Thanks for all the replies.....to answer the question on wood condition....I don't cut green. Only standing dead Red and White Oak. Its all Gypsy Moth mortality. some has been dead since last summer and some has likely died this spring after leaf-out.
Burning dry wood season 1?
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That wood you are cutting now is gonning to have a lot of moisture in it, I cut some Burr Oak this past spring that was logged 3 years ago and it was as green as a live tree, I am keeping a eye on the moisture for informational purposes and a month ago with a new split it still read over 40 % on several pieces. This wood is for next year and I am glad I do not have to use it this year.jstellfox said:
jstellfox said:
Unfortunately oaks are REALLY wet, red more so then white. Either way they're about the worst woods to be cutting last minute. I find when cutting standing dead the upper part of the tree is ready faster. I figure this is due to the moisture pooling up in the bottom of the tree?? Wood looses the majority of the moisture from then ends and when the tree is standing together there isn't much place for the water to go, when the tree looses it's bark you'll loose some that way.
Attached is a chart showing m/c of different woods, try to find types on the lower end when cutting in a pinch.
Attachments
Very interesting. Looks like moisture content is only part of the picture. Density should be in those charts as well. Look at how high sycamore is for MC, but it is listed as one of the faster drying woods.
That chart caused a stir a while back when battenkiller (I think) posted it as the drying times for 4X4 lumber are some what low compared to drying times for fire wood.
rdust said:oldspark said:
Yeah I remember that. I posted it more for a reference for starting m/c not so much for the drying time since most of us can prove the drying time wrong.
They pretty well covered themselves. Look at the 3X plus fudge factor for drying ash, 60-200 days or 10X+ for redwood at a whopping 30-365 days. Like I posted earlier, there are lots of variables in drying wood. That's why it's good to get at least a year ahead.
It says the reason for that was the timing of the year, if it went through the winter the drying time slowed way down compared to spring and fall.BeGreen said:rdust said:oldspark said:
Yeah I remember that. I posted it more for a reference for starting m/c not so much for the drying time since most of us can prove the drying time wrong.
They pretty well covered themselves. Look at the 3X plus fudge factor for drying ash, 60-200 days or 10X+ for redwood at a whopping 30-365 days. Like I posted earlier, there are lots of variables in drying wood. That's why it's good to get at least a year ahead.
Slow1
Minister of Fire
Stevebass4
Minister of Fire
split a cord of oak for the neighbor lady yesterday while the boy friend watched and i said make sure you stack this over here so that it's not burned this year he says oh it will be fine for this year as it's been dry and we've had no rain :banghead:
i stated at a minimum one year - two + years for optimum burning - whatever new boy friend
i know i am helping the NL by processing her wood and i know she knows what good and dry wood is as her deceased husband always had at least 2+years of seasoned wood on hand before he passed. since i'm doing mine and hers i'm a little behind on her stacks
also same thing with another neighbor of mine - I picked up two+ cords of fresh oak that was cut a little too big for my stove - told him to help himself with a truck bed or two because he's a little behind and told him it should be ready next year - he says it should be fine this year. oh well people will do what they think is right
i stated at a minimum one year - two + years for optimum burning - whatever new boy friend
i know i am helping the NL by processing her wood and i know she knows what good and dry wood is as her deceased husband always had at least 2+years of seasoned wood on hand before he passed. since i'm doing mine and hers i'm a little behind on her stacks
also same thing with another neighbor of mine - I picked up two+ cords of fresh oak that was cut a little too big for my stove - told him to help himself with a truck bed or two because he's a little behind and told him it should be ready next year - he says it should be fine this year. oh well people will do what they think is right
Skier76
Minister of Fire
The first year is tough. Best case, find someone selling seasoned wood...truely seasoned wood. I know there's a place not far from us in VT that sells seasoned wood...kiln dried. Is it more...yep, but it'll probably burn just fine.
If you can, hunt down some scrap wood or pallets. A few bits mitxed in with semi seasoned wood will help the burn. It worked for me last year when I'd get a wet split or two.
If you can, hunt down some scrap wood or pallets. A few bits mitxed in with semi seasoned wood will help the burn. It worked for me last year when I'd get a wet split or two.
jharkin
Minister of Fire
rdust said:
<del> Something odd with that chart. Many of the wood species show more than 100% moisture content?????</del>
EDIT: Ignore... pre-coffee brain freeze. Forgot that moisture % = water weight/ wood weight.
jharkin
Minister of Fire
Skier76 said:
+1
When you make calls you will have to question each dealer. Most wood dealers will call it seasoned if its been sitting in a 500 cord mound in their back lot for a few months. Many will call it seasoned if its been felled for a couple months and split it the morning they deliver.
AFAIK there is pretty much no such thing as a large wood dealer who stacks in single rows for drying 12 months before selling. Just no way to do that economically when you process hundreds of cords a year. Kiln dried probably is the only way to buy truly dry wood without seasoning it yourself.....
Hard to put a constant on something that has so many varibles and yet many people try and do that, I cut dead oak on the ground in the spring and it is well below 20% in the fall after one spring and summer of drying so it does work for some people and some cases. Just saying it all depends on the situtation how long before your wood is at 20% or so.
You can do a number of things to deal with wet wood:
Of course, if your wood is dripping water, there's not much you can do to get it to produce any heat. But if your wood is close, but still not quite there, here are somethings that you can do.
-"Compensate for the moisture loss with kindling" Collect a lot of kindling and mix it in with your not-too-well-seasoned-wood. As the kindling burns and supplies heat, it will help to make up for what is absorbed by boiling off the excess moisture in the wood.
-"Let the winter air help" Keep a decent-sized stack inside as you burn. Wood dries REALLY fast in the warm dry winter air, plus adds moisture to your already too-dry air.
-"Dry wet wood with radian heat" The first season I would actually stand the splits in front of the stove to heat them up. Not something you want to do if you're leaving the house.
-"Kiln-dry your wood" Start a kindling fire to get the stove nice and hot. When it's burned down to coals, load up the firebox with your moist wood. Close the door and close the damper. Let it sit there for an hour while it "kiln-dries" your wood. Then open up the door, open the draft and get a flame. The fire then should burn just as if your wood was properly seasoned.
These are all things that I have done at times. These are hassles that you won't have to deal with your second year when you have a seasoned wood pile.
Of course, if your wood is dripping water, there's not much you can do to get it to produce any heat. But if your wood is close, but still not quite there, here are somethings that you can do.
-"Compensate for the moisture loss with kindling" Collect a lot of kindling and mix it in with your not-too-well-seasoned-wood. As the kindling burns and supplies heat, it will help to make up for what is absorbed by boiling off the excess moisture in the wood.
-"Let the winter air help" Keep a decent-sized stack inside as you burn. Wood dries REALLY fast in the warm dry winter air, plus adds moisture to your already too-dry air.
-"Dry wet wood with radian heat" The first season I would actually stand the splits in front of the stove to heat them up. Not something you want to do if you're leaving the house.
-"Kiln-dry your wood" Start a kindling fire to get the stove nice and hot. When it's burned down to coals, load up the firebox with your moist wood. Close the door and close the damper. Let it sit there for an hour while it "kiln-dries" your wood. Then open up the door, open the draft and get a flame. The fire then should burn just as if your wood was properly seasoned.
These are all things that I have done at times. These are hassles that you won't have to deal with your second year when you have a seasoned wood pile.
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
To answer your original question . . . what did I do my first year . . . I lucked out . . . when I started gathering wood in the late-Spring I started by cutting down a lot of the standing dead elm on my property . . . elm that had been dead for several years. That elm saved me . . . well that and I cut some white ash for use in late-Winter (although by the time I used it I can honestly say it wasn't super great at burning) and I cut up some tree tops that my brother had left in the woods from a wood cutting job he did. I was also aware that splitting smaller and stacking the wood was important.
Pallets . . . it's been said . . . but I'll say it again . . . pallets were wicked useful. The smaller slats could be used as kindling and could be used to get the semi-seasoned wood to catch on fire. The larger pieces burned pretty well . . . just had to make sure to not overload the stove as it could have overfired it easily enough. I didn't use many pallets last year since I had a good supply of wood and kindling . . . and they are a pain to cut up . . . and I like to dispose of the ash in my driveway and with nails in the pallets that isn't a good idea.
Another option is to find a place that has mill ends . . . the Peavey plant is nearby and they sell white ash ends and scraps at a pretty low price. You can also find a sawmill that is giving away or selling slabs. In both cases you will most likely end up refilling your stove more often and cutting up these ends can be tedious, but the trade-off is that the mill ends and slabs often season pretty quickly. Again you can burn them just by themselves (watch for overfiring) or you can use the more seasoned wood to get the temp up hot enough in the stove to "dry" out the less seasoned wood.
As Blimp suggested running the stove hot is important and checking and cleaning your chimney is crucially important when using less-than-optimal wood.
As I said my wood in the first year was decent, but not great . . . at the time I honestly thought I did pretty well . . . even though I had some occasional sizzlers and spitters in the firebox . . . I was able to achieve secondary combustion and thought things went well . . . however in Year 2 I experienced Wood Burning Nirvana and my eyes were opened when I started burning truly seasoned wood -- the wood caught on fire more easily, having a sizzler was a rarity, I got more heat and more intense secondary burns, longer burns and I used less wood.
Honestly, I'm not sure burning oak will work for you . . . oak is pretty dense wood. Most folks suggest seasoning it at least two years . . . and I can understand why. I cut some oak last Fall, split it and stacked it . . . and when I was loading up my woodshed with wood for next year (not this year) I tossed the oak aside since it was pretty clear from its heft that it still isn't seasoned when compared to similar sized splits from other wood species . . . most likely my oak will be used three years from now.
I think if I were you at this point in the game I would ask around to find wood dealers selling truly seasoned wood -- and ask questions as to when they cut the wood, when they split the wood, etc. . . . and barring that look around for some slab wood and pallets. Good luck.
Pallets . . . it's been said . . . but I'll say it again . . . pallets were wicked useful. The smaller slats could be used as kindling and could be used to get the semi-seasoned wood to catch on fire. The larger pieces burned pretty well . . . just had to make sure to not overload the stove as it could have overfired it easily enough. I didn't use many pallets last year since I had a good supply of wood and kindling . . . and they are a pain to cut up . . . and I like to dispose of the ash in my driveway and with nails in the pallets that isn't a good idea.
Another option is to find a place that has mill ends . . . the Peavey plant is nearby and they sell white ash ends and scraps at a pretty low price. You can also find a sawmill that is giving away or selling slabs. In both cases you will most likely end up refilling your stove more often and cutting up these ends can be tedious, but the trade-off is that the mill ends and slabs often season pretty quickly. Again you can burn them just by themselves (watch for overfiring) or you can use the more seasoned wood to get the temp up hot enough in the stove to "dry" out the less seasoned wood.
As Blimp suggested running the stove hot is important and checking and cleaning your chimney is crucially important when using less-than-optimal wood.
As I said my wood in the first year was decent, but not great . . . at the time I honestly thought I did pretty well . . . even though I had some occasional sizzlers and spitters in the firebox . . . I was able to achieve secondary combustion and thought things went well . . . however in Year 2 I experienced Wood Burning Nirvana and my eyes were opened when I started burning truly seasoned wood -- the wood caught on fire more easily, having a sizzler was a rarity, I got more heat and more intense secondary burns, longer burns and I used less wood.
Honestly, I'm not sure burning oak will work for you . . . oak is pretty dense wood. Most folks suggest seasoning it at least two years . . . and I can understand why. I cut some oak last Fall, split it and stacked it . . . and when I was loading up my woodshed with wood for next year (not this year) I tossed the oak aside since it was pretty clear from its heft that it still isn't seasoned when compared to similar sized splits from other wood species . . . most likely my oak will be used three years from now.
I think if I were you at this point in the game I would ask around to find wood dealers selling truly seasoned wood -- and ask questions as to when they cut the wood, when they split the wood, etc. . . . and barring that look around for some slab wood and pallets. Good luck.
Hiram Maxim
Minister of Fire
jstellfox said:
Well I got got lucky....kind of!
Emerald Ash bore 2004= about 18 full cords cut/split/stacked (I was away at college)
My Dad gave away about half the wood to one of his friends and one of mine. (NOOOOOOOO)
I had 2 full cords of Red Oak left from Y2k for grandmas old stove:lol:
November 2007, started looking for a new stove for all this wood, December 7, 2007 Girlfriend and I split :-/ and pulled trigger and bought an Englander 30 that day.
For me it was the second year that was more of a challenge because about half my wood was seasoned and half of it was so so.
I ended up burning the seasoned wood first and put most of the so so stuff inside the house near the stove. By the time the seasoned stuff was used up the not so seasoned was much dryer and burned ok....but just ok.
If it were me I would either purchase some seasoned firewood now or suck it up and pay the electric bill one more years. If you use the wood you just processed it will be a waste.....
My $.02 I'd just buy some wood personally!
How about finding out if some one who belongs to the forum is close to you and has extra wood he can sell or trade.
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