I have determined that my stacks are located very poorly. They are under a few trees; poplar, pin oak, walnut and pines. Very little sun, good wind, but they catch all the leaves, needles and nuts that drop. It is making for a mess. I need to recut much of what is there too as the 30 uses a shorter log than what I was burning in the Defiant. Looks like I am going to restack on pallets and move them to a better spot. Only about 20-25 cords to move. Get'r done...
Tips that you may be going insane: - you construct a very long rock wall by hand by yourself. - you move 25 cords of wood because you don't like their current location. Makes you wonder Myway...
Heck with that.......I wanna' see pics! I had some stacks under a bunch of Spruce back in 2008 that collected all kinds of crud and was causing some premature punkiness. Moved it all to the field where everything is now. That was only about 1.5 cords though.
I think I would top cover and just start stacking new wood somewhere else. All of my property is very dense woods and I just top cover and it has been working fine.
I'm in the "just cover it and start a new stack" group as well. Even if you give me 2 teens as labor and a tractor with fel I wouldn't spend my time that way.
Sounds like you have a plan. "Get'r done" is the right way to attack it. It'll be better than buying a gym membership & you'll have the right size wood ready to go. You have a "jig" or a way to stack a bunch & cut to it to the right size made yet ? How long the wood CSS ? When youget a break, how about a couple pics of your progress? A before during & after pics on here make a good place to record dates & time. "+" we love pics. Have fun !
For any new guys or any who have wondered. It usually is not a problem stacking wood under some trees or where they don't get sunshine so long as they get wind. I fail to understand a problem with debris in the wood stacks as all it takes is to top cover the wood which should be done anyway. For what its worth, just this morning I moved some wood to the porch. It was from wood that was split and stacked in April 2009. It has been under a maple tree since being stacked. I find no debris in the stacks. In fact, hardly any on the top covering either. The wind blows it off. But in the case of mywaynow, he has to do some cutting on the logs because of a different stove so perhaps it is okay. Still, I think I'd build a nice jig and do maybe a cord at a time as you need the wood rather than doing the whole thing at once. That way, no moving 20-25 cord of wood until it is needed. I try to not be lazy but surely do not need extra work like that! Conclusion: those stacks were not located poorly just because of some trees. You did well putting up that much wood. Top covering of the wood will stop all that. EDIT: I would have posted a picture or two but...for some reason or another, the forum will not allow it. I'm assured nothing has changed there and nothing here.
I have top covered the equivalent of 10 cords running. Meaning I use a 20x30 tarp that I drag further onto the pile as I take away each row. Rows are 30 feet long. Finish a row, get on top of the pile and drag it back so the end of the tarp just drapes over the next row to be burned. Problem that caused was major last year. The tarp is flexible and when rain or snow falls, the low spots hold the water, and inevitably let it drain through some hole onto the pile. Last year with the prolonged low temperatures, I found sections of the pile that were blocks of ice. Blocks that were 8 feet long and 4 feet thick. It was mid April before some of those spots thawed. I can also say without question that the walnuts are a real problem. They hold moisture and build up down deep in the pile. See the current avatar pic? Put the dropped leaves and walnuts from 4 years onto those rows and that is what I am finding. I think most everything up for burning this season is in its' 4th year of CSS now. I should have never stacked back to back to back to back to, well 15 rows or so was where the pile maxed out. Lots of crevices to hide junk in. I will get some pics to help out the story line.
Are your 20 - 25 cords are in the running for the "Scotty Cube Award"? Seen from satellites in space? On Google Earth? It sounds like a lot of work and probably will be but if you have to re-cut to length, you might as well move, stack and cover in a better place before the snow makes it even more difficult. Like you said "Get'r done"!!
I top cover my stacks which are close together like yours my way, only difference is each row gets it's own top, no more full tarps covering something like 12x12, I ran into the same problems your describing. Now the rain and snow will fall Inbetween and not collect on top. Good luck if you do decide to move that much wood, looks like a big project for one guy
To bad you not live closer I'd let you use my cut box... Heck I'd even help! We had to do this when we got our new stove as well and it took FOREVER but it was worth it. our old took 23" long while the Jotul is really about 18" usable space max even though it holds 20". Maybe you could build a small pallet bin for the short drops to keep them usable? I threw them in a pile and forgot to build a bin for a short time. When we got to it the bottom where impaled into the ground by the weight of the top.
The pallet idea is a definite for the shorts. I have a neighbor that wants to buy small wood for a chimoleina, so that is likely where they will go. I have stacked on pallets for a long time now, though the early parts (where I am picking from now) are just rows across multiple pallets. The end solution for me is individual pallets that I can retrieve with the tractor and a fork attachment. Torn as to whether I will go with a loader plate/fork or rear forks. I am thinking the loader forks would be most useful but am not sure the tractor will lift some of the pallets I have already stacked for moving. They are carrying upwards of 5/8 a cord each. I think I have had my fill of wagon loads of wood from 250 feet away.
When you make a jig to cut them on, make it so that you can put a wheel barrel or tub or something under the front side to catch the cut off pieces, then you can put them into the bin you made. That's the way I do it, I have crates that I picked up free ready to go that put all my oddball stuff in.
I always try to pitch the tops of my cubes so that there is a chance for the tarps to drain. I think it helps alleviate the pooling of water and eventual funneling of water into my stacks. Dressing the tops with plywood scraps helps immensely also.
