Earlier in the summer, I started looking for firewood. I had a big, central fireplace in the cabin, but the previous owners had burned all but a solitary piece of wood. Time to stock up.

I had no idea how much I would need, so I settled in on “a lot”. I had one vendor drop off 2 full cords of 6 foot logs. A second vendor dropped off 2 full cords of rounds. The logs required the extra step of running a chain saw before the splitting could start. I cut all but a small number of logs and got busy splitting. It would be a few more weeks before the rounds would be delivered anyway.

Lumberjack Crossfit

Since I’ve been working at home since March, having an activity to counter-balance sitting at a desk, staring at a computer has been a blessing in disguise. Although swinging a log splitting maul is work, it actually has many benefits. Yes, it is a decent workout, as is gathering up all the pieces and stacking them. But it is relaxing and satisfying, too. When a round comes flying apart after a well-aimed swing, you can’t help but smile. The next log may be a twisty, knotted up mess, so no need to get cocky.

The Science of Stacking

I saw a video online about building Holzhousens as a storage method. It looked more interesting than just stacking in rows. After filling up the storage bins in the house, and a couple racks on the porches near the doors, I had enough split wood to build two Holzhausen’s, each about 5 feet tall and 8 feet in diameter. Some people also toss odd shaped pieces in the donut hole. Mine are mostly empty, except for some old fencing cut to 8 feet long used as cross-braces, a few feet off the ground.