Seasoning fire wood
Discussion
Hello all. My wife and I are renovating my late father’s house with a plan to move in.
The garden is… yeah, he wasn’t greatly interested in gardening let’s leave it at that
All in there’s about 1/3rd of an acre and one of the first things we’ve needed to do was have a couple of trees taken down that were iffy at best. The chap who took them down cut them into (almost) bite sized bits so we can burn them once they’re seasoned.
My question is though, how best to store them for this? At the moment I’ve gathered the bits I can move easily enough on my own into a big pile. Long term I plan to make a wood shelter, but at the moment I’m not really sure where it’ll be as we haven’t sorted a plan for the garden. So in the medium term they’ll likely just be stacked somewhere.
This is the pile:
- Is there any method to this - like keep the cut surface vertical?
- Do they need to sit on something or is straight on grass ok?
- Is it better or worse to cover them?
- With the big bits like this (arm for scale):
is it better to try and split them first before leaving to season?
The trees were one hazel (I think) and a silver birch. We’ve also cut down a smaller holly tree (which was growing through the fish pond) so I’m guessing they’re best left for a year or two?
The garden is… yeah, he wasn’t greatly interested in gardening let’s leave it at that
All in there’s about 1/3rd of an acre and one of the first things we’ve needed to do was have a couple of trees taken down that were iffy at best. The chap who took them down cut them into (almost) bite sized bits so we can burn them once they’re seasoned.
My question is though, how best to store them for this? At the moment I’ve gathered the bits I can move easily enough on my own into a big pile. Long term I plan to make a wood shelter, but at the moment I’m not really sure where it’ll be as we haven’t sorted a plan for the garden. So in the medium term they’ll likely just be stacked somewhere.
This is the pile:
- Is there any method to this - like keep the cut surface vertical?
- Do they need to sit on something or is straight on grass ok?
- Is it better or worse to cover them?
- With the big bits like this (arm for scale):
is it better to try and split them first before leaving to season?
The trees were one hazel (I think) and a silver birch. We’ve also cut down a smaller holly tree (which was growing through the fish pond
) so I’m guessing they’re best left for a year or two?If you are hand splitting. do it now whilst the wood is softer, but, don't panic, it's not a mad rush.
The rounds (the big bits) - you'll really want a proper splitting axe for those, then you split them into pizza slices. Quite satisfying tbf.
If you just want them out the way for now, stack the logs on their sides. Make a log pile. No harm will come of them and keeping the cut faces sideways will help keep them dryer. No real need to cover them. In winter maybe throw a loose tarp of sheet over if its very wet, otherwise, they really won't absorb as much as they evapourate over time.
The rounds (the big bits) - you'll really want a proper splitting axe for those, then you split them into pizza slices. Quite satisfying tbf.
If you just want them out the way for now, stack the logs on their sides. Make a log pile. No harm will come of them and keeping the cut faces sideways will help keep them dryer. No real need to cover them. In winter maybe throw a loose tarp of sheet over if its very wet, otherwise, they really won't absorb as much as they evapourate over time.
Similar to above, I just split them & stacked them loosely to allow airflow for 18 months in a shed with the door open on every nice dry day shuffling them round occasionally.
The sooner you do it in this weather the better.
Oh, and get yourself a damp meter, you want to be burning around low double digit numbers for best results.
The sooner you do it in this weather the better.
Oh, and get yourself a damp meter, you want to be burning around low double digit numbers for best results.
95 pages of Wood stacking over here :---->>> https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Thanks all. I’ll have a rummage and see if the old man had a splitting axe (I have a feeling he did) and get the larger rounds split then stack them on their sides a couple of feet from the back fence for now. They’ll be under the canopy of trees over.
PushedDover said:
95 pages of Wood stacking over here :---->>> https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I thought that’s mainly people buying loads of already seasoned wood and stacking them?boyse7en said:
If you can get hold of some old pallets, stacking the logs on those allows some airflow underneath so the bottom logs won't get waterlogged in the winter.
This - getting them up off the ground somehow is pretty important or they'll just rot in place, airflow is what dries them out. I’ve got several storage options, i have a homemade woodstore , 2 wheelie bins in direct sunlight which get very hot ! Which dries the wood out quite well, i have a keter garden storeage chest which is handily near the back door , for green wood i split the wood then store it in a greenhouse to dry it .
As said, off the ground is the most important. otherwise the will just soak up moisture.
Dont need to bother with a cover etc. Makes little difference to seasoning. Airflow is king. I have wood undercover at the side of a garage which is still trying. and wood stacked on a pallet out in the open stacked months after. And the wood in the open is now properly dry while the other still weighs a ton
Dont need to bother with a cover etc. Makes little difference to seasoning. Airflow is king. I have wood undercover at the side of a garage which is still trying. and wood stacked on a pallet out in the open stacked months after. And the wood in the open is now properly dry while the other still weighs a ton
Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff