Just got the chainsaw out and hacked up a bunch of logs donated by some neighbours. Now have a couple of tonnes of tree rings (is that even the right word? Slices across the tree & branches is what I mean).

The wood is very sappy and my x17 just embeds itself and the 8lb maul is too much like chuffing hard work.

I’ll let them season over summer and smash them up into autumn/winter so they can dry for 2015 – but what’s the best way to stack them for the time being?

On floor/off floor? On side/on flat bit? Covered/not covered? Man up and split them now/etc?

What me dad does…. (farmer with our own wood)
Stack them against another tree on the floor for a bit. We would collect one and then fell the next as required.
Split with the log splitter (Hydraulic ram and a bit of steel sharpened to a point with an angle grinder) and stack for a bit.

Softwood or hardwood?
Logic suggest that you should keep the open ends exposed to the air to maximise drying, but that can be difficult. Whatever you decide, get them off the ground (I use pallets).
In most cases, you’re better off splitting them sooner rather than later – it doesn’t get easier as they dry out.
If you can’t split them now, they may be too thick. When I’m struggling, I cut the discs into semicircles with the chainsaw – or just cut to the middle, which really tends to help.
Have fun!

On the side,covered but only on top to allow air to circulate. Really wet wood is hard to split so never stack them on the flat bit and let them get rained on. Really dry hard wood is a chore too so I stack them horizontally and split them before they dry too much.

Hmmm, thanks for the replies. I know a chunk of the wood is willow, some poplar and a n other.

Don’t know if it’s a good idea, just thought of it, what about stacking them on palletts staggered so one row horizontal with a 2in gap to the next one, then next row on top staggered, so the centre (wettest) part of the wood is in the gaps between logs below? Does that make sense? Logs stacked like a brick wall with 2in gaps instead of mortar?

Willow and Poplar – not wonder it was free 😉

Just stack them leaving the ends exposed if possible. Probably best for winter 2015 but you may get some dry enough for a burner this coming winter, although you’ll risk tarring up your liner/flue. IMO of course.

I burnt some Poplar one year, it was a pig and produced a bitter eye watering smoke, but that was an open inglenook fire so you maybe ok with a stove.