I saw an add on Craigslist for cutoffs from what I assume is a pallet making facility. Since I don't have any property to cut wood on, I'm always scrounging and looking for cheap wood. This wood is $120/"cord" and they figure 9 scoops per cord so once it's stacked, I don't know how much you'd end up with. What I'm trying to figure out is what would be the best way to stack it to season it? All of these pieces look to be square so if it was stacked in a big block, there wouldn't be any air flow between the pieces. I've been thinking that I could mix it in with some regular logs in a normal stack. How would you stack it?
Had kind of a similar problem with unstackable wood from tops etc. I knew I could keep the stuff out of the weather so I bagged it in breathable bags that I got from buying kiln dried wood. To give you an idea it was 15 bags per 1/4 cord. Stacked them like bags of fertilizer or seed (or pellets for that matter!). Grab a bag and bring it in the house, nice and clean and easy. Any bags should be reusable. Just a thought.
That will be tough to season. I build corrals for my chunk wood. If me, I would season it covered in a jumbled pile with as many gaps as possible for at least 3 years. Here are a couple pictures I was able to find. Pallets supported by t-posts with fencing to keep the pieces from falling between the slats. Could not find a picture of one that I have chunks in, these just contain shorts.
Asked a couple rancher for their used mineral tubs. Don't really know about airflow. I fill them with kindling and cutoffs and stack in garage. Or that could become on fine game of jenga.
It is hard to tell the size (or species) of those pieces, but they look perfect for loading in the back of the Fireview for getting those long overnight burns. Here is another idea for seasoning: stack these in layers on pallets organized by piece thickness. Between each layer, place a couple strips of wood to allow air flow between the layers. Perhaps you can get some pallet slats and rip them into 1x pieces for this purpose (TSC usually has waste pallets in back). I did this to start seasoning some hard to split silver maple when my shoulder was in bad shape and I was still splitting with the x27 ( had I known I was going to breakdown and buy the SS, I would not have gone to this trouble ); I split these into chunks (rectangular when possible) a few months later with my SS and they are now top covered in my corrals. If you get a load, be sure to post pictures and let us know if 9 scoops really is a cord.
I agree with the bins. Since the pieces will be disorganized to some extent in the bins, it will allow for some air flow. Stack them tight in the stove and it could last a fair amount of time though...
You need airflow so tossing loose is the only option if it needs to season. Get some 4-5' woven wire or woven knotted hog fencing and make circles and just chuck in. Put pallets underneath to keep off the ground. You can make the circles as big as you want.
Do you have a loader of any sort? You could stack them loosely somewhere on concrete, and tarp. Every so often you could turn the pile and retarp.
I think I may try a few of the methods suggested and maybe look at it like an experiment. I'll check moisture content periodically and see if all methods season at the same rate. I think I'll mix some with regular logs, I'll load some in a hog wire bin and I'll stack some with stickers. I don't have any bags or I'd try that also. I'll post some results to let you know how it goes.
I use kidder panels to build wood cages for my non-stackable pieces. A pallet or boards on blocks/bricks/etc for underneath airflow. Or some loops of woven wire fencing would work. Throw them in loosely. I'm thinking about putting a mess of cedar branches on the bottom to create the airflow space so I won't have to buy blocks or boards.
OR A pallet with some 4' high fencing wrapped around it Throw them in random so they get some air circulation. Off the ground, in an open sunny - breezy area , Top Covered
