My youngest son was back from college for a few days around Christmas. I asked if he wanted to earn some cash for gas money so he helped load up a couple stacks of seasoned ash/elm from my processing site and brought them over to the house for next year. When we went out back to look over what had to be done I mentioned I would will all the wood to him when I passed away. Oddly he wasn't that impressed with his future fortune?! I had him move most of two long face cords for me (9' long). It took a couple loads of the trailer. I had him stack a face cord for me at the house. Then after looking it over, had him stack it a second time. Today I split and stacked some more locust, honey suckle that I scrounged. Looks like I may need to start another stack if I keep finding this good wood. I then split and stacked some silver maple using the crib ends I started. The second end went easier and is more stable but still pretty amateur looking. I'll just keep trying. It's only 3' tall right now. We were in the forties today so it was shirt weather, but the temp is already dropping quick now.
Wood burner in training Learning some good stuff from Dad. It will all kick in when he needs it. Nice stacks. Nice trailer / set-up. Nice weather. (do I see grass LOL )
Yeah....snow has been a little hard to come by this year. Today the last of the snow melted, but (crossing my fingers) we may get some next week. He's a good kid, just don't tell him I said that. LOL.
Sometimes they don't see the big picture until they start paying their own way. My sons went through it and actually I did too. Sure nothing wrong with some hard work for them. I'm sure you loved having him by your side at the wood pile Schlot.
Schlot, does your son appreciate the heating by wood idea? Or is the work you give him some $ for more of a chore than a soon to be love?
Time will tell. Right now its just a way to earn a few dollars....after all he's a poor college kid right now.
Both good and bad news schlot. I'd suggest you redo those ends already. Only 11 high and you can see they are already leaning outward. That is a bad sign for the future of that wood stack. Good news is you don't have that much stacked so easy and quick to redo. Remember, if they much lean, make them lean inward.
Bad news is they started out stacked that way. Rookie stacker! Good news its fairly temporary. They will move off site in the spring. Just my first attempt so next time I will put more batter on them.
Okay now, this whole "face cord" thing has gotten way out of hand. A face cord 9' long is ........wait, don't tell me........ I'll get it....... 2-1/4 real cords! What the hell do you burn 9' logs in anyway?
Never thought of it that way. That would put me way up the ladder of the Hoarders club ranks if all my face cords were that way. I used a couple good pallets and part of another old one to stack those two stacks on, so they ended up being 9' wide, 16" deep by 4' tall. It was biting cold yesterday, but I got out and started stacking a second rack from the trailer full my son filled. Got about 1/2 done before my bride called me in for hot chocolate and the Packers game. A man has priorities after all!
Oh, well that's another matter completely. Nevermind. You really had my attention at this point, then the next line began with "chocolate".
Attempt two at cribbing the ends. Trying to put more inner lean on the end. Helps using square splits and only using three splits per stack. I think it looks better but probably not up to some of the high standards around here
Schlot, please do not take this wrong but I am already seeing a lean starting toward the outside. If you look at the pictured end and look at that next to last one on top, you will notice that the end sticks out farther than what is under it. Also look at the bottom tier (others too but just hone in on this one), if you look closely, you will see that the outside piece could have been further out by an inch or so. That does not sound like much but as you go up it can mean a lot. But let's go back and look at the top part again. The very top row needs to be all the way out and by placing a longer piece under it, that means if you go out to the edge, you will definitely have a leaning out end. Bad. If you are standing at the end of the row you will not notice this but step back or get your eye close to the stack and look down. That will tell you a lot. Once again on that next to last one on top. As you go above this it is easy to look at that long split sticking out and then you judge the rest by it. Wrong. You need to judge it by that bottom two layers. Not sure if I worded correctly and this might sound like too much monkeying around but believe me, once you do it right and start repeating, this just becomes second nature. It will not take any more time at all.
I imagine with practice this would become second nature. Not sure I will get to that level of expertise but I will give it a shot.
Not really. Just being aware as you build that stack up is all you need. Choosing the right pieces and placing them right soon will be second nature. Still, I am not against redoing a couple tiers if it isn't right. I also remember a couple years ago when I actually tore down one end when I had it about 3 1/2' high. I was disgusted with myself building it so sloppy. Sometimes it seems that I do get a bit sloppy in my stacking and I've notice that this tends to happen on days when I am hurting really bad. So, now I try to be a bit careful on those day but those days are just getting too numerous any more. Got an MRI scheduled and going to be doing some work on the back soon.
