How To Build a Holz Hausen

First, you have to work with people that you trust to not wreck your equipment, or injure you in the process.

Second, decide what the diameter of the holz hausen will be.  A larger diameter means more wood.  The ideas of a holz hausen are, in order of importance, that it's cute, that it holds a lot of wood in a small space, and that it dries the wood faster than the traditional wood pile (I don't believe this).  Technically, the holz hausen is supposed to be as tall as it is wide.  So a 10 foot holz hausen should have a diameter of 10 feet and hold a little over 6 cords of wood.  Ask your mathematician friends to calculate the formula of a cylinder for you for the various diameters to help you in your diameter decision.

Third:  prepare the ground.  Basically this means to make sure it is flat.  I used pallets for mine because I didn't want my wood on the wet ground.  I have read about people building theirs on cement blocks and other things to raise it up so that the air gets underneath.  Use string and chalk to make a circle with the diameter you selected in step 2.

Fourth:  line your chalk circle with bricks, logs, chunks of cement... anything that will raise one end of your wood up.  You will want that outer layer to tip inward, so you have to make sure that the outer part of the layer is raised up.

Fifth:  lay down your wood pieces.  This is trickier than it sounds.  It isn't like just stacking wood in a regular wood pile.  In a regular woodpile, you are always looking for the perfect spot for the piece of wood, like a puzzle.  In a holz hausen, it's more important to always consider the circle, and where the middle is, and aim your wood accordingly. 

Sixth:  Once your outside layer is built up a little, you can put wood in the center.  This is stacked on end, in a vertical fashion.  You want this as tight as you can get it.  As your outer layer is angled down in, it is pushing on this inner layer.  You don't want the inner layer to have much give, or it will ruin the stability of your holz hausen.



Center layer is stacked on ends




Seventh:  When the center layer is complete, continue stacking the outer layer.  Once it is tall enough, put another vertical layer in the center.  Continue in this fashion until you are finished or you run out of wood :)




You will have to shim it at times to keep that outer layer tilting down into the center.