How to convert 22 tons of oak trees into firewood - How to stack and store firewood
Channel: Travel with Manfred
Date: 2012-01-07

This video is part of a series of videos on the topic of producing firewood to heat your fireplace or complete home. The series of videos covers the tools you will need, how to cut tree trunks, how to cut trees into rounds, how to split the rounds with a maul or axe into logs, and how to stack the wood logs for drying in towers or stacks. 

Once the wood is cut and split, we are left with the firewood. All of it needs to be dried now, even if the trees were dried before. I separate it into 3 categories, each one stored separately: a) regular shaped logs, b) irregular shaped logs, and c) kindling. The regular shaped logs go into a tower. The irregular shaped logs which I can't fit or use in the construction of my towers, I put into a separate stack which is a lot smaller. As I split the rounds I always have a box ready and any kind of kindling I throw straight into the box. The boxes are made of wood and I can get them for free at the local market. Since the boxes are all the same size, they stack very nicely. I can easily stack 6 to 10 boxes of kindling one on top of the other without it falling over. This saves space and helps later in the kitchen or the living room when we start the fire. As for drying the regular logs, the best method is most likely simple long rows. However, since all of my terrain is sloped with no flat surface around, I have a hard time creating rows. Not being able to create rows I go for towers. Towers can be easily created even on slopes. First I start by creating a flat surface of 4 feet by 4 feet, often I do this simply by placing 2 used tires on the botton part of the slope. On top of the used tires and the soil I place a used pallet. Both used tires and pallets I can get for free. Both tires and pallets assure that the tower is above ground, away from moisture and it assured access to air flow. Once I have a flat pallet on the ground I can start building my pallet-sized tower. On a single standard sized pallet I build 3 rows of log towers, each row of 4 log towers, so that is a total of 12 log towers per pallet. My log size is 30 to 35cm. If your log size is bigger you will be able to fit fewer log towers on a pallet. Between the 3 rows I can leave a little bit of space for better ventilation and drying. The towers within a row are touching each other, there is no gap there. The log towers are built by placing pairs of logs in a criss-cross or cross-hatched form on top of each other. Pieces with bark I place such that the bark is facing outwards and downwards (if possible) for better drying. The towers I build to a height of roughly 180cm. Once this height is reached the tower is completed and I place a sheet of plastic on top, to cover the top (but not the sides). Then I place some old wood planks, broken rooftiles or stones on top to give it weight and to prevent the wind from blowing the plastic sheet away. 

For the other videos of this series look at:
* http://youtu.be/lZv-hQ9TK24 (Tools to use)
* http://youtu.be/YMxZB9wBuMo (How to cut tree stumps)
* http://youtu.be/HXHI7XTzzMo (How to cut trees into rounds)
* http://youtu.be/qvGF8NoqYt0 (How to split wood)
* http://youtu.be/21jVAEe4e8Y (How to stack and store wood)
* http://youtu.be/yypVzmwuMWA (More on tools and splitting blocks)
* http://youtu.be/tXiEPMgl2vY (Ideas for stacking wood)
* http://youtu.be/KDR0EzKQ5iE (Nearly done, wood humidity)