in the video was how he talked about fitting the ugly pieces in, and using them to level up the stack where needed. I like to build them as level as possible, or just slightly leaning towards the stack next to it.
