guido

Well-known Member

Hello

The old one was getting tattered, so I just put the new one
on top of the whole wood pile. Have not used any wood yet,
but after all it takes to get there, I though a new tarp was
in order,

Guido.
cvphoto1535.jpg
 
Guido,

Everyone in America knows more about wood piles than I do, so my observation is probably ridiculous to people who know better. But, having said that, here goes anyway. It seems to me that you will end up with a lot of condensation on the wood and on the bottom side of the gray tarp. Would it make any sense at all to remove the blue tarp to let air circulate through the pile? I realize that rain and snow would infiltrate the bottom of the pile if you removed the blue tarp, but it seems to me that the problem of infiltration of moisture on the lower part of the pile could be overcome by utilizing the wood from the top the pile first, and letting the gray tarp settle as the pile diminishes.

But then again, what do I know about wood piles - - - absolutely nothing.

Tom in TN
 

Tom I am inclined to agree with you.
I grew up cutting wood. We had a wood bin in the basement and only cut as we needed it.

Dusty
 
I don't cover my wood pile. This week we've had 4"+ of rain. The top couple feet of the pile (stacked) are wet, below that the wood's mostly dry. With a day or two of no rain and wind hopefully with some sun the top dries again. I have a wood bin and cart I keep wood under cover and refill when the pile dries again - or get to the lower pieces. Everyone has their preference.
 
When I was a kid we got wood delivered in the spring and stacked it a couple of piles in the yard till fall, when we put it in the basement where the stove was. We used to use pieces of metal roofing, plywood etc. that we got from the dump to lay over the top of the piles, but we left the sides open for air flow. I guess the difference may be between whether you're trying to season freshly cut wood or to keep wood dry that has been dried already, though even there I would think condensation would be a problem in warm weather. Now I keep all of our wood inside buildings from as soon as I bring it out of the woods. We have a main woodshed that supplies the boiler in the late fall and winter, and an auxiliary shed for wood for spring and summer for domestic hot water. Then there's a stack in one building that's the emergancy supply for when we have an extra cold winter, and a stack in the sawmill building for the stove in the house, and a stack in the sugar house for the evaporator.
Zach
 
In September we rented a house near Forks, WA for our annual family summer vacation. (Forks is known as the place where the events of the Twilight series of vampire movies took place---though the movies were filmed elsewhere.) From there it was easy to take day trips to interesting places on the Olympic Peninsula. I noticed that along the roads leading to the Pacific coast beaches there were many crude hand painted signs advertising "camp firewood" for sale. It was about a dollar per split piece, I think, so for $5 a camper could get about as much as an adult could carry under one arm. I didn't get the feeling anybody was getting rich.

Stan
 
Hello Stan in Oly, WA,

That is the pile of wood I posted awhile back, and you noted that J underestimated it's volume. Anyhow, as you said no one gets rich chopping wood. I could easily install a gas fired log with a remote control. I may eventually. Being close to my age, you can appreciate my thoughts,

Guido.
 
In another house we once owned and lived in, we had a wood furnace that sat beside our propane furnace. The wood furnace had its own thermostat and blower, and cut into the existing ductwork above the propane furnace. We could to probably 80% of our heating with wood.

One day I figured up the amount of time I spent cutting, splitting, and handling firewood and compared it to what we saved on propane. It came out that I was making about $3.00 per hour working with the firewood.

I decided if I wanted to make $3.00 per hour there were a lot more pleasant things to do than cut firewood.
 
(quoted from post at 13:18:33 11/03/18) "camp firewood" for sale. .. $5 a camper could get about as much as an adult could carry under one arm. I didn't get the feeling anybody was getting rich.

Stan

Here in WV those small bundles of firewood sold at convenience and some grocery stores must be kiln dried. They sell quite a bit of it during week of the state fair, Memorial day and labor day weekends.
================

Growing up we had a 16 x 36" lean to with an elevated metal grate floor built onto the side of a barn for storing firewood. Every year we would start cutting firewood the first Saturday after the 4th of July. By Oct it would be full most years. . Was never happier in my life when Dad built a log splitter for the old TE20..
 
Hello Mule Meat

I built my splitter late 70's. The engine came from a farmer
in a peach basket. After decades of working good and looking
bad, I gave it a face lift. Here it is,

Guido.
cvphoto1557.jpg
 
(quoted from post at 11:48:25 11/04/18) Looks like a termite lunch buffet to me.
Plus mold, fungus, other wood loving insects.
In my teens, Dad and I cut, hauled, split, stacked over a hundred pickup loads each year.
Never a tarp or shelter over any of it.
Once seasoned/dry, when it got rained on it was maybe wet 1/16th inch deep. Or snowed piled a foot deep on top.
By the time it went into the wood stove, whatever little bit of surface moisture was still present evaporated very quickly.
 
Hello JMS.MN,

Funny you asked, he is doing much better now. Every year he looses less then the year before...HE HE

GUIDO.
 
Hello Tom in TN,

I appreciate your comments, even though I have no issue with any of the problems that have been raised.

I did have that old tarp give away just on the spot that I was taking wood from last year. Wet wood just takes longer to get bjrnibg.


On the lighter side: no matter how fast I uncover the wood.
I never see any condensation. Must go somewhere fast... HE HE

GUIDO.
 
Guido,
I see your wedge leans back slightly - did you design it that way?
I've been thinking of doing something similar with mine, due to the fact that if the wood is clear and dry (or frozen)it will explode off the wedge, sending the pieces six feet away. My thought was that if the wedge were angled, it would enter the wood gradually
Pete
 

If you are burning wood in an modern "airtight" stove, dry wood is critical in preventing creosote buildup.
Quido's pile is far and away better than an uncovered pile.
However, I prefer to cover the top only. The wood continues to "season" this way. During a windstorm some snow or rain will strike the sides of the pile but a lot less than one would think.
mvphoto26471.jpg
 
Hello part time pete


Yes it does, probably 1/4 to 3/8 " at the top. You are right! It will do a much better job if you do yours that way. Goes in gradually and will be much easier on the engine. It will usually stop those pieces popping. It only happens on dry wood now. I always split my wood when green, unless I pick it up dry already. I can measure the wedge if you want to know the exact inclination. Works for me,

Guido.
 
Hello Bryan G. NY,

Thanks for the positive comments. The nay Sayers don't know that my wood looks like a 2x4 and dry enough to light with a match when I burn it. You are wright about the air tight too, mine is an open fireplace, just keeps that room warm. Last post of the pile drew comments that critters would go under the pile, because i had not finished putting the blocks around the perimeter. Now its too much cover! I guess yours must be a heaven for critters.......

Guido.
 
Before I got to the point of having a dedicated shed for firewood, I'd try to put it up on pallets, and under a type of covering - recycled metal roofing was easy to find. Kept it dry on top, ventilated for drying and off the ground
 
HELLO Dale in wv,

Yep on the pallets, BTDT. Any cover will do. I use 2x4 or 2x6 on cinderblocks,No wood touches the ground. The 2x 4 0r 6 are free at the local fence company by the truckload. Heck I could get enough of them to use as firewood!

Guido.
 
Hello Paul Janke,

After doing this cover up for about 50 Years, I can tell you that your suspicion is correct, climate not withstanding!

Guido.
 
Another yes on the pallets! I never cover it all the way to the ground, it's usually so damp in MN I want lots of air movement through the wood. This summer was very different, great summer for drying wood, most of it is 15-18 % moisture.
 

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