Jaf Holz
Florencia Abila
The circular form of a holz hausen means that every block of wood exerts roughly equal pressure on every other block at its level. The blocks help hold each other in place. If the wood is stacked carefully, the holz hausen not only retains its shape as the wood shrinks, it actually becomes stronger as the individual pieces settle in together, grabbing on to each other and to the cross pieces inside.
A wood stack for one cord of wood 128 cubic feet is not much problem if you have limited space. But if you heat with wood, finding room for five to eight cords of wood to dry out over the summer or over a year, if necessary becomes more of a problem. We built our home on a fairly steep mountainside, and level spots are hard to come by. Every summer I had long stacks of firewood down by the garden, up by the house, and wherever I could fit it. When I strung out a Great Wall of Firewood along the driveway, my wife drew the line. Three or four handsome cylinders of wood out back are a much better use of space.
Start your holz hausen on level ground, with maximum exposure to sun and wind. Cover the ground with gravel or a thick layer of bark, or some other material to keep your firewood away from the moisture in the soil. Pound a stake into the ground, and tie a string around it. Cut the string off four feet from the stake, and knot it to prevent unraveling. This is your measuring string the radius of the holz hausen.
Begin stacking your firewood with the outside of each block aligned with the far end of your measuring string. This way, your beginning row of blocks will be tilted in toward the center, helping ensure the stability of your stack.
When the stack is about three feet high, place two 8-foot cross poles right across the stack. I make these from natural wood poles I cut from my property. Place them at right angles to each other, and make sure the ends are aligned with the outsides of the blocks. This will help hold the holz hausen together as it rises. Place a second set of cross poles between the 5- and 6-foot levels, and continue stacking at least two more feet of blocks above this to hold it steady.
This inner woodpile serves two purposes. One, its bulk helps hold the mass in place and increases its stability even further. Two, it allows you to dry more wood in the same area than if the holz hausen were hollow. I like to throw drier pieces into the center. This reduces the total amount of moisture that needs to be removed from the stack, and ensures that if the drying process is slower than anticipated, I still have well-dried wood in the center.
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