Are these all hardwood specie's in my pile?

[stejus]

I've been buying wood from this wood cutter for years and it always burnt well in my fireplace. Now that I've converted to a stove, I want to make sure I'm getting what I've been told as "ALL" hardwood. This wood was pulled out of woods in south central MA.

I know there's some oaks and maples, anything else?

Thanks!

 

[LLigetfa]

Generally, hardwoods are trees that have leaves while softwoods have needles. That leaves a lot of latitude.

 

[JustWood]

Ash & cherry. Don't see any softwood.

 

[Got Wood]

I have not tried building my stack like you have here. Looks like an approach worth trying... stack the outside and chuck into the middle. What is the approx diameter? Looks like 5-6'. Thoughts on the air flow through the stack?

 

[WOODBUTCHER]

WoodButcher sees hickory,birch, maple and red oak. Good stuff

WoodButcher

 

[stejus]

I have not tried building my stack like you have here. Looks like an approach worth trying... stack the outside and chuck into the middle. What is the approx diameter? Looks like 5-6'. Thoughts on the air flow through the stack?

This stack is 7' in diameter. I've read stacked 7' high x 7" around will hold around 2 cord of wood. The pile I am building this from was 2 cord and I still have about a cord to stack. Maybe I got more than 2 cord in my 2 cord delivery! Their are serveral debates on how this wood stack will age wood faster than the normal 4x4x8 stack. If you've ever seen mulch piles in the spring and fall, they emit steam from the core of the pile. Same principle here, the inner core will heat up and there will be a natural air flow up the middle and out of the top.

 

[LLigetfa]

There are also several debates on how much a HH holds. I've done the math and 2 cord for a 7 x 7 HH is optimistic. Are you saying there is heat from decomposition creating a vertical draft? Drying wood should not generate heat unless you set it on fire. A traditional outdoor drying stack of 3 courses (16" x 3 = 4 feet) allows enough air to move through it so that the centre row is not all that disadvantaged.

BTW, I didn't recognize any Birch in that pic.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Smooth bark where the black tarp comes down on the right?

Matt

 

[stejus]

Smooth bark where the black tarp comes down on the right?

Matt

Is that the yellow colored wood?

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I have not tried building my stack like you have here. Looks like an approach worth trying... stack the outside and chuck into the middle. What is the approx diameter? Looks like 5-6'. Thoughts on the air flow through the stack?

This stack is 7' in diameter. I've read stacked 7' high x 7" around will hold around 2 cord of wood. The pile I am building this from was 2 cord and I still have about a cord to stack. Maybe I got more than 2 cord in my 2 cord delivery! Their are serveral debates on how this wood stack will age wood faster than the normal 4x4x8 stack. If you've ever seen mulch piles in the spring and fall, they emit steam from the core of the pile. Same principle here, the inner core will heat up and there will be a natural air flow up the middle and out of the top.

Mulch heats up because it has a large surface area and moisture- the composting process therefoire generates heat. The splits in a woodpile do not have the surface area or conditions required to get a good thermophile population going. It will absolutely NOT heat up by this process. (I generate yards of compost a year- and the conditions are just not going to work).

There were people saying that there would be a chimney effect- but not by thermophile decomposition process- that would speed drying. That has been debunked. The reasons to pile in an HH remain- saving space, and it looks good.

 

[savageactor7]

My knowledge of wood is very limited to what's around here...but your wood looks real good to me stejus. If you have a guy you've bought from for years he'll take care of you...around here those guys plan next years budget around guys like you.

All you have to do is buy early and ahead far enough to control the seasoning that stoves require. Seasoned splits can be a vague commodity and open to different opinions. Wood guys are spinning too many plates to guarantee the kind of seasoned wood you require so stay a couple years ahead and you'll never have a problem.

 

[jpl1nh]

WoodButcher sees hickory,birch, maple and red oak. Good stuff

WoodButcher

Exactly what I see, the birch being black birch

 

[LLigetfa]

Exactly what I see, the birch being black birch

That explains it then. No Black Birch around here.