I have another question for the team here guys. I am going to be constructing a wood shed to hold about 4-6 cords out of left over building materials (2x4s 4x4). Just a simple normal design with open slats on the back and sides to allow air flow, pallet floor and a roof slightly pitched etc. The question is which way do I face the "opening" of the shed. Do I face is south west to get the sun and wind most often or face it east to protect the wood better in the winter and the drifts don't bury the entrance (Michigan location lots of snow). Aesthetics are not an issue, placement is not an issue its going to be far enough away from everything, waterlogged or soggy ground are also not an issue. So I ask... WHAT SAY YOU?? Thanks in advance
Open side facing E SE is the best way I've found. Most of our wind/weather comes from a westerly direction. Wind/airflow is more important than sun to dry wood. Welcome & glad you're here BTW.
I like mine facing due south, getting as much sun as possible. Adequate air space between splits is indeed critical for allowing it to dry; but assuming you’ve got enough air stacked in, the more sun the better. Since you’re considering a shelter I wouldn’t worry as much about drifting snow.
That’s what always worked for me. The hear of the sun combined with the wind does wonders, especially in the northeast where the humidity is high.
IMHO, the shape of your shed will have just as much impact on drying as its orientation.. a long thin shed would promote faster drying than a square shed as more stack surface area would be exposed to temperature changes and wind.. Of course a square shed would require fewer materials... If you have several years to allow the wood to dry, the square shed might work just fine... stack quick drying species in the center and slower drying species near the edges... you can also get more wood under cover by having a taller shed. Cut your firewood into uniform long pieces (depending on what your stove will take) for stack stability... prop up or reinforce as necessary to avoid stack failure... lots of variables.. post pics of your progress...
Good question Dead Cutter! What you are describing reminds me of the old style corn cribs and I'm sure you've seen them. We used to even build some using ash for the poles then strung snow fence all along. Worked great so long as we didn't make it too wide and the same will go for firewood. As for the opening there are a couple things to consider. First and foremost is to make it the easiest to get in and out with the wood. I have also stated many times and it still holds true that air circulation is #1 when it comes to drying wood. Therefore, it is usually best to face, or be at least close to the direction of the prevailing wind. (In our area prevailing is mostly SW and we stack either NS or EW and get along just fine.) As for concern with snowdrifts, naturally this will depend greatly upon what other buildings and trees are near the wood shed. In our area, yes, the storms come from the west but 99% of the time when we have a snow storm, the snow comes from the SE until near the end when it switches over to NW. That is why we can get drifting in more than one direction. Quite naturally after the storm is when most of the drifting happens. Right now, most of our stacks run fairly N-S with a few running E-W, but we do not have to depend upon the wood drying as fast as possible. Even so, it is amazing how much drying happens in that first summer and fall. Also, we have stacks with 3 rows together, 4 rows, 5 rows and one or two I'm not sure of without looking. We've never had any problems with the center of the stacks drying. Many times stacking 3 rows together we've measured to see how much shrinkage. On those times they were stacked in April and we checked around December 1 and every row shrunk in height from 4 1/2' down to 4'. It would seem to me that if the center row shrunk at the same rate as the outside rows, it should be the same moisture content. Good luck on the shed. Also, if possible, build a decent floor in the shed or else stack on some saplings or landscape timbers. Pallets work for some but all you need to do is step through a few and you'll perhaps learn some new words that you mother might not approve of.
