Firewood

schmittie

schmittie

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Since this is the place for axes, it seems an appropriate question to ask you fellas:

How long would you season oak firewood under very dry circumstances. I've bought firewood in years past (just installed wood heat in the home 3 seasons ago). half of the firewood didn't burn well. I am currently splitting and bringing home an oak tree that was cut down in late June. Here in central IL, we are under the worst drought we've seen in decades. I've brought home about a full cord and stacked without a cover, 3 sides exposed, up one foot off the ground for air circulation. Much of what I read recommends 2+ years for oak. Does that sound reasonable?

There is quite a bit of checking on the ends already....
 
A fallen log in June should season for 1 year,Best time to drop tree's for firewood here in Illinois is August.That's when all the resin's are at their peak thru-out the entire tree.make's for better coaling and btu factor's.Got access to any Black Locust get as much as you can or Hedge (use sparingly i use it to forge with and that alone should tell you how hot it burn's)
 
No hedge, but I have access to some mulberry. Recently, I learned it's in the hedge family. You are not kidding about it burning hot! I'm afraid of putting more than one piece in the firebox at a time. It might melt the chimney.
 
If your running a fire place your better of with Oak - Ash - Hickory stay away from soft wood's unless it's for kindlin.You definetly want to make sure you've got a good seal on your glass door's to subdue popping
 
doesn't really need covered now more sun and breeze will help to dry. rain will get it wet,but rain doesn't soak in to deep as internal moisture. If cut up in blocks it will dry faster than lof, more end grain exposure., if split it dries even faster. When burning season comes around cover up the wood pile before rainy season or snow get to you.

if not split up yet, some think it splits better when froze.
 
Every situation has it's own variables but here in California I season my Coast Live Oak for at least two summers.
 
I cut my wood and let it season for 2 years before burning. Under drought conditions and with good ventilation you might be able to use it after one year. Bear in mind the greener the wood, the less heat it produces and the fire will use more wood to overcome the moisture present in it. Damp or green wood will clog up a chimney requiring more frequent cleanings and generally more fiddling with the fire.
 
Bufford said:
Bear in mind the greener the wood, the less heat it produces and the fire will use more wood to overcome the moisture present in it. Damp or green wood will clog up a chimney requiring more frequent cleanings and generally more fiddling with the fire.
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This is probably why Pine has such a bad reputation. Its used pretty much as a famine wood and usually isnt seasoned properly. That results in poor heat output, quick burn up and oodles of creosote. If you season pine for 2 years it burns hot, albeit quick, and fairly clean (cleaner than poorly seasoned hardwoods for example).
 
All we burn around these parts is bettle kill lodge pole pine.
After its been 'standings dead' for a couple of years, I just cut it and burn it!
 
So long as I have it split and stacked (in cross-wise layers) by early June it will be ready for winter. Best to have it split and drying by the end of April. Air circulation is everything.

One caveat, I have a small fireplace and my wood is generally cut not longer than 15" and split into pieces no larger than 4"-5". It makes a difference.
 
I like cutting wood 2 years ahead of time for a couple of reasons. 1) it allows for drying time, but 2) for the reason of unexpected illness or injury that could prevent one from cutting and splitting wood. There was the year I underwent extensive surgery for Chrons that left me unable to do much for a season. Coming home from the hospital to see a big wood pile ready to go was very comforting since I cannot afford furnace oil as a main heat source.
 
Bufford said:
I like cutting wood 2 years ahead of time for a couple of reasons. 1) it allows for drying time, but 2) for the reason of unexpected illness or injury that could prevent one from cutting and splitting wood. There was the year I underwent extensive surgery for Chrons that left me unable to do much for a season. Coming home from the hospital to see a big wood pile ready to go was very comforting since I cannot afford furnace oil as a main heat source.
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*I don't think it's a good idea*
But, I know a fellow that lives off grid up here with us (he lives about 8 mi away). They have been up here for 13 yrs now, he is in his mid 60's and NEVER has a wood pile. He just cuts on an as needed basis no matter how cold it is. We're at 5200' and he's a little above 6000', so most of his firewood is gotten with a snowmobile. I like to cut in the snow too, but I do like to have a few cords ready just in case something happened.
 
bearhunter said:
*I don't think it's a good idea*
But, I know a fellow that lives off grid up here with us (he lives about 8 mi away). They have been up here for 13 yrs now, he is in his mid 60's and NEVER has a wood pile. He just cuts on an as needed basis no matter how cold it is. We're at 5200' and he's a little above 6000', so most of his firewood is gotten with a snowmobile. I like to cut in the snow too, but I do like to have a few cords ready just in case something happened.
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I like to cut the next years wood in the winter, that way it can season and I still get to play in the woods with the snow.
 
If you are just heating your home with the wood, a cord or two will be fine. But if you cook and heat with your stove, no less than 3 cords is needed.

I usually let my wood set for a year or so, I cut it in the summer and use some of it that winter and the rest next winter. I live in south Georgia, so it doesn't get very cold here and it stays very wet all year around. My wood is stacked in my barn, and I fit about 4 cords in there. Even with the humidity, it drys fairly fast. Now I'm not that much of an expert on seasoning wood, because I typically cut wood in the summer and burn it that winter...and so far its worked just fine for me. I may be doing it wrong, but I've been doing it for 10 years now.

Back when I first started burning wood, I to stacked it and arranged it perfectly. But after a while (you either just stop caring or you get good at it) you dont put much thought into stacking it. Yes wood needs space to breath and dry, but the natural stacking of wood provides enough air space.

I must mention that I have a pot belly stove, and it requires wood no longer than 10 inches. So all my wood is cut to size and split before stacking. I dont know what you have for a stove, but I recommend that you split your wood. It drys MUCH faster that way.
 
Thanks for the tips gentlemen. The wood I have brought home is all split and stacked, ready to go when IT is ready.

In past years, everything I have cut has been allowed to dry a minimum of 12 months before use. I currently have several cords of cherry, walnut, oak, mulberry, mystery wood, etc ready for this winter.

My question was really geared more towards - does split oak dry faster during a drought (as in less than a year) or does cut and split oak need a MINIMUM of a year to dry out?

What I am using is a fireplace, with a blower, to supplement heating our home. Already, our heating bills have dropped from the typical $300+ a month to under $60. I've always wanted a fireplace and always enjoyed the firewood prep. So far, 3 seasons later, I have NO regrets.
 
NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

*heavy breathing* You sir use some fairly pricy wood...and just to burn it as heat. I'd do the same if i had it I guess. Ok, sure..use whatever wood you want :) I'll eventually learn to sleep knowing these facts now.

If the humidity is low, wood will dry faster. Is there a ratio for this, I duno...but I say no. I judge wood on how it looks and feels, then on how it burns. If it looks and feels dry but burns crapply, then its either a low temp wood or its still slightly wet..and I let it dry longer and try it again.

I dont know if you have the luxury of this method, but all I can tell you is what I know. And I know I can burn 10" oak pieces ( white, some type of red, water and just oak in general ) with at least 8 months of drying in a barn ( being split and cut to length ). I think the typical drying times for wood is based on non split and cut wood.
 
Lt.Col.Vortex said:
NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

*heavy breathing* You sir use some fairly pricy wood...and just to burn it as heat. I'd do the same if i had it I guess. Ok, sure..use whatever wood you want :) I'll eventually learn to sleep knowing these facts now.
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What did I do?!?!

If it makes you feel any better, Lt Col, all of this wood I have scavenged from dead, dying, or problem trees. The cherry, was a dying tree in my back yard that was about to fall on the garage in the spring of 2011. I reluctantly cut down the beautiful thing it was but saved it so as not to be wasteful. The walnut and mystery wood came from my wife's uncle who used to have a tree trimming business. He had so much wood piling up, well it was going to rot away. The mulberry I have, came from my father-in-law whose arthritis now prevents him from keeping up with his own property. It was a standing dead tree. Whenever I visit, I make sure to bring my axe, maul, and chainsaw and I try to accomplish something for him that he is not able to do. The oak, currently in question, was an old, diseased tree that my parents had cut down so as not to fall on the neighbors house. Momma did me a "favor" and saved the bulk of the tree as long as I didn't leave her a mess in her beautiful yard.

Most people I talk to say that they would never have any kind of wood heat because it is too much of a mess, it is too much work, and it is too expensive to buy firewood from year to year. So far, my experience has shown me, that if you pay attention, are patient, and are not afraid to work, you can have all the firewood you want for free. It just costs time, energy and sweat. I love being outside, I love my fireplace and I have no regrets yet.

Although I am only in my early thirties, most who know me feel I was born a century too late.
 
Here in georgia, you only have 2 types of wood....slash pine or water oak ( at least in south Ga ) I'd LOVE to get my hands on some cherry, walnut or ash wood.

I've lived here for quite a while, so i dont know what the rest of the world uses for wood ( lazy me for not looking ). I've always had it in my head that such woods ( that you mentioned ) where rare.
 
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