I appreciate that you started the video and got right into your purpose for the video! So many 'KZfaqrs' have a minute or more of junk before they get into the meat of the video...kudos!

This guy saved me 20 years of waiting into 8 minutes. Kudos to you sir.

Best stacking video i seen for drying and stacking.

I really like your precision and your precise detail. Good clear advice, thank you.

Good hard won knowledge and willing to share it, gratis. Good neighbor at his finest!!

“Keep your wood and powder dry” - love it. Great video thanks

Best Video so far on stacking and drying. I’ve seen the stack method before but you where so thorough on your video show multiple methods and comparing.... great job

I envy your firewood forest my friend. Thanks for the tips!

You look like Clint Eastwood, and sound like Johnny Carson!! ":) Great video, and thanks for the stacking ideas! Good stuff!

I had to laugh when you said OCD. I'm like that and can appreciate your neatly stacked kingdom of wood. Great video.

Nice video Charles !

Thanks, this is a great advice. I've struggled with the condensation problem and previously I've just removed the tarp on clear days. This method requires much less hassle and snowfall can't surprise you.

Thank you. Great advice.

Great Video. Going to try this next Spring.

Great video and excellent music!

Excellent, Charles! Your ideas are the best I have seen. I've learned much from your 3 videos. Thanks!

Enjoyed the video. We had a big wood shed that we stored our firewood in and next to it was our coal shed. Gram cooked with wood and we heated with wood in the fall and switched to coal in winter. We had a Sears stove in the kitchen for regular heating but we could cook on it as well as the using the wood range. The Sears stove could burn wood or coal. We also put in a coal oil stove in the living room during the winter. It gets chilly in Montana sometimes. :)

I should have watched this video before I stored a stock of wood logs under a tarp for several years. I wondered why many areas in the wood log were rotted. Thanks for explaining this.

Just found your channel. Love it. You live on the other side of the planet from me. i am in Chile. We use fire wood for all our house heating and cooking. It is just too cheap not to. You stack wood just like a Chileano stacks wood. Very neat. I have a wonderful wood splitter that picks up the wood for me and splits it fast. I like your tents that you are doing with tarps, but I am thinking about doing a hoop house like our green house to dry my wood. I found that even though we were getting five inches of rain per a night here, that my green house was really dry. It does have open vents on the end as well. Thanks Jim from Chile

Best video yet on stacking firewood. Charles is spot on in all aspects as I came to same conclusions some time ago. I like to span the top portion with some full width 'sticks', making a rack for all the 'too short' and 'odd-ball' pieces that mess-up the stacking. The 'stack-messer-upper' pieces are used first, re-establishing maximum ventilation. Properly staked firewood is 'money in the bank' and as Charles showed, wood will last for many years. FWIW, my local newspaper is an excellent source for free pallets and I'm thinking about Harbor Freight for cheap tarps, even though they will not last as long.

love the intro classical music. what a great tutorial. thank you

Great video. I also tried the tarp just draped over a pile on the ground method and it never dried and grew mushrooms. Thanks for the video.

Great cost effective solution - this problem has been bugging for ages now!

A very interesting video, well presented - thank you Charles. I also (as well as another commenter) came to the conclusion that being down among the trees means your tarps are protected from wind and solar damage, and most of your drying in PNW comes from air exchange (when in other localities it will be solar heating). That is how you don't come to grief with loose tarpaulin sheets. It is flapping in the wind that damages tarps the quickest, and the only way to prevent this is to have them taut, and without abrasion on irregular surfaces (such as split wood) beneath. And tarps are 2 dimensional and difficult to fit to a 3 dimensional wood stack. So in my 20yr evolution towards better wood drying (in England) I have arrived at an arrangement that has some similarities with the last stack you showed (at 7:00). Mine involves a frame with 5 rails - one at the ridge, like yours, two at the shoulders, and two at the base, at pallet level. The tarp, open at each end is resting on the ridge and shoulder rails and is tied, taut as a drum, to the base rails. I have used wooden rails, but they need machining to be smooth enough, and inconvenient struts to prevent warping. So I now use scaffolding poles for strength and thread over them pieces of PVC waste pipe, which have a smooth surface, a greater radius of curvature and which can rotate a little. The resulting 'ridge tent' can be loaded and unloaded without disturbing the tarp and is lined up so the open end faces the prevailing wind. In direct sunshine much of the time and with the heaviest industrial tarp I could obtain, one has lasted 8yr with no maintenance beyond a tightening of the ropes.

This man blouses his boots. I like it.

Excellent video!!! Great advice

Great video & great advice. Thank you.

that wood is stacked so neatly I'd hate to dig into it for burning. LOL

I "lost" several cords when I first started cutting wood... tried to protect them with tarps! ... your tent idea is great. thank you

The Pastoral Symphony, great intro 😎

The cribbing stack, or criss-cross, is perfect for rapidly drying wood cut late, plus to stack on the ends as you did. I have had problems with tarps and condensation, but I think the tent shape will fix that.

love this. Thank you for posting. I relate.

Nice video. I season my 6 cords of oak each year and allow to season for 8 seasons or two years!! And I dont cover with plastic until mid fall of the year I burn that wood. Perfectly dry each time. And I only cover the very top of the rows too. No need to go down the sides.

quick and direct to the point, thanks

I use pallets all the time and even use them on the ends as well for even better circulation . I also only go two rows side by side and don't cover until fall. It's also a good idea to use (old) roof tin to completely keep it moisture free.

Looks good. You must be somewhere that does not have very strong winds. Where we are these tarps would blow away. Also, our rainfall must be a lot less because we stack ours without covers to dry and it works very well. Important to adapt what you are doing to your own situation and climate. Great video thanks.

Looks good. We always used a woodshed because it offers far more room, and is a sound structure, but everything else is the same. The one trick I know that really helps is to make sure the end of your stacks point in the direction of prevailing winds. This can reduce drying time spectacularly because wind blowing through the stacks carries out a lot of moisture. We also always cut our firewood in January or February. The colder the better, and while frigid, below zero days were what we preferred. Wood is a lot easier to air dry if cut when the sap is down. If you cut when the sap is up, it takes far longer to dry the wood. Even at this, we also always cut next winter's wood this winter. If you're drying boards, direct sunlight is bad because the boards can dry too fast and warp. But firewood is different, and if you can shelter wood from rain, but also give it as much direct sunlight as possible, the wood will dry much faster.

Some great tips here thanks!

Charles Long, nice stack, burning firewood for heat is a passion we both have. The cedar shake siding was a bonus! Do you heat with cedar? I was curious on what types of wood you had split up. In my area we have hedge, aka "Osage orange" the best wood around here for firewood. We have hackberry which makes great heat too, but you have to use it up the next season after cutting it, although nice split pieces of that "hack" will last year's if kept in a dry area. There's other woods such as oak, walnut, ash, and locust too, hedge and hackberry my favorite. Appreciate seeing the hard work you put into heating your home

very nice stacking job!

You are doing a lot right. As you point out, a graveled area and pallets are VERY important for air circulation and to prevent rotting of the wood -- including tbe pallets. Pests LOVE rotting wood and will be carried into the house. The bed of gravel also prevents the area turning into a mudhole. You are also very correct about air space above the pile. Anything you can do to facilitate air circulation is worthwhile. Above all, do NOT completely surround / enclose the pile in a way that hinders air flow through it. I'd suggest an additional refinement that the tarps make easy to do: Try to put significant slope in the peak of the tarp along its length. At least six inches in 8 feet. In other words, make one end higher. That will create a chimney effect, thereby increasing air flow, and accelerate drying of the wood. Point the lower end of the tarp into the prevailing wind direction to minimize the possibility of rain being blown into the stack.

Great video

ok man... you've inspired me to act, and share... so here's what I am learning... (guess I will have to start making vids soon)... building two 12' X 24' covered (lots of space for air flow above) extensions onto a walled barn... gravel 'floor' (until we lay slab), covered with plastic, then saw dust. covering (as you proposed) with breathable canvas tarps. then thinking of closing in front (southern exposure facing) with corrugated plastic to trap heat... leaving lots of air flow... maybe will play around with fan, dehumidifier etc not sure... goal is to create a "pad" that can dry (and rotate batches of) wood down to 6 to 8% moisture in as little time as possible... just... well, because... so i am basically ripping off concepts from solar wood kilns and trying to integrate them into drying firewood...

Charles, do you do voice over work?

The left coast has learned! Born and raised in central New Hampshire. I harvest, buck to log length, then cut to stove length, then split. Yes, your stacking method is right. It's called log cabin stacking. No moisture horizontal, or vertical. For a break I go to Coaticook, QC. Yeah, Canada. 2.5 hours. NYC is 6 hours away. Boston is 2 hours away from me. I'm a bit North.

Another helpful tip is if you want it to dry faster, remove the bark. The bark helps keep in the moisture as it is a natural insulator for the tree to keep out bugs ang prevent moisture loss. Remove it and it'll dry even faster.

Very sensible. It doesn't have to be expensive at all. I like to think of it like the construction of a house made of wood, it must be allowed to breath.

Excellent, Thank you!

Great video thanks, have to say your voice is amazing! You should narrate audio books or something! 👌

good job stacking off the ground..thank you....hate to see "experts" spend all that time splitting then just stack it on the ground

I guess in Pacific Northwest, where it's constantly raining, the initial tendency would be to throw a tarp over it and be done with it, on second thought, so maybe it's not as obviously a bad idea as I thought two seconds ago. Still a bad idea, but maybe not as obvious as I was thinking at first, given the climate.

My experience with firewood is to not cover it. I get it in the Spring and throw it on the ground in a huge pile. I find that exposing wood to the elements of rain and sunshine checks and splits the wood. In the Fall I stack it under a proper roof with a lot of clearance for air flow. If some rain gets on the wood, it will dry fast, which is different from green wood that takes months to dry.

air flow is essential , have you thought about breathable roofing felt used in the building trade , that would allow the condensation to get out and stop rain and moisture get in . i like O.C.D. used in a positive , good video .

Thanks for the tips. I've got about 17 cubic meter of split wood sitting outside right now that was dumped off about a week ago. It's pretty darn wet and it's nearly September now. I've been looking online for ways to stack/store it before the winter so it will dry efficiently and not just rot away. Think I'll try this approach. Thanks!

I'm glad you've found something that works for you but I wouldn't want a bunch of unsightly tented tarps all over my property.

Thanks Chuck!

Great info, thanks!

OCD, love it! I don't do well with the chock a block ends -criss cross (they fall over). I screw a skid to the end of the pallet vertically and add two stringers that run down to the end of the first pallet inbound. This allows me to just stack without it being able to fall over. We have very high winds that come off the ocean and a tarp doesn't stay put. Tried plywood also, I've seen it fly off and become a sail. So, covering is a challenge. Great video!

Hello, merci pour la vidéo!

Nice tips! I have my firewood off the back patio on some 1 inch boards. I think I should I had it at least three or 4 inches off the concrete. And three or 4 inches from the wall! Here’s a tip from me. Plant your corn and tomatoes in the spring time!

something that a lot of people dont know or understand is that rain does not normally cause problems with firewood. The rain doesn't get inside the wood, the moisture in the wood got there by osmosis when the tree was living. In my area(northeast California) many people stack the wood outside in the field behind their home and haul it to the house when needed. they don't cover it and it doesn't affect its burn time or heat output.

so basically you can stack wood tightly and three rows deep as long as the ends allow air to pass through?

Always wood to learn something new.

Does it matter whether the wood is split in a triangle shape or just split in half is it a big difference?

Everyone definitely has what works for them...I cut/split my wood jan/feb/march, stack and leave it uncovered until the fall /rain or shine(my wood is also in an open field which helps greatly)...then use 4x8 1/4" plywood sheeting from the dump to cover it, not covering the sides at all....Moister content before burning/10-18% by the next fall. I try to stay 2 yrs ahead of the game...Job well done in your conditions....

Can cordwood/firewood be too dry for a non-catalytic wood stove?

Your rows should be spaced so that air can flow between then also. Firewood that is stacked dries from the ends.

Precissiooonnnn. 3.30mins in. Amazing

Better advice; split the wood, stack uncovered on palettes. The stack should face southward. Preferably near or on blacktop. The blacktop gets hot in the summer months and dries and seasons the wood. After a couple of hot dry days in September, cover the top of the wood with a tarp.

OK. Basically sound advice. But a lot of assumptions as well. Not any real data that I heard or saw. Unfortunately, what might seem logical does not always turn out to be factual. May I summarize? Cover it on the top only to allow horizontal air flow (in my experience sheet metal works the best if it's available, plastic tarps also work but try to keep as much air space as possible between the tarp and wood by making the top layer of varied heigth), and stack so, as much as possible. there is free air flow horizontally. Stacking so the pieces are arranged to run parallel to the prevailing winds will help. But, eh, just throwing it randomly in a pile works. Try to put something between the bottom layer of wood and the damp earth. Pallets are nice but rows of small diameter wood placed perpendicular to the axis of the split wood will suffice. Whenever possible, place the pile in full sunlight.

I also get wet wood when I tarp up

I'm too lazy to make the ends up like that, i just drive a pole/post in the ground and stack up against that, but i also tend to just do single file line 24 feet long so i know it's a cord, and using plastic pallets they never rot. I also never even use a tarp until September and i only cover the top. I suppose if it's 3 rows deep like that, then you have to make the ends like that, but i usually only go 1 and if i do 2 i space it apart a good amount if im using larger size pallets. I tend to like and even enjoy cutting and splitting firewood, i however hate stacking it. It's the one part of doing wood i wish i could skip

I can never to get this stack straight, past 3 or 4 layers. It will always lean real bad. So I'm back to a single layer method. Then covered with a plastic tarp. Use it 8 mo latter.

I love the fire wood art but I just don't have the time or patience for all of that

The look of Clint Eastwood, the voice of Jesse Ventura and the woodland knowledge of Rambo..

man you have a crap ton of wood. how many cords of wood do you burn per year?

How are you doing 6 years later

What a voice!!

if you die and are to be reborn as an animal. a beaver you shall be

That is definitely a cheaper way. I built a 4x4x8 out of wood that has a roof. This has worked very well and j dont worry about wind snow etc. However it does cost about 100 to make.

I just want to know if this guy pursued his entertainment career in radio or acting. @CharlesLong

Just make the whole stack alternating directions like you're doing on the ends of the rows. It'll dry a lot faster. Forget tarps and tents. A piece of plywood over the top is good enough. Ever think of simply building a proper woodshed???

How much wood do u burn for a season

I don't believe all the water you spoke of was coming from your firewood. I noticed how much or your wood was covered by the tarps at the beginning of your video. I believe your moisture was coming from the ground. By having the tarps all the way to the ground, you actually made a 'solar still' in reverse. I use tarps and have never had your issue. However, you do have a great system now. I'd use it, but, we have way too much wind. Sincerely, Dallas

But I think the tarps should only cover the top of the wood and not drape it over the both sidesalthough you have it stacked on the ends to circulate air, it's still not enough.

I love your OCD comment!

nice...but think a simple wood shed will be the way to go

Is this guy a narrator for mythological movies

I think you need to do radio. Or narrate old movies.

build my 1 st splitter 1979 6 ton rebuild 2013 to 26 ton all steel is same My 2 stacks are 12 ft w x 6 ft h x 65 ft L. Have found that off ground is best, used blue trap on ground under wood for long time and trap covering stack is on 55 gallon drums laying down on top on stack with sides of trap cover tied to post so trap does not touch wood free flow of air is great

Prior military. His boots are bloused.

Harder woods such as oak hickory black birch etc contain between 50-60 PERCENT moisture, so that's nowhere near the author's estimate of 160 pounds "per cord" in weight. Average weight of a cord unseasoned wood is 4000 pounds plus, so just taking the 4000 and 50-PERCENT of that would indicate there's closer to 2000 pounds of moisture when it's green. If you season the wood down to a good average of 20-PERCENT, which is one-fifth of the 2000 pounds would then end up being around 400 pounds of "moisture per cord at 20%"

I also laughed when i heard OCD, IM SO LIKE THAT. however i cannot idly stand by while a man says "chaka- blocka" style of stacking lmbo the correct term is "Cribbing." But never the less wonderful method

Oh so its just like kiln staking....whod have thought

"It's only important that you do this on the outside" No, no and even more no. Whether you're getting dry enough wood to burn well or not, moisture wicks out all exposed areas of wood. Cinder block stacking allows the most moisture to escape. Surrounding a pile of un-cinder blocked wood with the cinder blocked won't allow the middle pipe to dry nearly as well or as fast. Cinder blocking all the wood allows the most air flow around the most wood at once. Cinder block ALL the wood. You can thank me in the spring.

I put black epdm rubber over mine and cook it

Greenhouse works

I must be OCD as well.

Do you realize that old wood doesn't have the same heat content potential as fresh cut of course dry but fresh cut

Not to be a smartass, but the need for airflow for drying anything seems like common sense. Obviously sunshine helps, too, but simply putting a tarp over a stack of wood should seem like worst thing you could possibly do, just intuitively.