Oxfordshire Woodland Group

DSCF0915 by ep_1956, on Flickr

I saw these firewood stacks in the Eastern part of Germany some years ago. Their climate is much colder, but also drier than ours, and firewood will season without a rain-cover.
The wood was all scots pine.

I am in Wales, where covering from the rain is essential to keep the firewood dry and in a fit state for burning - although, I think it can initially be seasoned for say a year outdoors. But it must be undercover for the year you want to burn it.

This is my solution. It is in the garden,made with rustic timber and has a green roof. It had to be a feature as well as functional.
(excuse the mess in the third bay! - the photo was during construction - it is now filled with firewood)
Emyr

IMG_5227 by ep_1956, on Flickr

Thanks - we also like the firewood store!
I built it in spring of 2011 and we like looking at the stack so much that we are hoping to get throught his winter without going into it!

But the firewood stores that you see in the Alps take some beating.
Here is one outside a mountain restaurant - chalet style, complete with window and restaurant menu!

IMG_5254 by ep_1956, on Flickr

And another - forming the boundary between a garden and adjoining footpath

IMG_5243 by ep_1956, on Flickr

As for the use of the brake - I used that to cleave and shave the boards for the two gable ends of the shed.
I managed to get some sweet chesnut, which can be seen in the middle bay of the shed - but nothing like the quality that you have in SE England,

IMG_5193 by ep_1956, on Flickr

Here is the completed (very rustic!) gable - and a glimpse of the brake which I made from the same sweet chesnut as I used to make the end boards. After I finished, I cut the brake into firewood!

IMG_5194 by ep_1956, on Flickr

I do make some other products, mainly chairs and stools - very much as a hobby, and I found this site through the bodgers forum
http://www.bodgers.org.uk/bb/phpBB2/
Lots of stuff there that any readers here might be interested in.
Emyr

Congratulatons ep_1956,

You have won the book prize awarded for the best post of the month during October 2012.

Please PM me with your mailing address so that we can send you a copy of "Meetings with Remarkable Trees" by Thomas Pakenham.

Keep Posting !

Ken Hume - Trustee - Oxfordshire Woodland Group

Hi,

I was splitting freshly felled ash today and stacked the chordwood as per the photo :-

I wonder if this pile needs to be covered or whether the open aspect of the stack will naturally provide sufficient ventilation to allow the wood to dry out after rain and also to loose bound up water ?

Chilterns

Building a firewood drying and storage shelter need not be an expensive or time consuming process.

The make up of this Oxfordshire Woodfuel Programme Firewood stack comprises nothing more than pallets, corrugated iron (or plastic) sheeting, planks and any old sheets material. To help reduce handling its best to sort firewood into the various types such as kindling, small wood and logs. It is also a good idea to rotate draw down from the various stacks to ensure that the oldest and hence driest firewood is used first giving the more recent and hence wetter firewood a chance to dry further before use.

Riki Therivel