# WHY Stack Firewood......Really WHY.....???



## Sourdough (Dec 28, 2011)

I always figured it was because it helped it dry. But that assumes that if just chucked in a pile that it does not dry. Sometimes I stack, sometimes I just throw it into as high a pile as I can chuck it.

I guess if space was an issue, stacking does require much less space, and it does look good stacked nice and neatly.

So are you a stacker or a chuck-it........????


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## Crankin (Jul 13, 2015)

I like the symmetry of the stack. But when I first cut I would chuck.:whistlin: 



Crankin


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

Chuck and then stack... stacking is my job outside inside my son comes and does it.


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## Sawmill Jim (Dec 5, 2008)

Most times I stack easier to keep dry and free of water,ice ,snow ect . This year all my wood is inside with a entry next to the stove .:thumb:
I hate to ware the bark off moving it so many times :shrug:


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## sisterpine (May 9, 2004)

We generally chuck it when we first get it home in the spring so it can dry before being split in the fall. After it is split it is stacked so we know how many cords we are using.


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## Oldshep (Mar 28, 2015)

I stack...criss-cross to help drying, and so I know how many cords I have. My father-in-law just chucks it in and it seems to work just fine for him.


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## logbuilder (Jan 31, 2006)

Minimizes ground contact.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

We split our firewood in the woods on the same day as we cut and block it. Then, on the same day, we throw it in the back of the pickup and deliver it to where we stack it.

We stack on pallets and cover the top of the stacks with a tarp. We like to keep snow and rain off of our split firewood. I can't imagine how we would cover a huge stack.


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## silkcreekfarm (Jul 28, 2015)

We stack it so it is out of the way where we keep it. It is covered but out in the open so we have limited space there so it just keeps it nicer if its stacked. 

Bil


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## Ozarks Tom (May 27, 2011)

Okay, I'll admit it, I'm a neat freak. We have limited space, and a huge pile of firewood would drive me crazy. Also, it dries much better with a cover over it and in winter I'm not hauling snow into the house.


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

It needs to be under some kind of cover. One could chuck it a shed, but that shed won't hold near as much as if stacked. One could chuck it in a pile, cover it with a tarp....but then you have the problems of tarps blowing off, rotting in the sunlight, and so on.

So I stack in 4 cord sheds.


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## cfuhrer (Jun 11, 2013)

If we had cord wood we would stack it.

I am a neat freak. And, in my mind, neatly stacked equates to less vermin.


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## chestnut (Sep 9, 2008)

I always spilt and stack in open wood shed. Dries better with air blowing through it.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

I chuck as I split then when the one corner of the shed is about full I start stacking it is amazing how a pile that nearly half filled the shed stacked only makes a row or row and a half the shed holds 5 rows front to back and I can stack it up into the rafters 7 feet tall

that stuff up right under the roof is extra dry come first snow as it never even got drop of rain on it or snow blown in grab an arm full of that to get the fire going for the day then load up the bins with lower wood


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## CajunSunshine (Apr 24, 2007)

When in a blazing hurry, I chuck the firewood, then split and stack it later when time permits... 

Because 100% of my winter heat comes from a wood-burning stove, firewood that is designated for storage is treated with much better care...from top to bottom. To deter insects, I sprinkle diatomaceous earth liberally on the ground and between the layers of wood. For long term storage, I like to make a double row of concrete blocks then stack the wood onto the concrete, to protect from ground moisture. Rat/mousetraps go into the spaces between the blocks. No rodents = no snakes. A layer of tin roofing material goes on top (secured with concrete blocks). 

What I really want is a sure 'nuff woodshed (sigh...someday)!

I may try stacking wood the Scandinavian way soon, according to this Mother Earth News article (see photo at the article):

http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/a-better-way-to-stack-firewood.aspx 


.


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## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

I do most of my splitting right in front of the wood shed, then just chuck in a heap in the shed. It's big enough to hold a years supply of wood, without stacking and it dries just fine.
Learned a long time ago, everything associated with firewood is "work", so any little step you can take out of the process saves a little effort. I'm pretty efficient, but look at all of these steps:

Saw it up in the woods
Load cut logs in the wagon
Pile up the limbs and brush
Haul wood up to the shed
Unload and split
Toss into shed
Haul processed wood to the house to feed stove
Haul out and dispose of the ashes.
Tack on the work associated with maintaining your firewood equipment and it gets pretty crazy.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

We once has an INs. agent say our firewood was a tripping hazard. I found that very strange as any kind of farm living/property has many "hazards". 
I split, dh, stacks.The same when we did not have a hy. splitter. I've always did the splitting, even in my first marriage homestaeding in the 70's.


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

One reason to stack is to know how much you have. Another is to limit places for rodents and snakes to hide. Whatever floats your boat.


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

Why stack? to prevent little critters taking up residence in a pile of wood.


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## DaleK (Sep 23, 2004)

My big pile is usually 50-100 cords in my old bunker silo just as it falls off the elevator. Whatever won't split or isn't good enough to sell gets diverted and dumped into my woodshed or my parents shed and stacked at least as much as it can be since it's usually odd shapes, and after they're full it gets dumped in a separate pile.


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## Roadking (Oct 8, 2009)

Why stack it? 
It gives our kiddos a good work out when they deliver it, keeps it off the ground, limits the critters hiding in it...and I like the look... kind of outdoor decorations.

Matt


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

A friend of mine uses a gasoline-powered splitter and doesn't stack his firewood. He says it helps him get the job done quicker so he has more time to go to the gym.


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## Fennick (Apr 16, 2013)

I stack it for some of the other reasons explained above - it dries better, has less likelihood of rot setting in or fungus growing on it, takes up less space, has less vermin in it - but most importantly I stack it because stacked wood is easier and *safer* for me and youngsters to remove wood from than a haphazard pile of chucked wood is. Chucked piles are the easy, lazy way to toss together a wood pile but are dangerous to life and limb when you're removing wood and dislodged pieces start falling down on you or if you have to climb up on them.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

Cabin Fever said:


> A friend of mine uses a gasoline-powered splitter and doesn't stack his firewood. He says it helps him get the job done quicker so he has more time to go to the gym.


Why pay to go to the gym when you can stack firewood for free?:shrug:


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## Malamute (Sep 15, 2011)

I've done both, I much prefer stacked. Less bending over every day, no knees in the snow/mud/dirt, less of the wood exposed to the snow when you need an armload. Takes up less yard space. Looks better.


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

terri9630 said:


> Why pay to go to the gym when you can stack firewood for free?:shrug:


Woodcutting, spliting and stacking was accepted in place of sports for homeschooling in our district..


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## NEfarmgirl (Jan 27, 2009)

The people that owned the property we live at before us threw their wood into piles. Multiple piles all over; one was in the middle of the yard. It was messy and the bark was falling off leaving a bigger mess. When we tried to clean it up there were snakes and mice in and under the wood. One pile we just burned where it was and an opposum was in it. Stacked wood is much easier to deal with and there are the critter issues. It is more work, but it's worth it if I don't have to see mice or snake runningslithering when I get an armful.


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## Nimrod (Jun 8, 2010)

Ole and Sven vere cutting vood up nord. Sven got tired of cutting vood so he vent down to the Cities and applied for a yob mit Northwest Airlines. He vas hired youst like dat. 

He wrote Ole a letter and told vhat happened. Ole came down to the Cities and applied at Northwest too. The interviewer asked Ole vhy he thought Northwest had a yob dat used his skills. He explained dat Sven applied and got hired youst like dat. The interviewer asked vhat Sven did. Ole said he cut the vood and Sven pile it.


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## JeepHammer (May 12, 2015)

Stacking maximizes outside air flow, helps the wood dry and stay dry.
Stacking split wood bark up will help make water run off and minimize rot,
Small critters taking up residence.

You have to remember, in older days not all wood got dragged back to the house right away, often left to dry for two or three years in the woods where it was cut & split.

Long runs were often used to block snow drifts, while keeping firewood close to the house.
Wood was often stacked against the house for extra wind block/insulation,
And often stacked between porch posts to block weather from the porch.

Good dry wood that had dried to the point the bark shucked off wouldn't attract critters/incsects like wet wood/bark would.

Old timers wouldn't burn wood that didn't have at least 2 or 3 years to dry,
Chimney fires being a home killer, and chimney liners not being what they are today,
Dry wood wouldn't coat the chimney like green wood will.

Post & Beam sheds were often closed in with firewood making for more comfortable space in the winter when you have walls of any kind.
Shelter for work and livestock is a big issue we don't think about today since tin or other siding is so cheap,
In days past, harvesting timber, getting it to the mill, getting the lumber cut & dried was an expensive, time consuming ordeal...
Stacking firewood that was dried in the woods to the shed in the fall, providing walls for the winter, 
In the spring when the weather got better, the wood was used up and you had ventlation again for the hot months...

Firewood stacks were often seperated to prevent all your hard chopped/sawed wood from going up in smoke in the event of a grass fire or spontaneous combustion.
Spontaneous combustion is still a concern if the wood is very green/wet when piled up,
I've never heard of split/stacked wood going up on its own.

You will get more BTUs from dry wood, the heat won't be wasted drying moisture out of the wood if its dry to start with.


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## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

I don't buy the notion that stacked firewood dries any better than heaped. Maybe when stacked outdoors in the weather it's a little more protected, but firewood should be stacked under protection anyway if you want it to dry out good in a timely fashion. In either case their are gaps and open voids that allow some airflow, and probably more open space in a heaped pile.

Also don't buy the notion that stacked holds less vermin than heaped. Mice and chipmunks are going to take up residence in a wood pile regardless based on my experience of storing both ways. Don't find my heaped pile any more dangerous regarding tip over, than a stacked pile either.

In my view, neatly stacking your firewood is just one of those "feel good" things some folks do because they like the way it looks, or something you do when you have limited storage space. From what I've seen, the folks that really burn a lot of wood could not much care about the neatness of their pile, so long as it's kept dry somewhere. Stacking just adds another step of work to a process that has plenty of work in it to start with.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Last year for the first time I had a pile of wood for my cookstove, pile instead of stacked. It was a pain. No matter what snow got blown under the tarp and I had to smack each hunk of split with another to get it out to make an arm full to bring into the house. We stack our wood for the heat against the pole barn and cover the top. Don't have to smack those.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Frankly because it would be way, way too easy to not stack. So the little voice in my head says "sta-a-a-ack". 

Two reason, although I'm not sure of their validity. One is that a random pile would have a large contact area with the ground and some woukd likely be molded, fungused or rotted into unusability as I have nowhere sheltered large enough for a pile. 
And two, a random pile might be unstable enough to come tumbling down on the head of a person rushing out in a furious storm to grab a few pieces. I have been the recipient of a poorly stacked (I did it) log collapse and it hurt.


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## osbmail (Mar 6, 2014)

Stack in firewood shed.I have done the holz housen round stack method before which does good but still need a tarp with rain we have had the last couple years.


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## NJ Rich (Dec 14, 2005)

Cabin Fever said:


> We split our firewood in the woods on the same day as we cut and block it. Then, on the same day, we throw it in the back of the pickup and deliver it to where we stack it.
> 
> We stack on pallets and cover the top of the stacks with a tarp. We like to keep snow and rain off of our split firewood. I can't imagine how we would cover a huge stack.


I buy split wood and wheel it past my patio and stack it on pallets that are on pieces of masonry block and cement bricks similar to what does CF & WIHH. I tarp the top of the stacks down the sides about a foot or two depending on the stack. The more i use the further down the sides the tarp extends. I like to have some air flow through and around the wood.

Last year we burned three cords of hard wood. This coming winter the biggest El Nino in 50 years is expected according to the national weather forecasters. They say it is too early to say how that will affect this winters weather.

We may get 4 cords this year. At the end of heating season I stack the left over wood down the yard on cement blocks and use that first when we start heating with wood again. :cowboy:

I just read about critters living ion the wood pile. I usually get mice in mine and put out mouse killing baits.


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## Roadking (Oct 8, 2009)

Just ordered another cord... will take the boys about an hour to stack when it arrives.

Matt


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## doingitmyself (Jul 30, 2013)

In my experience here in the Midwest amongst the corn fields anywhere wood is there are mice and critters. I have had piles with tarps, stacks with tarps, piles without tarps, stacks without tarps, all had mice. What i do now is split it, pile it untarped, toss in some wax mouse bait when ever i think of it, leave it alone depending on the species 1-3 years. Then come fall i stack it in rows species segregated onto my large trailer, put trailer into the tool shed for use that winter, the shed is only slightly heated. 

It sure is nice to pick whatever species I want off the trailer snow free, under cover and according to my heating needs that evening. I keep glue boards all round the shed interior perimiter all the time to keep the mice at bay. Too busy to make neat stacks to let dry, for me that cuts out one stacking time and back investment, your experience may be different.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Bad back and bad hips mean it's simply too painful and dangerous to lean over a pile to pick up wood. And we just don't have a lot of room for piles. We have cement pavers laid out in a row and stack the wood on top, tarp over all to keep off the snow and ice.

Dh just uncovered the stack that has been sitting since late winter and found over a dozen snake skins in it. Last year I found piles of nut shells. Doesn't matter how it's laid out, it's dark and sheltered and it will have critters in it.


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## watcher (Sep 4, 2006)

When I had the room I piled it when I didn't I stacked it. Neither way seemed to have more problems than the other.

IMO the amount of time and effort spent in making nice neat stacks is not worth it. I guess you have to ask yourself; how many man hours are you spending to make that nice stack and could they be better used for something else?


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## Authentic (Aug 12, 2015)

Stacking firewood helps snake viability. Folks here talk about a 'laughing snake." If it bites anyone they will die laughing. Nobody has died like that yet...

www.itsnotmymountainanymore.com


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

When snakes around here are still active there is no need to burn firewood for heat...it's still hot outside. Only when the snake population is in hibernation is it cold enough to start burning firewood. Of course, we don't have any poisonous snakes....


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## cornbread (Jul 4, 2005)

Stacking off the ground Minimizes ground contact, and it dries faster.


I also split my firewood in the woods on the same day as we cut it. Then I load it in the pickup and bring it home my wife and I love looking at it all stacked and drying.

We have about 7 or 8 cord's cut and stacked now we try to have two years cut and stacked.

We are 99% wood heat and love it.

Be SAFE.



*Love the people who treat you right.*
* Forget about the ones who don't.*


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## Vickie44 (Jul 27, 2010)

I stack mine along the pasture fence down the side yard. Takes up less space, bolsters the fence and blocks a little wind. I find it easier to cover and uncover ( after sweeping off snow ) and I like being able to see what kind of wood is stacked in what area so I can pick out what type of wood and size of pieces I need. This way I can get a good mix when I move it onto the porch. 
Upstate NY I have seen some very artistic wood stacking , spiral walls and structures, it was pretty cool looking


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## Jenn (Nov 9, 2004)

Geometrically a loose pile has a lot more contact with the ground than stacks so more of it will rot/ be wet. Even if you somehow raise your pile then you need a larger raised platform than for a stack. I rarely burn wood- only outside in a fire pit or in my bee smoker- but the bottom row of logs is only good for hugelkultur by the time I get to it so I stack mine.


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## Conhntr (Aug 7, 2010)

I do piles. I lay branches in a cross hatch pattern to keep it off the ground then pile it until its about 5' tall and 8-10' wide and throw a big tarp over it. Straight off the splitter and just throw the pieces until its a good size pile the. Move the splitter and start a new pile. The first couple piles i use before its good and froozin i use the tractor to shove it over the day before i start using it to scare out all the snakes and stuff. 

This year i found a hookup for slab wood and have 4 cords of oak slabwood and am hooping i like it. Much much less work and was very cheap. I just cut it right on the trailer and tossed the pieces in my pile 1 cut, 1 toss and tarp and done. No limbs no moving logs no splitting no drying. I hope it burns good.


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## Sourdough (Dec 28, 2011)

I fell about 20 to 30 and limb them on the top and part of side, but leave enough limbs on the bottom that the tree is off the ground. Flag them so I can find them in the snow. When the snow is right, I but a choker on 4 or 5 at a time and drag them off the mountain with the little Case 450B. 

In the early spring I buck them up, and leave the rounds as they fall. Early winter I split them with log splitter, and use the dozer to push them into a pile. Just leave the pile for near a year, then stack. Generally one or two years ahead, but getting old, and so plan to try to get 3 or 4 years ahead.


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## CJHames (Dec 25, 2013)

Cabin Fever said:


> We split our firewood in the woods on the same day as we cut and block it. Then, on the same day, we throw it in the back of the pickup and deliver it to where we stack it.
> 
> We stack on pallets and cover the top of the stacks with a tarp. We like to keep snow and rain off of our split firewood. I can't imagine how we would cover a huge stack.


I do the same thing. The pallets are free and very handy. Works great. Plus, stacking it allows me to see how much wood I have (we sell some of our wood each year). When it comes time to deliver a half or full cord I don't have to think about whether or not my delivery of wood is fair and accurate, I know it is.


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## Midgard (Jan 23, 2015)

I chuck, split, and then stack. After I finish stacking, I cover it with a fire-resistant tarp. It looks neat. I have a good idea of how much wood I have and how much I've used.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Midgard said:


> I chuck, split, and then stack. After I finish stacking, I cover it with a fire-resistant tarp. It looks neat. I have a good idea of how much wood I have and how much I've used.


I have never heard of a fire resistant tarp. Do you have a brand name?


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

where I want to said:


> I have never heard of a fire resistant tarp. Do you have a brand name?


There's a few. 

http://www.google.com/search?q=fire...4.mobile-heirloom-serp..3.17.1627.MD7KGths8HY


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

terri9630 said:


> There's a few.
> 
> http://www.google.com/search?q=fire...4.mobile-heirloom-serp..3.17.1627.MD7KGths8HY


Thanks.


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## JohnP (Sep 1, 2010)

I have a big pile a few hundred feet away and bring up loads and stack up against the cabin as time(winter) goes by. Not enough room to have it all close to the house and whether it's stacked or thrown, there _will_ be packrats in it so I prefer the long term packrat condo to stay a few hundred feet away. The stacks against the house are used up too quickly for them to take up housing in. 
Those Scandinavian piles look pretty cool but I would feel like I'm building an upscale, stylish condo for packrats.


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## Authentic (Aug 12, 2015)

The time for snakinâ out firewood was after the last wagon load of corn was hauled from withering November fields and stored in the barn. Dad rolled the wagon into the shed, scotched the wheels, and wired the shaves to log barn rafters. This signaled the time when horse and mules enjoyed a short season of rest. In spring, summer, and harvest time, our mule Kate worked every day in the fields except Sunday. After harvest, she rested in the pasture until it was time to replenish the firewood supply from last year.
The day came when Dad took the crosscut saw down from the barn rafters to sharpen its mighty teeth with special files. My oldest brother, Edward shouldered the sharp saw, and he and Mama took off for the woods. Dad gathered the leather harness from the gear room, and then went to fetch Kate. Walking through the pasture, Dad caught her by the halter and then led her to the barn. He checked her teeth, feet and ears, assuring himself that she was in good health. Slowly he worked a sugar-coated metal bit into her reluctant mouth. Usually the mule backed away and flinched. âWHOA KATE!â echoed about the home place. Next he slid a worn bridle over her ears, and then buckled it into place under her neck. He tied the bridle reins to a post while he strapped a U shaped, padded collar in place around her neck. Next he swung the harness onto her back, then straightened and buckled it to the collar. Moving to the rear of the mule, he pulled her tail free from the end strap. Slowly, he loosed the trace chains from the end of the harness and hooked them to the single tree with a swivel attached to it, protecting the mule in case the log rolled. He swapped the cotton plow lines on the harness for twenty-two-foot long leather check lines that would not snag on roots and rocks as she pulled heavy logs to the wood yard. Wrapping the check lines around his callused hands, he gently flicked Kateâs side with the lines, saying, âGit up!â The two of them headed into the woods to the site where Mama and Edward had timber on the ground ready for the mule to pull to the wood yard.
Edward now recalls, âFirst, Iâd chop a wedge out in the base of the tree, then sink the blade as deep as I could in the cut. The handle would point the direction the tree would fall.
You couldnât hardly pull a crosscut saw with Dad because he would ride the handles. That meant extra work on the other end of the saw. I and Mama had the rhythm figured out. We could cut faster than a chain saw today. Usually we fell five or six trees, then cut them into eight foot logs. Itâs hard work. Iâve blooded my knees a many of a time pulling a crosscut saw all day long.
We didnât trim any limbs off, so there was no brush to fool with. Dad backed the mule up to the log, hitched it up, and dropped the check lines. Kate went by herself to the wood yard where brother Ellis waited to unhook the mule and lead her back to the cutting site. Once all the logs were snaked out of the woods, I and Mama cut the trees into firewood and Ellis busted it. The limbs were used for cook stove wood. If it got wet weâd stack it in the oven to dry it out so breakfast would cook faster.â
Dad walked the sweaty mule back to the barn and put her in a stall away from winter winds. We all knew a good work mule like Kate was vital to our survival.


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## beenaround (Mar 2, 2015)

Just a pile, goes quick and most it it is from dead trees. I cut the trees as needed sooo, I guess you could say mine are neither, they're standing.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

I stack it so I can take the wood off the top without having to climb up a hill of logs. And, when there is snow on the ground I cannot pick the wood off of the ground.

Besides, it is my home and when it is stacked I can mow right up to the base.


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## Roadking (Oct 8, 2009)

Well, a stack failed us...fellover. Only 6'Lx18"Wx5'H...but still a mess. Must have not been centered on the rails...kids get another work out this weekend...LOL! Best part is...they don't want to wait for the weekend!

Matt


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## TraderBob (Oct 21, 2010)

The start of mine, I have about 3 times this now, 3 rows of 16in, 4ft high,10 ft long, just over 3 cords total. Still have another 15 or 16 to block and split:


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## BlackFeather (Jun 17, 2014)

I stack so I know how much I have, It takes 4 to 5 cord a winter ( about 14 face cord in actuality.) So I have a trees 20' apart, a row 4 feet high between them is 2 1/2 face cord, 6 rows is 15 face cord. Enough for a winter. I am on my third season of wood this year. Trying to get ahead. So I have 3 piles of wood 2 piles are for a full year and the third is 2/3 done. If I just threw it in a big pile I would have no idea how much I had. Now after I have it stacked and completed if it falls over, I don't care.


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