red oak How is it

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.

Mroverkill

Feeling the Heat
Aug 10, 2010
262
Northern nj
overkillauto.com
got a guy to give me a price for 1 year old split red oak


how is red oak compared to others better same or crap



thanks
 
Low end of the oak trees which puts it in the top end of the wood scale but everyone talks about how long it takes to season, more moisture than the rest of the oaks, give it time and you will be happy, rush it and you will be pissed.
 
No offence... but if you've read anything with the word Oak in any part of this forum you'll see that Oak is one of the best woods to burn. Proper seasoning time is it's downfall. You may get away with burning it this year depending on how long it's been split but I'd say wait a year if you can
 
WoodPorn said:
No offence... but if you've read anything with the word Oak in any part of this forum you'll see that Oak is one of the best woods to burn. Proper seasoning time is it's downfall. You may get away with burning it this year depending on how long it's been split but I'd say wait a year if you can
Are your refering to my post, low end of oak which puts it in the TOP end of the wood scale.
 
better - but it takes a long time to season.
Or season thoroughly rather than well enough.

I have a small stove so I tend to split small.
I have better luck with a lot of small thin splits than huge chunks.
By the same token I 'm not making shingles, either.
 
oldspark said:
WoodPorn said:
No offence... but if you've read anything with the word Oak in any part of this forum you'll see that Oak is one of the best woods to burn. Proper seasoning time is it's downfall. You may get away with burning it this year depending on how long it's been split but I'd say wait a year if you can
Are your refering to my post, low end of oak which puts it in the TOP end of the wood scale.

No, referring to the OP
 
+1 on Oldsparks post
It is very good burning, but about the slowest drying wood around. IF, IF it was split smallish a year ago, and immediately stacked properly in a good seasoning location and you have a good place to continue seasoning it MIGHT be OKAY (not great) to burn later this season. More likely it will be a PITA this year & great for next. Good 2 years drying is the most popular view on here for red oak.
 
As said already, there's not much better burning wood. Red oak is very easy spliting wood.
 
Burnt Oak for over 20 yrs, but in a pre-1970s stove First yr with my EPA stove, So in preperation, after reading this post have split till nearly kinling size, 2" 3" 4" splits, My oak is White . Chest and several other varietys, when I get home maybe can post some pictures for identification. Willprobably be a rough year with new stove. Splits been in sun 4 months, will wait till last moment before putting in shed.

Cpt
 
I've burned a lot of Red Oak as I am lucky to own a couple acres littered with them. Last year I burned a cord of Red Oak that had been seasoned for a year + and split very small, 2x2 or 2x3. It did ok with a few hissing and boiling some water out the ends but not too many. 2009 was not a good year for seasoning wood but it was not ready. I got away with it in my old smoke dragon but that was a different animal entirely. I recc you give the Red Oak another year and then you will love it.
 
ok i passed on the red oak because i could not get a awnser from him i liked abot when it was split and stacked and if it was covered or in the rain


thanks all


i eneded up getting 2 cords of seasoned wood that is 40 maple 40% oak and 20% ash
 
The two year seasoning time is going to suck until I get ahead. I have about 4 cords of unsplit red oak left from the previous owners. My property is 12 acres of mostly oak (mix of red and white). Once I get ahead, I'll be golden, but I think I'll have to buy wood this year and try to get a couple years' worth split this fall and in the spring.
 
Nate Finch said:
The two year seasoning time is going to suck until I get ahead. I have about 4 cords of unsplit red oak left from the previous owners. My property is 12 acres of mostly oak (mix of red and white). Once I get ahead, I'll be golden, but I think I'll have to buy wood this year and try to get a couple years' worth split this fall and in the spring.

Good luck buying seasoned wood, I found a dealer who knew what seasoned wood is, but said he couldn't stay that far ahead, (he's amember of this site but doesn' advertice here) Best he could do was get me a load of ASH said it dried faster.
 
Seasoned wood is usually split in the Spring and sold in the Fall. I've never seen grey, seasoned wood delivered.
 
Nate Finch said:
The two year seasoning time is going to suck until I get ahead. I have about 4 cords of unsplit red oak left from the previous owners. My property is 12 acres of mostly oak (mix of red and white). Once I get ahead, I'll be golden, but I think I'll have to buy wood this year and try to get a couple years' worth split this fall and in the spring.

On twelve acres it wouldn't surprise me if you could find enough standing dead wood to get started. The trunks may still be moist, especialy near the ground, but the tops are probably very dry, plus you don't need to split the smaller stuff.

Best thing about red oak is how easy it is to split.
 
I'm sitting here in PA with about 6 cord of red oak and lovin' every minute of it. I'll take all the red oak that I can get. Chestnut Oak, White Oak, Red Oak, and me are friends
 
Dune said:
On twelve acres it wouldn't surprise me if you could find enough standing dead wood to get started. The trunks may still be moist, especialy near the ground, but the tops are probably very dry, plus you don't need to split the smaller stuff.

Best thing about red oak is how easy it is to split.

Well, I could certainly look around. I've bucked one already, but it was so wet inside, it was puddling under the chainsaw. I was starting at the base though, and haven't gotten to the top half, so maybe that'll be better. I think most of the deadwood I've seen is some of the 10% of my trees that are pine, unfortunately. I'll have to talk another walk around, though. Only been in the house a few months and haven't had a lot of time to just walk in the woods.
 
CTBurning brings up a real good point on 2009 being a bad year for seasoning at least in the northeast US.. It either rained or was at least overcast the entire spring and summer of 09.. maybe 2 weeks of sun here in NJ.. Just horrible..

Move ahead to 2010 and you have the ultimate seasoning weather,, record heat with to many sunny days to count and record low rain fall..

I purchased split Red Oak back in February and stacked it in a sunny open location upon delivery and just a week or so ago tested several splits.. They tested 20 to 25%.. Sweet!! When I received the wood it was testing in the area of 35 to 38%. So much depends on the seasoning conditions.. Sure oak is best with 2 years time but this year I will be burning this stuff with just 1 year under its belt and it should burn pretty good..

I am also taking advantage of the 2010 weather conditions to finally get 2 years ahead. I'm buying all the oak I can find that was split late last year into early 2010.. Been doing it since June.. I figure I need 2 to 3 more cords to meet the mark (Approx 8 cords total).. I'm thinking that getting started early was key as a few of my wood sources are reporting they are running out of wood they split from Dec 09 through April 2010 and will be starting to move on there newer split piles that are not seasoned as well..
 
Sorry to inform ya. . .but Oak is junk. Ifeel bad for ya though, someone takin advantage of you not knowin' and all . . . I've got a lot of Aspen though, so I can spare some . . . I'll trade for that Oak so as you'll have some firewood this year.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.