Heck, just stacked a face cord of oak four days ago and today, I see it's all down! Bummer. I wonder what happened? Is a nice stack of oak just cut recently (fresh wood) with good uniformity. Cut couple of sweet gum sapling runners about five inches at big end, eight feet long each, put down on even ground with not much slope, stacked between two trees. Stack is 16" splits, so, runners are less than that apart. Now wondering if the runners were set too narrow. I figure they were set about 14" apart. I also need to make sure the runners were flat on the ground. Dang, start over!
That gives me an idea for a phone app game. Build the perfect stack of wood. The people that will spend hrs playing the game will also pay for gym memberships. So your saving money and being entertained at the same time
I did it last week to an oak stack that was perfect for over a year. Im guessing as it dried it shifted? Welcome to what seems like an annual occurrence, the severity just differs lol.
Runners need to be close to the ends of the rounds that are stacked on them but it is not a precise thing. I've put them really close too and as long as the wood is not "tippy" all is well. The biggest problem I see is that you stacked between two trees. That is the worst way of stacking wood and certainly does not show any respect for the trees or nature. Trees do move with the wind and also when they get wet from rain. Movement on that stack of wood can disrupt the whole stack. Other than that, most times knots cause problems if one is not careful with the stacking. If one stacks a crooked piece or one with a knot, then you have to take particular care to get that level right off the bat else the more things lean, well, gravity is still a strong force on things.
A runner doesn't have to sink into the ground very much on soft ground to create enough lean. Yes, trees can wiggle quite a bit in the wind, sometimes with pines you can even feel the roots wiggling the ground if you're standing in just the right place.
Probably the movement of the trees...stack with a post at each end if you don't want to crib the ends
If it fell over in four days it's one of 2 things. Bad stacking to begin with or someone/something "helped" it over. Nothing dries that quick or shifts in that time frame. We stack a lean in on larger stacks that will set for years. You have to do that if your are going 8 to 9 ft high. Basically have to do it as you go and takes a few ricks in before it is straight. This stack is still fine after 15 years of storage.
It happens to all of us. I once finished a row and went in to eat. Stack was toppled when I came back. I may own the record. That didn't last long.
I had that happen a bunch from frost heaves and my kids stacking, ended up creating this instead. Have had one stack fall over out of 16-18 cords stacked this way since Simple pallet firewood rack
Sorry that happened Yawner ... I've had my share of run ins with gravity too. It happens. Dad used to stack between trees, down in the woods... and I remember many had angled prop sticks in the middle, on both sides. As mentioned, tree movement would shift the racks.
Yeah, it was probably the trees. I went back and looked at them, not that big. Sweet gum maybe 12 inches DBH, pine maybe 14 inches. I have stacked between much larger trees no problem. Live and learn.
Ive had a couple of logalanches on my stacks. Too tall and between trees. I think the wind rocked them too hard. Been there done that so i know how you feel! Any pics Yawner ?
Having too much wood is a good problem to have. Some other things happened as well as a renter burned up one barn for us so we salvaged what we could out of that one. 1 barn was totaled out by a windstorm and it had close to 80 cord in it and we have it about half empty now. Life gets in the way sometimes.
Ooohh, that pizzes me off! Nothing to do but let loose a few weekend words and start stacking again. At least that's what I do.
