Don't Stack Split Firewood - Here's Why

He explains why he sometimes stacks firewood as unsplit rounds to dry, then splits it right before burning, focusing on labor savings, drying behavior, and climate/wood-species differences. --- ## 1. Introduction and setup - States the common practice: split firewood first, then stack to dry. - Introduces his alternative: stack and dry **rounds** first, then split just before burning. - Promises to show advantages: less work, easier handling, and keeping wood adequately dry. --- ## 2. Labor and handling efficiency - Shows a stack that was split before stacking and notes how many individual pieces must be handled one by one. - Demonstrates stacking unsplit rounds instead, pointing out that each round replaces several small split pieces. - Emphasizes that stacking rounds is much faster than stacking many small pieces, especially when rounds are small/light softwood. - Mentions he is not editing the stacking time, changing angles only for visual interest, to illustrate the real-time speed difference. - Explains trailer workflow: - Once current rounds are moved, he can back the trailer right up to the stack. - Many rounds can be rolled or slid from trailer to stack with minimal lifting because they are already elevated. --- ## 3. Reducing re-handling over the firewood lifecycle - Describes the “split-first” method: - Split wood, drop to ground, pick up each piece to stack, then later pick up each piece again to load. - Contrasts with his “stack rounds first” method: - Only handles each round to lift it onto the stack. - Later moves splitter next to the stacked rounds, backs trailer up to splitter. - Splits rounds directly into the trailer, handling pieces only during splitting and loading, not an extra stacking step. - Jokes about “splitting eggs” vs “splitting hairs” while walking through the multiple-handling logic. - Argues that in the traditional method each small piece is handled at least three times (off splitter, onto stack, then into trailer), whereas his method reduces the total number of handling movements. - Notes that even though rounds are heavier, his body feels less tired after stacking a row of rounds than after stacking many small split pieces, due to less repetition and repetitive stress. - Adds that using better lifting form (if not trying to go fast for camera) would further reduce strain. --- ## 4. Drying behavior: split vs unsplit wood - Addresses the objection: “wood does not dry as well if it’s not split,” acknowledging that unsplit wood does dry more slowly. - Mentions a common belief that wood only dries out the ends because of how moisture moves through trees. - Argues from “undocumented, unverified circumstantial evidence” that wood can also dry out the sides, based on experience drying lumber vs whole logs. - Explains that lumber dries faster than whole logs and that stickered boards allow moisture to leave through the sides, supporting side-drying. --- ## 5. Species and climate considerations - Explains why he did pre-split some wood (madrone and oak): - Hardwoods that take a long time to dry. - Become very tough to split once fully dry, so better to split green. - Splitting green also helps reduce worminess inside the wood. - Clarifies that for some hardwoods, advantages of splitting immediately (drying speed, reduced toughness, fewer pests) justify extra labor. - States that in the current video he is dealing with Douglas fir (softwood) instead. - Notes Douglas fir dries fairly quickly in his region’s hot, dry summers and that even as rounds it will be “plenty dry” by fall. - Concedes that split wood would dry even faster, but in his climate the difference is not important for this softwood. --- ## 6. Protection from rain and ambient moisture - Describes a typical seasonal pattern: he may be away at the coast all summer and not return in time to cover the stack before fall rains. - Explains that in round form, bark provides protection and there is less surface area to absorb rain compared to split wood. - States that it takes longer for rounds to absorb water deeply because of this reduced exposed surface. - Discusses cool, damp winters in the Pacific Northwest, where wood can absorb moisture from the air. - Shares anecdotal observations (again described as undocumented): - When he splits rounds during winter, the interiors seem drier than wood that was already split and exposed. - Already-split wood, with more surface area, appears to absorb more ambient moisture. - Rounds, after drying all summer, tend to stay drier inside longer. --- ## 7. Why stack rounds instead of leaving a loose pile - Raises the question: if he is leaving wood as rounds, why stack instead of leaving them in a heap. - Answers that stacked rounds are easier to cover before winter rains. - Notes he has limited space and wants the wood in a compact, controlled spot rather than scattered dump piles. --- ## 8. When the method makes sense (and when it doesn’t) - Emphasizes that he is not claiming this is always the best way, just an option for certain situations. - Frames stacking rounds first as another “tool in your toolbox” to use when conditions (species, climate, workflow, space) make sense. - Points out there are many cases where this approach would not be practical or advisable, though he does not list them exhaustively (implied: slow-drying hardwoods, wetter climates, etc.). - Lightly comments that creators sometimes need to clarify this because of how viewers interpret YouTube content. --- ## 9. Meta commentary and closing - Jokes about YouTube “ridiculous, misleading, clickbait titles” and how creators avoid responsibility by pretending that isn’t a factor. - Mentions another common YouTube tactic: stretching videos for more watch time, even when the main point is already covered. - States he will not do that here and aims to keep the video under eight minutes, potentially avoiding a mid-roll ad for viewers. - Ends by offering links to other videos for viewers to watch next.