How to Stack Firewood – A Step-by-Step Guide In 2021

    How to Stack Firewood

    When preparing wood for seasoning, the most important thing to know is how to stack firewood for seasoning and why you first have to season the wood.

    Buying wood from a retailer or supplier does not guarantee it is ready to burn or prepared.

    Do you want to cut down your trees to create a lot of firewood for yourselves?

    Or you could receive your house with a cord of firewood (or more) and need to know how to organize it when it’s thrown off.

    The same thing is true in any case – you have to know how to stack firewood.

    And this guide will teach you that.

    Well-savored logs of wood are simpler to burn and more durable. As a result, less creosote building is possible, and your wood-burning systems work with the lowest emissions at optimum efficiency.

    This page responds to some often asked questions about firewood seasoning and stacking. Even whether you have to cover your firewood or not and what choices to do the correct task.

    Let’s discuss some frequent concerns about why stacking helps with the seasoning process for preparing logs before going into the basics of stacking firewood.

    You can ensure that your firewood is sawn properly and nicely burns when you are ready to make a fire with this guidance.

    Firewood Stacking:

    Firewood Stacking

    Many people question why it’s necessary to stack wood. Of course, seasoning is the quick answer. However, it is only the tip of the iceberg, though.

    Many more questions cover this issue. Here in this post, we will try our best to address some of your most common queries.

    The principal reason to learn how to stack your wood is to ensure that it’s sawn and ready to burn when you need it.

    Whether you’re buying a full-facing cord or a half-faced cord, you’ll need a suitable area (or even tiny bundles or bushels from the store). 

    We offer solutions concerning how to select the proper place for your pile. But first, let’s speak about why in the first place you should bother even to season wood.

    You might wish to see our resort page on picking the best wood before going with this post that teaches you how to store and season wood.

    If you haven’t learned how the moisture content of wood is, then don’t worry, I’ve got your back.

    Have You a Firewood Cutting Chainsaw?

    Have You a Firewood Cutting Chainsaw

    I urge you to upgrade into a chainsaw if you continue cutting your firewood with the axis.

    Chainsaws facilitate and speed up the splitting of firewood.

    Why do You Have to Season Firewood?

     

    It is not simple to burn if your wood is not well-seasoned. Moist wood is difficult to fire and will not remain ablaze for a long time.

    Wood seasoning aims to make your fireplace and wood-burning fireplaces better, cleaner logs.

    Dry wood burns for a more seasoned time.

    The process of seasoning takes time and aims to reduce the moisture content of your wood. An excellent place for well-seasoned firewood within 1-2 years is sun, sun, and airflow circulation. 

    You need to realize why we first stack firewood before starting to use the best ways of how to stack firewood.

    And why do we not just jump a large pile of firewood and call it a day? You see, it must be seasoned to make firewood burn correctly.

    Seasoning only involves drying the firewood such that it has lost a great deal of moisture.

    A well-seasoned piece of firewood includes around 20% humidity. If the firewood has more than 20% moisture, it isn’t easy to light and causes a lot of smoke.

    On the other hand, when the wood is less than 20% moisture, it will burn too quickly and keep warm a more considerable amount of wood.

    Moreover, you should place it outside and expose it to sun and air throughout firewood season. The sun and air dry the wood naturally for a few months.

    Therefore, correctly stacking your firewood is crucial because the wood is not adequately sawn and can be either too “wet” or “dry” to burn correctly. Therefore, it is necessary to accomplish this.

    3 Firewood Stacking Ways:

    3 Firewood Stacking Ways

    1. Firewood Stacking Between Columns:

    It is the initial way of stacking firewood.

    Select a place with a lot of exposure to the sun and no lengthy shadow during the day. It is also better to pile your firewood to face east and west on the cutting ends.

    This posture makes the sun and wind around the woodpile freer.

    Put on the ground three or four parallel rows of 2 digits four treated pressure to function as your basis for stacking.

    This footing also helps to prevent moisture from draining into your firewood and from the ground.

    To build up the pillars, build a firewood stack at the end of the two posts as follows:

    Lay down side by side 3-4 pieces of firewood.

    Lay 3-4 firewood pieces perpendicularly on top of the first layer.

    Repeat this alternate technique of stacking until your stack is 12 rows tall.

    Once you stack your first pillar, repeat it at the opposite end of your row 2 TIN4.

    These pillars are going to be used as supports for the firewood between them.

    Stack between the pillars next to a row of split firewood.

    Then put the second row of firewood in place, and don’t fit the first row into each piece. You want sure holes in the wood so that air flows freely.

    Following the end of the second row, stack the firewood up to the height of two pillars.

    Try to place as many pieces as possible throughout the stacking process, such that the bark side is up. Therefore, you can safeguard the interior sections of the wood from rain and humidity.

    2. Firewood Stacks Only Column:

    This way of stacking firewood takes the action of pillars and repeats them again and again until your natural wood is piled.

    To carry out this technique, but three or four parallel lines of pressure on the ground to function as your basis. This footing also helps to prevent moisture from draining into your firewood and from the setting. 

    Then construct the first pillar by following the first technique steps:

    First, lay down side by side with 3-4 pieces of firewood.

    Lay 3-4 firewood pieces perpendicularly on top of the first layer.

    Repeat this alternate technique of stacking until your stack is 12 rows tall.

    The only difference between technique one and method two is that with each pillar adjacent to the preceding, you will continue this pillar-building procedure again and again.

    Maintain a few centimeters between each column to ensure that air flows between each stack.

    3. Firewood Stacking of Household Wood:

    How can firewood be stored optimally, without gap lines or rows??

    The method of firewood stacking is termed the “Holz Hausen,” which finally generates circular stacks of firewood that take up little space.

    Initially employed in Europe, this approach is now widespread in the United States.

    It’s essential to create this firewood stack in the sun since not every inch of wood will hit the sun’s rays.

    You thus need the summer warmth convection current to move air over the base and from the top of the stack. 

    Do the following to utilize this firewood stacking method:

    Use pressurized treated 2 to 4 to build a ring on the ground.

    To create a ring with these components, you might have to cut them in half (or smaller) depending on the length of the 2 to 4 parts.

    This foundation protects your firewood against moisture absorption from the ground.

    Put a firewood ring on top of your 2 TIN4’s with the bark side.

    Lay one piece of firewood on the ring to contact the ring on one end and slow down to the ground on the other end.

    Repeat the firewood lying around the ring till the completion of the first row.

    Put your next firewood layer above the first layer in the downwards sloping angle around the ring in the initial row.

    Follow this circular firewood stack until six rows are high.

    Then, exactly like you did in step 2, put the bark side out of a ring on top and around the sixth layer. The structural support for this layer will be.

    Repeat the stacking procedure in steps 3 to 6 until the stack reaches three levels (or 18 rows tall with three bark-side-out layers for support.)

    Place the firewood on the end of the ring if the gap lies in the center.

    The beauty of this approach is to stack firewood swiftly through the middle of the pile when rain enters.

    How to Choose a Good Place for Your Log Stack:

    How to Choose a Good Place for Your Log Stack

    One of the essential parts of a firewood project in the backyard is identifying the ideal position to begin the log storage of a new seasoning shed (or a standard mound).

    In a location outside the walls and next to windbreaks, firewood is ideal for optimizing airflow and sunshine. At least five but not more than 30 feet away, choose a spot. It is for ease that we restrict it to thirty feet.

    Whichever way you choose to store your wood, ensure the optimal site for your woodpile is selected.

    In your yard, the ideal place to maintain a woodpile is in an area with:

    Sufficient exposure to sunlight

    Enough exposure to the wind

    5-ft to 30-ft from your residence at least (or garage)

    Your best pest protection is 30 feet from the stack to any home. While the optimum is 30 feet, less can be done.

    Just remember that you need a minimum of five feet to avoid plagues such as termites or other insects and rodents from entering your property between your wooden plywood and every structure.

    How Long is the Firewood Seasoned?

    How Long is the Firewood Seasoned

    The firewood may take 3-12 months or longer. On average, drying out of the chopped firewood you have been buying from a store or supplier often takes around six months.

    It may take more or less time to season, depending on the moisture level of the original wood.

    All these elements play a part, and only the final product is within your control, as long as the timber sawing process takes from beginning to end.

    It’s the last stage, and you have complete control over how your wood is split and stored correctly. 

    Do You Want to Keep Your Woodpile in the Shade?

    Wind and sun are essential to the seasoning process when it comes to drying wood. However, a wood stack in the shadow may function effectively under specific circumstances.

    As much as sufficient air is in circulation to dry the logs, it is all right to stack your wood in the shade. The trouble is, gloomy areas generally increase humidity, which doesn’t benefit you or your logs!

    Sunny, light-covered, and airy, it is a perfect place for your new, neatly piled woodpile. Make sure that your log stack gets wind and sun to assault the firewood.

    The last rule is that it takes longer to dry if the wood is maintained in a moist, shaded yard section. If the wind is insufficient, you may end up with wood rot or mold and mildew that will not assist you in burning fires. 

    Do You Have to Cover Your Firewood Outside?

    Do You Have to Cover Your Firewood Outside

    No, in most cases, you shouldn’t fully cover your firewood. However, weather circumstances, including solid storms, snow, and ice, necessitate the necessity for a tarp or other shop-bought cover for your firewood to be protected.

    During seasoning, we recommend a relaxing cover over the top to remove moisture from your wood. There is frequently some superimposed top cover required to remove water from the logs. Think of it as an open roof for your wood.

    So, to keep your wood split dry, the outside air still has to reach the edges of the stack.

    How May a Woodpile Be Covered?

    How May a Woodpile Be Covered

    An alternative will not work for everybody in the yard, so it’s your choice, eventually.

    Recall that your objective is to dry and season the wood.

    So, whether you are leaning towards a natural cover or the type purchased by the stores, remember that covering the wood is to remove moisture and enable the air to flow, thus helping the wood to dry.

    Various Cover Types:

    The sorts of coverings glide across the wood, and then you have the whole metal frame with a fabric covering on the top.

    These are excellent and are one of the best options to protect your yard’s wood. Fabrication coverings are generally opened or closed using velcro, toggle-ties, or creams.

    Use What is Available in Your Yard:

    Natural ways cover your firewood, such as finding a place between two giant trees to shield the moon. Natural choices we adore!

    It is an excellent technique for trees to protect themselves from the elements while keeping them dry when the weather is wet.

    Buy a Wood Cover:

    There are many additional commercial choices available on the market if the natural method is not suitable for your demands and you want more than a tarp covering your logs.

    For the quantity of prepared wood they cover, many of them have unexpectedly modest costs.

    The Best Way of Air Circulation for Wood Stack:

    The Best Way of Air Circulation for Wood Stack

    Wood dry best in the alternate directions when piled in one row. Don’t stack it too high unless the fence or barn wall supports it. Build two or more levels if this is not practicable.

    Allow as much air into your stack as feasible by employing anomalies and strange logs to create open-air stacking channels.

    Stack the bark side of your divided logs always. Bark serves to prevent rain and humidity from the living tree, and moisture continues on the woodpile.

    Use a Supporting Fence:

    You may use a fence post or even a tree for free-standing packs to support the ends of your stacks.

    Build safe logs by alternating East to West courses for additional weather protection Logs with North to South Logs Cover your pile firmly with a plug that pays some care to your woodpile, and not only will you get appreciation and respect from your neighbors, but in winter you will enjoy the advantages with dry and clean fuel.

    Where Should a Wood Stack be Placed:

    See your yard and select the ideal place to keep the mound. Stack your woodpile around 5-30 feet from the house but close enough to make it easy to reach some logs in cold weather conditions as required.

    The battery is good as long as your piled heap is exposed to enough sunshine and air on all sides. Always arrange logs to season your wood with the cutting edges towards the breeze.

    Firewood Cover Pricing Options:

    Firewood Cover Pricing Options

    The cost and size of your cover vary according to the amount of wood you want to keep if you choose to cover your wood stack.

    For example, most home customers won’t maintain a complete wood cord but may have a full face or a half-face chord to cover.

    Both inexpensive fabric coverings and high-dollar seasoning huts are probably UV-treated fabrics, and many say that they will enable you to dry burning wood more quickly than natural. 

    Option 1: Cost-effective But Accessible:

    Spend in the optimum for the savings of firewood. According to the size of the wood and the design you pick, this cost is an average amount of $125-$600.

    But for as little as $79, we have spotted several on sale so that you can get a fantastic deal.

    There are 1⁄2-cordwood with the lowest possible possibilities and 7-cable with the largest! The 10x10x8 ft model with 3-1⁄2 strings is the one that we imagine most seasoned wood burners have to choose.

    Option 2: Low Costs and Cost-effectiveness:

    Weather-resistant polyethylene fabric coverings suit the customer well.

    But, as you would do with a BBQ grill, you may anticipate replacing it every 2-3 years because of regular wear and tear.

    Unfortunately, these wooden rack covers do not come with a framework like the higher grade covers.

    The textile easily slips across the top of the rack and protects the logs against rain and dampness.

    This sort of cover may assist protect the entire stack from heavy rain or storms but will not enable sufficient air to move.

    Option 3: Most Affordable Coverage:

    A basic polyethylene plastic tarp is the cheapest choice for the covering of wood. Expect to pay approximately $10 to $80 for tarp quality, depending on your size, brand choice, and personal liking—the best-known choice by far.

    Be prepared for extra supplies, such as bungee cables or blocks, to keep it down.

    Option 4: Possibly Free Low Cost (But Not Available To Everyone):

    Use any existing open structure on your land that has already been built. This solution will not work for everybody.

    If you have access to an existing building with an open face (much better if you have a sloping roof), this may be your best chance!

    It may be modified to take your new wood stack into account. The price varies depending on the scenario.

    Option 5: Natural and FREE 100% Option:

    You can use mother nature’s canopy as your wood shelter as the most natural alternative. Moreover, it might be a possibility if you have mature trees in your yard. The technique to coat your wood is 100% natural and FREE.

    It might take a long time to season and risk timbering, but each of them has its problems.

    To secure your woodpile, use two existing mature trees. The trunks support the pile between trees (such as books) and enable the branching, extremities, and leaves as a natural shelter. With the unrestricted airflow, not to mention the wind helps.

    If this form of coverage works for you, go for it!

    Use steel or pallets to raise your stack once the woods have been cut and divided. Make sure the logs don’t touch the ground.

    Conclusion!

    Now, you know how to stack firewood properly. So, we hope you have the answers to your concerns about firewood projects in the backyard!

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