This topic raise a lot of controversy in the firewood world! Some say.... BLASPHEMY! It is in the BIBLE! God said thee must stack thyne firewood! I looked and id not see it in there so......
Here's the trailer capacity math for tossed in split pieces. Multiply the trailer box width x depth x length in inches then divide by 1728 (cubic inches in a cubic foot). Then multiply that total by .7 (this is the capacity utilization of tossed in vs stacked. in other words, tossed in wood is 30% air) Chris's Baby Dumper bed is 120" long x 60" wide x 30" deep = 216,000 cubic inches capacity. Divide by 1728 cubic inches in a cubic foot = 125 cubic foot of capacity in his Baby Dumper. Now multiply the 125 cubic foot by the .7 (70% utilization) = 87.5 cubic foot of firewood pieces tossed in. 128 cubic foot in a cord x .667 (two thirds) = 85.375 cubic foot in 2/3 of a cord. So by the math Chris is supplying his customers 102.5%. Or he is over supplying them the equivalent of two large bundles of firewood. Attaboy Chris. No customer ever complained about getting a little more than they bargained for. Try this formula on your pickup bed or on your trailer.
Thanks for that info bud, truly helpful even just for argument sake when someone questions how much wood ur dropping off. It makes it hard for them to argue with facts.
@@InTheWoodyard I can't imagine being a u-tuber and having someone daily tell me im wrong or dont know what im taking about, you folks got thick skin. But thank goodness you do for our enjoyment. Thank You
Good morning from Petoskey Michigan. Less touching of firewood, the better, and that goes for everybody. Time has value. God bless you and your family, sir. Love the channel. Keep up the good work, sir
I cut my own wood every year, stacking 5 to six cords every year, we have mostly white elm and it takes forever to dry, I'm trying your idea on piling wood and so far it has saved me several hours of labor and alot of back pain. Love your videos thank you and god bless. P.s. someone once told me (don't knock it until you try it.)
Just slowly building my firewood business, I'm really grateful for all of your sage advice. There is definitely tremendous value in the " less touching " theory. I'm working on it!
54k+ subs and the best videos on youtube. I take your advice, suggestions, and tips into consideration every day. I'm working towards less and less stacking, simply because it seems to be an effective method that you have proven over the last year+ in the new woodyard. I'd be a fool to not pile, especially when it's proven to dry as well, if not better, and saves time to boot. Thanks for taking the time to make these great videos and educate us.
Good Morning Chris and all the wood yard. And other crazy day lately looks like most of the snow is going south! I hope everyone has a great Sunday and week to come. 😊❄️🥶
The arm chair critics don’t get it!!!!! I never sold firewood, but I’d stack it for a neat appearance. I never had more than 4 cords. Neighborhood folks knew I supplemented my heat with my woodstove. I’d receive texts from them and other friends about wood at the curb in their town. The next town over allows the tree services to place firewood stacked, not split, at the curb free for the taking. Always, the wood disappears, as I’ve taken lots of it. Sadly, we have ventless gas fireplace in our new to us home…..no more burning for heat!!!! Though the fire pit gets some abuse! Keep up the good work!!!!
Hi Chris! Nice observation! When I came to Chilean Patagonia I always wondered why the country folks here never stacked their wood, though we have intense rain periods of maybe 4 to 5 months a year. I now begin to see why they have always been laughing about me :-)! Cheers!
Great video/topic Chris! what I find difficult when I'm not stacking is to cover the wood and here in northern Europe I need to do that if it is not to become moldy and completely discolored in late summer and autum. with exceptions for March-June. then I think there is a big difference between hard and soft wood. we mostly cut birch, spruce and pine. oak, beech and other hard woods that I cut less often are less sensitive in my opinion. If I chop in winter, I don't cover the wood until June. the funny thing is that the wood dries better after a few rains on it in the spring.
Good morning Chris from Ontario Canada . I've watched your your channel for years now. Of the the very best content and production out there. You'r right. less is more . I've confirmed that individual cone piles are definitely the way to go for drying split wood , even over wintering. One better than on skids, is on cement. Also Intersecting cones can funnel moisture inward causing mold. I've enjoyed using my Eastonmade. 12 22 for 2 and a half years . Great video.
Excellent reasons you give for not stacking. Like many people i have a love/hate relationship to stacking firewood, it is very satisfying building a neat "wall" of ordered firewood. But I am painfully aware of how much times goes into it and it's not really neccesary. Thanks to you I will look into ways to dry firewood in piles. I have though about making a bin consisting of wire mesh fence sitting in a circle to form a bin for throwing in the firewood.
Chris, you’re definitely 👍 correct ✅ in what you just said to everyone out here excellent video but you know that you probably will have to again and again because some people just can’t get it into their minds 😮😊❤
Yes, I am starting to realize that not everyone cares, gets it, wants to learn, can learn and some are just stuck where they are. An open mind and ears along with a shut mouth learn more. I learn A LOT from you all here. thanks!
I buy from a firewood company who stacks their wood tight 4'x4'x8' H on pallets with stretch wrap . They use a donkey forklift to offload from the truck. It definitely takes them time to stack on pallets, so I'm paying for that, but as an OCD'ish "retail" consumer I like it. Nothing wrong with your approach and ultimately it saves you time and the consumer money. Good videos and discussion. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for this info,just started burning this year,love my unstained wood pile! I do have a stacked 3 cord also,from now on bins and no stacking,I like cutting and splitting by hand more! Take care bud😊
Oh boy… Here we go again! Great topic for driving comments Chris! I love the orderly look of a well stacked pile, I also have other things to do with my time. I feed two outdoor furnaces, one I stack for, because it’s my parent’s place. My personal supply gets piled and my family has never complained about the quality of heat being produced! Bless’ns to ya, Tedd
Thanks Ted, yup the whole I am right you are wrong crowd always misses the point....open your mind to other ways and be flexible. AND do what works for you!
Chris- Your spot on 👍- RU-vid is full of people that have no idea what they’re talking about. The firewood that I burn, I stack in my shed. Because we use beetle killed pine, we run it directly from the log truck into the processor. We do test the logs moisture content to make sure it’s below 20%.
Hay I've watched this video over and over again. I don't stack at all I do alot of bundles I cut and split in a pile saves time for me alot of time ⌚ is the key to production I like it thank for bringing that 😊
Nice video/talk Chris. Old dogs/new tricks,never too old to learn a better way to do something. Not for everyone but obviously working for you. New wood yard has opened lots of opportunities for saving labor and I’m guessing there will be others to come. GNI
I actually like stacked wood but I'm not a production faller, I have time for this. This year I had a lot's of windfall and since my fence is destroyed by the heavy snow I decided that all the firewood can be used as a fence. looks great and this way I don't see the ugly fence anymore.
Morning wood, people. Chris thanks for the video. People If you have time to stack or limited on space then stack. If you have room or don't have time. Throw it in a pile. Doesn't matter it's gonna dry eaither way.
If I was a commercial guy, there’s no way I’d be stacking wood. BUT, for home use I do stack, for space saving AND also because it breathes, and therefore, dries out. I’ve ‘tossed’ good quality Macrocarpa and half a year later it was wet in the centre of the heap, and extremely mouldy. I then ‘stacked’ it, and it dried out nicely for burning so stacking definitely has a huge drying advantage over a tossed heap… period!
@@InTheWoodyard When I see a very nicely stacked pile of wood, I often wonder where people get the idea that it breathes better. Maybe the end grain on each split is better exposed but a nicely stacked pile, to my eye, has far less space between splits because they are typically stacked tight for stability and space savings.
I'm switching over to the Chris method for my outdoor piles, pallets w/ pallet walls for me, I have a wood shed that holds approx 8 cords, I generally burn 3 cords a year, alternate side to side in the shed, always cut to give myself a min 3 years worth of wood, I think pulling from a pallet pile and then stacking in the shed to marinate for 2 summers will work wonders for me and save some time for fishing and golf.
I make 200 gallons of syrup a year Takes a lot of wood the wood room is 14 x 20 the rest is in a mountain outside. it burns fine I get a lot of people saying build another building naw no thanks this works fine for me. ! Jon Thanks Chris
I stack for all the reasons you said to stack...im not selling, i have limited space, im in a neighborhood and i want it to look "clean" Otherwise you shouldnt stack it for the reason you said...Personally I feel it dries better stacked on a pallet...FANTASTIC EXERCISE
Stacking is the most labor intensive part of producing firewood. It's horrible. Because of the layout of my property I have to stack certain areas. The rest is going into piles. Lots of good information! Thanks for a great video Chris!
I sell lots of firewood and I quit stacking a couple years ago after Chris did the video where he visited the big commercial firewood yard. Those guys never stack. Their wood is in huge piles on concrete and is never touched by hand. It is so much more efficient. I measure volume for customers in two ways. I do the volume calculation on their truck, trailer or my truck/trailer. This is the slowest part of the whole process. The only way to make decent money with firewood is to do significant volume and do it fast and efficiently.
Depends on the situation. I stack because we have a stove. If we had a boiler and sold alot of wood. Pile it high! Calm down folks do what works for you.
Chris I totally agree with you in your stacking/ nonstacking technique as I wish I could pile wood like you, but unfortunately I do not get the sun and wind as you do, which is a great benefit for you, people just don't realize how much you touch the wood, I go in the woods to process my firewood, I don't sell, but I burn 5 full cords, more if its terribly colder. Good Night Irene...
Long time listener, first time caller. I’ve been following along, learning and growing along with you for a few years now. Firewood takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master. What else can our minds really do during hours of splitting and stacking than to think of a better way 😊. Thanks for your positive and enthusiastic help along the way 👍👍 PS I ran marathons for 20 plus years then body parts started to complain- this gives me the same satisfaction and I have something to look at when I’m done- were you a runner at one time?
Chris, I'm a guy about your age, 59, retired, restless and need the exercise, so I started cutting firewood. Although I was born and raised just a few miles North of you (Iron River Mi.) I've been out here in Colorado for 45 years. I started pitching my firewood in "Super Sacks" 3x3x3.5" (Half a face cord after the 30% rule). I can load 8 sacks in one hour including on to my 7x14 dump trailer. I use my skid with forks. I've got a buddy that owns an ACE Hardware. He off loads me @ $85.00 bucks a sack $15.00 back on every returned sack for a $70.00 net. No stacked wood and he sells em for $140.00 with $15.00 refund on sack returns. I load from a cone pile and never stack a stick. That's $420.00 a cord. The going rate for Douglas Fir and Ponderosa Pine is $250.00-$350.00 a cord delivered to residence. I'm not Tech savy, but I'm willing to send you a time lapse on my cell. 719-207-1220. Thanks for your videos! Your Pal Rick Shovald "Used to be a Yooper eh"
The issue with covering wood is not rain or snow. It is leaves and organic matter falling on top of it decomposing, rotting and holding moisture on the firewood. Your wood is in a open field and you don't hold wood for years. I am 3 years ahead at all time with my firewood. The wood I cut this year is for 2027, ash or soft maple sitting for 3 years uncovered with leaves falling on it turn it mush. In my situation I need to have it covered.
As someone who is new to the business, I started off building racks with skids. Going to add a few more this spring to put me at 25 full cords. Then I’m adding a huge bin to increase inventory and less stacking lol
Hear hear Chris. Wood in wood out as quickly and efficiently as possible,thats the ticket. I used to throw in a carton of kindling too. Five years after I had to give up firewooding big time,I was still getting phone calls from ex customers wanting their years supply. Kinda nice to go out feeling you'd done it well. Cheers from HB NZ
Hi Chris, good video. I agree, the less you touch the wood the better. I think the primary limiting factor to piling your wood is the size of your woodyard. I would love to touch the wood I split as little as possible. The less you touch it, the more money you make per hour.
The size and the surrounding landscape too. For me surrounded by bush, stacking in rows gives the best airflow, though it takes up more space and a bit more time. If I had piles (as much as I'd like to) they'd go mouldy for sure. Chris has the perfect wide open woodlot for piles to dry - wind from every direction!
I have been heating my home entirely with wood for at least 35 years. I have purchased tri-axle loads of logs a few times but mainly cut, skid, cut, spilt and stack my own wood sources. I also do some chainsaw carving. I currently own 8 chainsaws. So over the years I have simplified the process a little by doing most the work in one area. Drag logs to an area where I cut it up and split it and then stack it. As someone that uses wood for heat, I need to know exactly how much wood I have on hand so I know I have enough. I can understand the desire to simplify the process. I have tried to purchase split wood around 5 or 6 times in all those years. Every single time the seller tells me he is bringing a cord. Not a face cord. A 4 foot by 4 foot by 8 foot stacked cord of split wood. The only time I got a full cord is when a friend of the family sold it to me. All the other times the loads came up short because the loads were not stacked. I would need to buy 4 cords to get a full 3 cords from some guys. I tried buying from a logger that didn't touch the wood at all and another guy that stacked everything but wasn't capable of doing simple math and they both came up short. You would think the guy stacking it at his home would know exactly how much wood he is bringing. He didn't stack it in cords, just rows. The idea was to test the waters and see if I could find someone reliable and honest to buy wood from as I got older. I might as well install a oil burner because at least the oil tanks have levels to show how much oil you are getting. If I have to pay more for wood I am not getting later in life, I might as well change my heating source. If I am going to have to pay more to get the cords I need to heat my home because loads are being shorted, I might as well pay more for something like heating oil because the amounts purchased would be more precise and I wouldn't need to touch it at all. Potential customers can also make their lives easier and just change to heat sources they never have to touch too. Which would make life easier for all the dishonest firewood suppliers because they wouldn't have to do anything at all anymore because they wouldn't have customers.
Good advice. OK, time to go stack my firewood. I just have a small amount so for me, stacking works. For you, not stacking make SO MUCH sense! But I can attest to the excessive touching of firewood. From collecting, to splitting, to stacking, to loading a cart and hauling up to the house for burning... it takes a lot! So anything that can cut out part of that is great. Love the cat at 15:00, so cute! One of a couple dozen that you keep fed, fat and happy. Hope they're keeping that barn mouse free!!
That was a great lecture the professor gave and it’s true. You go Chris, stack if need to save space otherwise if you’re selling then it’s a business. You decide do the kids get new shoes this year or do you burn through the money buying gloves. Keep on cutting
I did a video on this, and the bottom line i got to is stacking is needed for me as i lack space for storage. If you have space like the farm, then it makes sense not to stack it. Less touching = more money
I used to pile all the wood i sold on stone in long windrows. One wet fall the oak that was beautiful in july started sucking up rain water and growing mushrooms and getting moldy.. I now stack in single rows with room to drive tractor between rows dries much better than piles. But it is much more work no doubt. But nobody sells any drier nicer wood than i do unless it came out of a kiln.
i often watched your older videos where you would make a stack when cutting it then stack it into your trailer to deliver then stack for the customer. Enough energy used there to cut another cord. I was glad to hear you say the air gets into tossed piles better than a stacked almost solid block of wood. A cord of wood here is one that is tossed not stacked.
Chris I have watched all of your videos. I have been following you for years. You are a Professional in my view. Keep up the great work!! Just ignore the negative Nancy's!! Hope you have a great day.
Chris I have taken your advice and decided to start doing some firewood in big bins. I put down pallets and walls similar to yours and am filling it with wood. I have 16-17 full cords in the bin now and increasing each week. I am still seperating the oak and locust because I want them seperate for one more year to see how this works out. Love not stacking but I am throwing all the wood up in the bin.
Stacking wood is one of those things that everyone seems to have a strong opinion about. Like most opinions, it often isn't based on much other than, "That's how we've always done it." People have to get it through their heads that what you're doing is a totally different scale than cutting a few cords a year for personal consumption. White oak is priced for shipbuilding, but most of the time it was used to frames, probably due to cost and weight. It's significantly less porous than other types of wood but will of course absorb some water. After launching a wooden boat for the first time, or after storage it takes a bit of time for the wood to swell up (absorb water) and make the joints tighter. Bilge pumps run often during this time. Also, the buoyancy of the wood itself has nothing to do with why wooden boats float. The wood is so waterlogged that most of it would probably sink if the boat broke up. Archimedes figured out that buoyant vessels displace a volume of water equal to their weight. This is why materials that are heavier than water can be used to build boats. Alumium, Steel, and even concrete!
Good explanation Chris I see a guy did the math and looks like your right on with the baby dumper 👍 oh yeah that on the reply on the dealer of the dump trailers I found 2 but closest one was 10.5 hrs away but thumb is closer thanks again have a good day
Everything you said is correct, as your operation has grown and you’re now in a different setting to store your wood. Things change , if I had the space I too would throw it in a pile and not worry but as I have to keep it on my driveway, I stack , keeps neighbors happy and more importantly the wife happy but if I had an acre of land it would be in a domed roof open sided shed. That’s how the wood producers do it here in England as it rains too much. Have a good day.
A cord of loose thrown firewood is 180 cubic feet, a stacked cord is 128. That’s 29% larger, thats a lot of extra airspace to dry wood. I wouldn’t be surprised if the people who say it doesn’t dry as well piles theirs under trees to let it get full of wet leaves in the fall. If they are doing that they just have a compost pile. LOL I did comment on the other video of how I agreed with not stacking. There is a big difference in looking at firewood and moving firewood. Time is money.
Hey Chris, I aggree with everything you explained about stacking firewood. But I was confused by the 25% more space that loose firewood is supposed to take up. Maybe other viewers feel the same. It is more like 50%. The bed of your truck is 5x6.5×2, which is 65 cubicfeet. A facecord is 42.6. 65 divided by 42.6 is roughly 1.5. I'm a farmer from Germany and I also sell firewood. Love the channel. Go on with the nice work.
I do both, i stack some oak, and such for 2 year season time.... but the mountain sized pile of douglas fir gets sold by trailer loads in summer. Stopping the stacking of 20to 30 or so cords saves days of labor. Especially since im a slow stacker. 😂 You are 100% right. Oh and a good number for a tossed in cord of wood, is 180 to 185 cu ft of wood tossed in to make a stacked cord.
I agree. For volume amounts and commercial sellers it doesn't make sense to stack. For most homeowners who may have the stacks in the same spot for 2-3 years, stacking makes sense.
Chris next video on this topic, you should stack 4-6 face cords, throw them in 1 at a time and using all your vehicles whenever you get a order and show these people that you aren't off on your measurements. Hopefully you understand what I'm saying.
That is a good idea, If I had a bunch of spare time I would do that. I know I am right others know they are right and I am okay with them thinking whatever they want.
As a homeowner i stack the wood, because it looks better. If you live in a res neighborhood, you dont want a messy pile of wood in the yard, especially if it sits through the summer. Weeds and grass growing up around it. its a courtesy to your neighbors to keep your yard neat and clean.
Last year I made a huge wood bin for my maple and I threw in 5 cords of maple. It dried just fine and no mold at all. Last week I made another bin and I loaded it up with 5 cords of oak. Im a bit worried about the oak since it just takes longer to dry. Next week I am going to build a cherry bin as I have 8 cords of cherry to split.
Growing up the only place we ever stacked wood was in the water stove shed . Every thing else was tossed into piles . We had an old open barn we just tossed it in and it would dry just fine . From the time I started sailing fire wood all piled like yours 30 plus years now . Ain’t nobody got time to stack that much wood .
@@InTheWoodyard Wow! 😂 You make decent videos. It’s probably better for you to go viral and be the big RU-vid star rather than some kid spewing nonsense.
2 each his own ,done both ways ,out west we delivered most of our wood from loose piles ,easy to measure with wheel barrel then mark truck or trailer, contractors wheel barrel is 6 cubic feet ,cord is 22 wheel barrels
The standard for wood not stacked, 16" long, is 180cf. . Anyone that contacts a weights and measurement department, is going to get quoted that. . The only reason id stack, is for say someone wanted 2.5 cord. And unstacked it would take 3 round trips stacked it would take 2 round trips. Because id be saving hours of driving by eliminating the 3rd round trip. With a half load. 0.01c
Since i always try to find free wood, i always unload my truck right onto the splitter with the logs, then directly behind me is a row on 2x4's on cement blocks that is 24 ft long, i then shove a pole or even a branch inch into the cinderblock hole and get to town stacking from off the splitter. I do it slowly over time and it adds up at the end of the year, i can usually to 2 full cords but since space in limited and i stack the wood to my head level, it's always more and the pile looks like a big Y shape. That's how i do mine with limited space. The two full rows i stack are probably closer to 3 cords. I used to do pallets, but stepping on them and moving them and having to clean up after them was not worth it, cement blocks and PT 2x4 should last way longer, and the boards never freeze into the ground like the big pallets do. Easier to move around the pile to load up.
You are right about stacking. Will you ever have so much wood mess under the pallets you need to redo them? Not much now but maybe once filled 10 times?
In my garage. The seasoned over summer is all stacked. When I split and toss in my garage. That gets left loose and I'll grab some blended in semi dry wood for certain fires. My outside split wood is stacked. The stuff outside that needs split still is piled and loose
People (especially here in America) hate change. Chris... Change will quickly make Haters out of them, in a New York second! Screw the haters and continue to make progress.
Off our processors we havent stacked wood since maybe 2007.. like ya said it pointless and double the work. When i get back up north in the spring time i might have a bigger elevator id sell ya. Its 65 ft and goes up about 28 ft.. can pull it with a pickup. Something to think about. I have 3 of em. .
@InTheWoodyard they came out of an old gravel pit.. i wanna say 32 inch wide belt, 1/3 horse elec motor on em to run, they work good, ive used em for a few years .
I.e. - Stacking is Janitorial work. Janitors are an important part of many(but not all) Business', however their work is NOT production and is an actual Expense to the business. * on the other hand, for the Residential Home owner, Pallet fences holding piles of firewood are not very appealing.
i had a thirty cord pile 4-5 years ago that fuzzy mild went all through, i moved woodyards and went from a sandy soil base to a muddy base, i blame this as i never had trouble before, the entire pile was fuzzy moldy, had to sell very discounted. now i pile at old wood yard loaction still and stack on pallets at new woodyard. i selll stacked wood as preimium very high price using my best stock, pilled is grade b wood load with tractor. point of the story is piles are great but i think soil its on is what i blame for my mold year. havnt tried on piles on pallets but theres always tommorow
I don't have the space, and I enjoy the '3-D-jigsaw' thing going on with my stacks on pallets. But I'm just a homeowner with 12Kw of woodstoves to feed.
We heat with wood, no selling. 6-8 real cords/year harvested off the back 40 ( 60a) . I love ( did I say "LOVE" ?) looking at my stacks all winter. Hey, I'll even walk out to snort the varied species and stare ( OCD ) at diminishing stacks until Spring . Different strokes Chris. Love your stuff however. You are the MBA of firewood capitalism. JMNSHO
Every other fuel is sold by weight or liquid volume so exact BTU count is possible. Wood should be sold the same way, by weight. This would insure that the customer is always getting the exact BTUs they paid for and would make it extremely easy to load.
@@InTheWoodyardi I am going to purchase a loader bucket scale, these devices use hydraulic pressure to weigh in the bucket, they are inexpensive. Then I am going to measure out a full cord of oak and ash and weigh it. This will make it very easy to load the trailers using the bucket. The roadside stand we will still use volume. We are still going to keep the wood dry in a large 3 sided car port as even water on the surface of the wood adds weight just as you never buy stone at a quarry on a rainy day. Thanks for the video, I enjoy your channel.
When you were young and at home your dad had slaves (children) to stack the wood. Each touch now w/o slaves increases your costs so the less handling the better I completly in this case agree with you. Ray
🤣 I can see the comments from that video got you a bit worked up! You are NOT wrong. If we had more room I would not stack either. I will stack all day long if I could stop doing my least favorite part. Cutting and moving BRUSH!! Logs loads would be awesome! Take care Sir Chris👍🏻👍🏻GNI
