So I've managed to gather s decent collection of logs for next winter, that need to be seasoned.
The question is how should I prepare the logs? Log, split and stack? Or stack as logs the split when seasoned? I assume seasoning split logs is more effective than whole logs, but splitting them easier once seasoned,?
Words of wisdom welcome...
Split first, more surface area for moisture to escape from, will dry quicker. Store facing south and allow good airflow
Splitting green is easier in most cases - do it as soon as possible after felling. Wind is a more effective drying medium than sun.
Buy THIS book as well - a lovely read as well as really interesting and useful.
As above. Season in a sheltered breezy spot. A good airflow is key.
Split and stack as soon as, for the reasons above.
Split green if possible. Wind/airflow is more important than sun, I have various woodstores but the north facing windy one seems to season quicker than the less exposed ones in a sun trap. Time is your friend though, and plenty of it
I’m sure mcmoonter of this parish will be along with some photos of his log stacks to show how to do it!
You should get that cold sorted before you do anything else.
Bark is fairly waterproof so an unsplit log will dry slower than one that has been split.
So split them now
CSS (cut split stack)
if done by easter then soft woods will be ready come autumn, some hard woods to if split small and in a good spot when stacked. I don't bother with top covering over the summer but do cover Sept through April
Stack on pallets too, or they rot dont dont dry well
OP, I don't know how much kit you've got, but a tip I got from Norwegian Wood has saved probably a third of my log handling time.
I used to split wood into a wheelbarrow, move it and stack it in a Holzhausen or a log store. When it had dried and I needed some by the house, I'd unstack it and move it down to another stack by the house or straight into the log basket. Lots of lifting, stacking and extra handling.
Now, I put my split wood straight into a homemade cage, made from a plastic pallet (no rot) and some fence wire to create the sides. When full, this is picked up behind my little tractor and moved somewhere to dry for a year or so. When we run out of logs I can easily move a cage down to the house which literally takes five minutes, and the log basket is filled up from this.
Saves so much time and effort.
Aye, cos we all have tractors.
2 woodstores by the back door world the same, one for each year. Mine are 4m cubed, lasts a full winter when stacked well.
As above, split when green, stack either as a Holzhausen or with a roofed shed, don’t tarp wood that needs seasoning. Airflow is your friend. Don’t worry too much about wind driven rain on a stack, there will always be more wind than rain. Seasoning now for next year will see you right
A copy of Norwegian Wood should be your next buy. Good luck
Yep, handling logs is expensive time-wise.
Similarly to Si, I now split straight into a [an increasing number of] IBC cages which are perfect for log seasoning. They give great ventilation, don't rot (metal or plastic bases) and I can easily move them around with the pallet truck I bought for £50.
So when it's time to get the logs into the barn, rather than hand-balling them into a barrow I can simply lift and move 1.3 cubic meters in just a couple of minutes.
That said I do have the luxury of a lot of concreted hard standing for log prep and storage which others would not.
Just some of the green wood I’ve recently been splitting and chucking straight in to the log stores
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And lol @ eemy
Although tarps can definitely be a pain and fetching wood from under a tarped pile, in the rain, is awkward, stacking on pallets then just tarping for the winter instead of moving to a shed limits the need to move stuff. I have an old 6'6" by 8'6" garden shed that i repurposed and stack wood in, then twice as much again just stacked on pallets and tarped for the winter. it all dries very well.
I think it was stoner that said it on here and I picked it up... ikea blue bags. I use these to bring wood from the stack. Fill the tote bags and carry right inside. I use an old pram to bring 4 bags up to the house per trip across the lawn
As sharkbait said, bark is the key here. Surprised the earlier posters didn't mention it.