The problem with stacking in a cube is cubes generally require support to maintain stability. One can crib corners, but cribbed corners are a different density than the non-cribbed corners which messes with volume comparisons due to the varying densities. WTF is a "standard Holz Hausen" ? I'ma go back to watching the worlds of two and three-dimensional geometry collide with the worlds of hyperbole and belief systems. It's like watching bumper cars and their drivers having fun at the carnival.
Let me make this very easy for you. A 8' diameter x 6' high holz hausen holds more wood than a traditional cord of wood that is 4 x 4 x 8. That is basic math. When we say it "takes up less space" we are talking about two-dimensional space.....as in square footage......as in footprint on your land......because it can go VERTICALLY HIGHER than a traditional stack. A 6' high holz hausen is extremely stable compared to a 6' high "traditional" stack. Even at 4' a traditionl stack can fall over very easily unless supported by extra work. A holz hausen supports itself. Nobody is talking about breaking the laws of physics. You are simply misunderstanding. Please do whatever pleases you and those of us who build holz hausens will do the same.
What I call a "standard" is using 4 pallets that makes the hausen roughly 8' in diameter. I suppose you could make them smaller but then it kind of defeats the purpose. That's a good size to work with, both stacking and retrieving wood. And stacking in cubes requiring support is exactly what I'm talking about. Extra effort. Getting 4 pallets and throwing them on the ground is a lot less work for me than building supports for stacks. You can build ginormous holz hausens if you like but then I'd be concerned about getting a tarp on top of a giant one.
Let me make this very easy for you. 2.5 cords of wood is more than 1 cord of wood. It ain't rocket science. If we take your specious argument and I give both of you one cord of wood to stack and person 1 starts a standard" (whatever that is) holz hausen and person 2 attempts to stack it in as small a square footage of space as possible, person 2 is likely to use less square footage to make their stack and it will be a lot taller than the pathetic stub of splits laid out in a circle. Let me make this very easy for you: The area under your Holz Hauzen on 4 pallets ( for the sake of simplicity we'll make them 4ft x 4 ft) is 50 square feet. The area of the pallets is 64 square feet. You've "wasted" 14 square feet before you have even started throwing splits on the pallets. I stack four cords of wood on those pallets 8 feet high. This is not terribly unreasonable. It's doable. How high does your Holz Hausen need to be to compensate for that 15 square foot loss and be more than 4 cords of firewood ? That's the math you need to do to claim a Holz Hausen is somehow "better" use of square footage or "space". Now if everyone wants to discuss their stacking capabilities that's all well and good. You'll probably find most don't go over 4 feet and tend to single and double rows, and my 8 foot high stack of firewood is gonna be a bit more prone to falling down than a typical Holz Hausen. But let's not get crazy here and start claiming the laws of physics, geometry and basic maths somehow don't apply to Holz Hausens.
You must have missed the part where I said if you build it smaller than it defeats the purpose. At 6' tall and 8' diameter it not only holds more wood than one cord, it holds more than 2. And the two dimensional space occupied by the 2 cords (8' x 8' square) is the same space occupied by the holz hausen. Extra work is something I try not to do if I don't have to. If you want to build a traditional stack, be my guest. I said holz hausens work for my space and that they hold more wood than traditional stacks. I don't care what you do. You do you...and I'll do me....sound like a plan? I'm not trying to convince anybody to do a holz hausen. You are all big boys and girls and can make your own decisions. I'm not sure why you are getting so upset. Life is short. Smile. Claiming laws of physics? LMFAO. What does THAT mean? Hahahahahahaha.
OFFS....when I said "standard" I meant average. Over the years, from what I have seen, most HH that the average person builds are on 4 pallets with an 8x8 base and they get roughly 2.5 cords in it. It was an example to get my point across.
We are comparing apples to oranges. If you want to compare an 8’ diameter holz hausen to a square stack you need to compare it to an 8’ wide square stack, not a 4 foot one. That is half the size foot print. If you have the space for an 8’ foot circle you have the space for an 8’ square. Your photos even illustrate this perfectly. Your holz hausen is sitting on pallets that are 8 feet wide I am assuming if you are telling me your holz hausen in your photo is 8’ wide....So why not make it an 8 foot square and utilize all the unused, wasted space in the corners? BTW, the “superiority” of a holz hausen has nothing to do with space or volume or drying time. It only has to do with wind resistance and stability. Anything else is just personal preference. And there is nothing wrong with that.
I don’t like HH and I’ve made several. I think the wood in the center stays wet after it rains. They are awesome to look and may be good for folks with small properties.
I went big, multiple rows, and I didn't use pallets to stack on I used some cedar splits and made two rings with the outer ring being bigger to get the inward lean that is needed to make them stable. This is 4 rows of 18" splits with a 4 foot hole in the middle for the uglies makes it 16 feet in diameter, about 9 feet high in the middle. The goal was to have a super stable stack that was nice to look at because the Hounds knock over traditional stacks when they are critter hunting and the holzhausen is in the middle of my backyard and not going to be burnt for at least 3 years.
What I feel is being missed in the discussion is the surface area to volume ratio. It seems to be where this discussion wants to be for the geometry purposes. Working on a spherical stack now! Although I haven’t considered what effect hounds may have. I half arsed attempted an HH about 7 years ago and may try again this spring. I’ve got good pile of splits to support it
