So i have been burning hickory this year that has been split and stacked for about 10 months. Its burning just ok. I wish it was better but I know it should be seasoned longer. I have some black locust and I believe silver maple that has been split and just thrown in a big pile since November. I just stacked it today. I am going to have about 3 cords of hickory left over for next year. Here are my questions. First will my locust and maple be seasoned for November and what should I burn first maple locust or 2 year hickory? Also I am stacking on pallets 3 rows deep. Is that ok?
need advise on season time for maple
- Thread starter tumm21
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tumm21 said:
Not knowing who's bringing what spices (for the seasoning) I can't say. Which is to say that "seasoned" here means spit. "Dry" or "wet" in terms of measured moisture content would have definite meaning, and you'd understand that the process is "air-drying."
Not knowing your options, I would stack it so that the summer south-westerlies can blow mostly along the rows, and top-cover them asap, like with folded tarps. Not the crappy blue ones either. Scrap metal/rubber/ply work well too.
I'd stack them in batches (by species/date) so that a sample fed to the stove could tell me if that batch were ready.
This is the sort of thing YOU'll enjoy learning by doing. Can only tell you so much from over here. A serious wood-burner wouldn't appreciate more.
For early (shoulder) season burns, I'd scrounge pine/poplar/silver maple or such, and not waste quality wood. While that's burning, you can have some good stuff drying further near the (unspecified) appliance.
CTYank said:
Ya know, for the life of me, I can't figure out who, where, or when this BS notion got started around here. I don't have a bit of trouble understanding what somebody's trying to convey when they use the term "seasoned", or some variation of the word. So far as I'm concerned, "seasoned" and "dry" are synonymous. They're used that way here every day. For me, the same holds true for the all the folks who get their panties in a bunch every time they see the term "face cord". OK, there's no legal definition...I get it...but who cares? It's a term that's been in regional use for generations, and it's not all that tough to understand. If you live in one of those regions, you grew up with the term and have no problem with it. If you don't live in one of those regions, then you're not likely to ever need to deal with it, so why all the fuss about it?. None of this woodburning stuff is so precise that we have to get all that picky with the lexicon. I prefer to enjoy the diversity. Try as you might, I predict that you will never eradicate either term from the discussions here (nor do I think it's worth the effort, because they're perfectly understandable). Rick
Locust Post
Minister of Fire
I do understand what Rick is getting HIS panties in a bunch about. All the terms are relevant to the poster that uses them.
Now to what the original poster asked about. I would say if you have all of that wood stacked where it can get good wind and sun (wind being the most important) and single rows (double at the most) all that wood should be good for next year. I would use the silver maple first for the warmer days (some locust or hickory for long burns) and then the hickory and locust as it got colder. It is nice to have a little of something else to mix with the locust as some will tell you, but I have burnt it exclusively before and did fine.
Now to what the original poster asked about. I would say if you have all of that wood stacked where it can get good wind and sun (wind being the most important) and single rows (double at the most) all that wood should be good for next year. I would use the silver maple first for the warmer days (some locust or hickory for long burns) and then the hickory and locust as it got colder. It is nice to have a little of something else to mix with the locust as some will tell you, but I have burnt it exclusively before and did fine.
fossil said:
I hear u - very good I will burn about 3 face cords less this year do to the warm winter we have had, so that means i'm just alittle farther ahead on my seasonimg.
And by the way the maple I burn is good and seasoned in 1 yr.
In the Valley Trader, in the firewood section I noticed a little warning note that said all firewood will be sold in cords or fraction of cords such as face-cord= 1/3 of a cord Virgina Law. I had never noticed that little warning before, and had forgotten about it till now.
Locust Post
Minister of Fire
Wood Duck
Minister of Fire
I think two year old Hickory and one year old Silver Maple will be about equally suitable for burning. I am not sure how well one year old Black Locust will burn, because I haven't tried it.
bogydave
Minister of Fire
fossil said:
It's "Cabin fever" symptoms.
I've noticed a few threads lately with a little "Fever" in them. I've not been here but 3 winters but it seems it just that time of the year.
Even with the warm winter, the daylight hours have an effect. Most of the guys out cutting & working show little or no symptoms.
It's us that are stuck inside or for some reason aren't or can't get out & do some work on our firewood.
You are so right though. But I'll bet the never ending trivial disagreements are more prevalent now & for about 6 more weeks.
Spring is a cure all
Hope we all have 3 seasoned face cords left & a dry cord ready to go.
That's 2 cords I think LOL :lol:
In relation to the OP's original question, maple drying times vary. Silver or red maple, when split, stacked, and top-covered, should be ready in one year if left in a sunny, breezy location. Sugar or Norway maple, on the other hand, can take much longer. It is more dense and a longer burning wood than the other maples, too. I stack mine more than 10 rows deep, but it all seasonsand around three years and I have never had a problem with it.
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
tumm21 said:
The silver maple should dry the quickest. Hickory, being so dense tends to want more time. I have no experience with locust.
As for stacking 3 rows deep, we have no problem doing it this way but if I wanted the fastest drying time then I would stack in single rows.
fossil said:
Nonsense, really. It's something you think you understand, and I've seen others that think so too. With no basis, and they get screwed. Even your "definition" is bogus. "Dry" means what? Maybe something to you, but I can only guess. That means there's no communication there.
Enjoy ranting about your love of diversity of ways of scamming people. "Perfectly." Searching for truth is anything but "BS" which I'd expect you to know. Else it's all yeah-rah and arm-waving. And cheating and shorting, which gets all involved a bad name. You should really know better.
mecreature
Minister of Fire
10 months for my hickory this year. it could have used another year.
the maple was fiine. splits were all sizes and varied accordingly.
the maple was fiine. splits were all sizes and varied accordingly.
mecreature
Minister of Fire
tumm21 said:
kind of.
read your thread. you cannot even get 2 people who have burned wood for ever to agree
do some of your own testing post your experiences and use common sense.
YMMV
Locust Post
Minister of Fire
If it is silver maple (soft maple) then definitely yes that first,but it would be nice to have some of that to mix with the locust.tumm21 said:
I did answer that way yesterday but it sort of got mixed in with the other TRASH TALK. Which is a little uncalled for in my opinion.
I think the answer is there just hard to find, if you have soft maple it will be quick to dry about as quick as any wood you can find, do you know what maple you have?tumm21 said:
Bigg_Redd
Minister of Fire
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