I have to ask what is the difference between stacking wood in a shed all in nice rows verse just leaving it in a pile ? I ask as cause I am one who does not like touching the stuff more than I have to .Btw the shed has concrete floor .
You need to get that wood up off the ground for several reasons. One is ground moisture, which in your case, isn't going to be a problem. But the other reason is you need air to circulate UNDER that pile to assist in seasoning as well. So stack it on runner boards or skids. Trust us, it helps immensely. And stacking wood in rows (whether inside a shed or not) allows air to get around and between the wood. A random pile doesn't promote air circulation, because the pieces are just heaped any which way.
That pretty much sums it up. Welcome aboard farmer rob . One thing.....I don't like putting wood in the shed until after it's had some time to dry outside. bogydave has a real good system.
The difference is time.... It will simply take longer for wood to season in a heap.. how much longer will depend on a number of variables. if the concrete floor doesn’t have a vapor barrier under it, the wood at the bottom will wick moisture from below. Depending on the height of the water table this could either be a significant problem, or not a problem at all.. if you’re going to pile in a heap, you can use a moisture meter to measure the difference between a fresh split at the top of the pile and the bottom. If piling in a heap, might be worth it to cover the floor with pallets to promote airflow under the pile..
Couple other points; Some wood , like birch , will developed mold & start to rot pretty quick without good air circulation. Stacking uses space more efficiently. In your case, if the wood is already well seasoned, throwing it in the shed would work. It won’t dry much more though.
If the wood is dry then your only concern might be for lack of space and stacking it should use less of it, especially if your splits are a rather consistent size/shape and are stackable. If the wood is green then the environmentals are some what similar to a compost heap.
It is understandable to want to keep from stacking as that is much work. However, it does save a lot of space and looks much, much better. Others have touched on the drying of the wood. It appears you are wanting to split then put the wood in the shed immediately. I would definitely caution on that idea simply because of the moisture that is still in the wood. This is why most of us won't move wood into the shed until it has dried outdoors.
Had a big pile number of years back stuff on top and middle ok - bottom still wet this was on asphalt, couple years later another pile this time on skids on asphalt better but still a lot more moisture in the bottom 1/3 of the pile, Chipmunks really liked both of those, gave me practice with the air rifle didn't do much for heating in the winter.
Same. I've had piles of rounds and splits sit too long and develop mold because the wood was wet when it got dumped there (by me cutting and splitting). At least if they're stacked, the surface moisture goes away quickly, unless it rains for 40 days and nights.
Had plenty of that just before it froze down . Up until a week ago the frost really hadn't penetrated to much depth yet- that's all changed now with these single digit highs and negative lows. it is a balmy 1 deg at present- no wind yet.
Welcome to FHC Rob! If you have a tractor with some forks on it............ I'm like you and decided to cut out some handeling. I fill this rack right off the splitter, it get's carried off to my "official drying/storage" area then moved to the house for burning. I just built 4 more of these in the shop the past few days during this cold spell we're all into right now. Five of them will hold 4 cord. I'll probably end up with about 15-20 of them once I work through my existing stacks.
Fuelrod Nice racks and yes I am a farmer so no issue with tractor&loaders . I have to say I like that idea maybe build some which will hold close to 1/2 -3/4 cord 4x4x8 even . I wonder if say perhaps a Chep(blue or red) pallet for base might be easy to add 3 sides to it what you think?
fuelrod , that's a thing of beauty...nice work sir! And welcome farmer rob, I see your question has been well answered-I will add only this-a true hoarder derives great pleasure from cruising the nice, neat and airified stacks awaiting the arrival of the sweet BTU's-yes, it is labor but one well worth it-At a minimum, stack it on pallets and leave it exposed to everything for a yr, then top cover for the home stretch then move to final staging wherever that may be...you'll be glad you did---Nice to meet ya!
