To split, or not to split: that is the question.

[Mousefield]

Put a wedge on that thumb Mouse and skip the splitter ! Some wood splits better when frozen as well. Plus you stay cooler ( no AC on my splitter) and the bugs don't bother you! :thumbsup:

Not sure if I really want another attachment, having trouble storing everything I have. :licking:

 

[groundcover]

No kidding, guess the 'ol ladies shoes do take up less space !:laughing:

 

[clemsonfor]

To me, it depends on the size of the wood and how long I have to dry it. For the past two years I have been building holz hausens. From the following pics, you can see I use a mixture of split and not split. After a year, it is dry all the way through. The only thing I found is that stacking wood on end on the ground inside keeps the bottom inside row from drying, so I started laying all wood vertically and it works just fine. :thumbsup:

The circle diameter is 10'.
The center post is 12' buried 2' in the ground.
I stack it about 9' as that's as high as I can toss it.
Its about 5.5 cords of wood in that one pile. Nice and compact.

Not poking fun, but seriously, why? Other than this looking cool, what is the point? If you made normal stacks they would dry the same and take a whole lot less planning/building time i would think.

 

[Egon]

The smaller the pieces of wood the more surface area is exposed to oxygen and it will burn easier, hotter and much more efficient. Large pieces of wood have a tendency to build up carbon on the outside [low burning temp.] which does not allow oxygen access to the wood vapours so combustion can occur.

Some years ago there was quite some discussion on Holtz Hausen.

 

[Pilot]

Birch I had in Montana never dried before splitting and if left unsplit for a couple years rotted from the inside out. OTOH, it was a bear to split.

Doug fir, pine and larch I have had split much easier when dry.

 

[lockhaven]

Not poking fun, but seriously, why? Other than this looking cool, what is the point? If you made normal stacks they would dry the same and take a whole lot less planning/building time i would think.

actually there is a very good reason, wood stack in this manner will dry much faster then in a "normal" stack some report in half the time. and it is much more resistant to falling over.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

To me, it depends on the size of the wood and how long I have to dry it. For the past two years I have been building holz hausens. From the following pics, you can see I use a mixture of split and not split. After a year, it is dry all the way through. The only thing I found is that stacking wood on end on the ground inside keeps the bottom inside row from drying, so I started laying all wood vertically and it works just fine. :thumbsup:

How do you cover it?

Thanks in advance!
David

 

[Ken45101]

Birch I had in Montana never dried before splitting and if left unsplit for a couple years rotted from the inside out. .

Yes birch with bark on will rot before it seasons.

Perhaps that implies that wood does season significantly through the sides.

 

[tcreeley]

I've heated with just wood since 1978. I used to split because everybody did. Then I thought about it and wondered about how many times I handled each piece of wood before it went into the stove. I also noticed that burn time was longer and easier to control unsplit. Now I use as big a piece of unsplit wood that will fit into the stove. The stove never goes out, just the ash! I always have a bed of coals. I burn wood that is dry- no sizzle (cut/stacked the year before- cherry, oak, maple, birch. Punky wood is not much good for heat.
I hate handling wood- there is always something else I could be doing- so no splitting. If is is too big- I use a maul. Maybe once or twice all winter.

 

[lockhaven]

How do you cover it?

Thanks in advance!
David

David, if you google building holz hausens you will find loads of information and explanations. To answer your question if built "by the book" it does not need covering because the top is slanted out with bark side up pieces forming the cover.