Drying/firewood processing

[Shane Collins]

I've been lurking on these forums for a while getting a lot of good info. I made a thread before about a BK Ashford which is going to arrive on October 10.

I had a few questions about firewood processing and drying. Last winter I ordered a load of log length firewood. I was told it was roughly 6 cords and paid $700 for it which seems not too bad to me. It was a mix of mostly cherry, maple, beech and some red oak. I split it in January and stacked it in single rows in the most open and windy place I have on my land. I've just started moving it into my wood shed and on fresh splits the moisture seems to range from 18-23% which seems good.

I'm trying to get a couple of years ahead and I want to process all my own wood and not need to buy it again. We have 23 acres of woodland around our house so we've no shortage of tress. I started cutting and I've cut, split and stacked about two cords so far for next winter. And I wanted to know how you guys do it who have your own wood lots.

Do you think it's best to haul the wood out and c,s,s it in the same area each year and then move it into the shed once dry? Do any of you c,s,s it in the woods and leave it to season in the woods and bring it out after a year or so of seasoning?

At the moment I have no means of hauling the firewood out of the woods. This weekend I cut the logs to size and carried them out by hand. Good exercise! Next year I'm going to get a quad bike with a trailer so I can use that to haul the wood out.

Thanks for any help and advice.

 

[Ashful]

The woods is a tough place to season firewood, with poor sunlight, humidity, and wind factors. I fell and limb in the woods, then drag out 10-foot or longer sections with a tractor (Ford 3000). Buck to length and load in my trailer at a landing outside the woods, then cart it to where I do my processing and stacking.

 

[lindnova]

I pull mine out of the woods, split and stack on pallets in the sun and wind and I will periodically mow around it. It usually sits there for 2-3 years before being moved. The one exception is box elder. I usually leave it stacked wherever I cut it along fence lines and use the next winter, but I am changing my ways as that hasn't worked out so well. Anything in the woods or fence lines gets brush growing up around it and does not dry, especially if on a north facing hill or fence. I have forgotten stacks also and by the time I find them they are not so good anymore.

The short answer is it is ok in the woods as long as it is off the ground (pallets or sacrificial timber) in an open area with some sunlight and wind.

 

[Nick Mystic]

I have 11 acres of mixed hardwoods, primarily here in western NC. The property is very challenging to access with lots of ravines and dense woods, so most of my harvesting is carrying rounds out by hand, or dragging logs on a small sled I built and then pulling that out by hand. I don't like moving wood any more than I have to, so once I get my wood home I split it and stack it under cover where it seasons until ready for burning in three years. Most of my covered areas are up against a retainer wall and I stack my wood three rows deep. The open front faces south, so I get pretty good sun on the wood all year round. I know a lot of people here at the forum say to season your wood out in the open where it can get some wind and I'm sure that is a better method for quicker drying. However, I have covered storage for a three year supply and with my system most of my wood is actually ready to burn after two years.

 

[Poindexter]

Last year my local BK dealer was saying "If your electronic moisture meter says 16% or less, that piece of wood is ok for your BK stove." Local dealer - I dunno the company line.

The paper manual for my new this summer Ashford 30 says 13% or less MC per electronic gizmo. I have been running 15% and less per my personal electronic gizmo with no trouble so far.

Also, best I idea I saw here, esp this late in the season... stick some pipe on the stove while it is still on a pallet in the driveweay and season up the paint outdoors rather than stinking up the house.

For the wood, my ideal would be to have a single shed just a few feet away from my garage big enough to hold three years of wood, with all the wood stacked loosely enough that it can season in one year. i burn about seven cords per year.

I have seen them done, about 8" horizontal spacing between each stack of 16" wide splits seems to be enough. So in one area of my 20 cord shed (that could hold 30 cords packed tight) would be 7 cords of wood I split and stacked last winter that is just barely dry but I could run it in the stove if we have a really cold winer.

In a second area I have about seven cords that I started splitting about two years ago, this is wood that was dry enough to burn a year ago but I didn't need to get into it, so long about November I am lookin at a pile of wood that will have been split an stacked two years and seasoned to under 20% MC for more than a year.

In the last area is the wood I am going to burn this winter. This is wood I started splitting three years ago next month. two year ago this time it was under 20% MC and its been inside this roofed shed all along.

Did I tell you I _hate_ having to restack wood? I really really really want to stack it ONE TIME after its split and then trhow it in the stove.

Realistically I keep about a face cord in the garage so I don't ahve to opent eh door every day of the heating season. So compromise number one, I go out in the cold once or twice a week and fill the face cord rack in my garage from the outdoor shed. Moving wood from seasoning racks to storage sheds is a chore I would rather do without.

 

[red oak]

Don't stack in the woods. I get the pieces out of the woods by hand, carrying them to my truck, then usually split and stack at home. Sometimes I split in the woods - it all depends on how much time I have that day. Once split it's got to come out, too easy for someone to take at that point.

 

[Shane Collins]

Thanks for the replies. I know it's important to keep the wood off the ground. I guess I'll be bringing it all out of the woods then. A cord of the wood I did on the weekend is on the edge of the woods which is pretty open so I think that should be fine to let it season there. I need to finish splitting and stacking it but it should be about one cord. Here's a pic :



For the rest of it I'll just have to haul it to the area I'll be building my new woodshed next year. Once I carry it to the area in the picture by hand I can load it into a trailer and haul it with my lawnmower. Eventually I'll be able to get in with the quad bike and trailer.

I like the sound of how you manage yours Nick Mystic. I know a lot of people say it isn't idea but the less moving the better!

Poindexter - I couldn't believe it when you said 13% moisture. Sure enough that's what it says in the manual. Is that even realistic? I was pretty pleased my wood was able to get to the 18-23% range in less than a year. It has a couple more months to go too but that's a fair bit above the 13% they recommend. Am I going to have problems burning 18-23% mc wood in the BK Ashford?

Thanks for your replies, helps a lot.

 

[Sconnie Burner]

I prefer to split where I cut it and then throw it in the truck. 1) I can fit more in the truck, 2) the mess isn't in my yard. I also live in town so I need to keep my noise to a minimum. I do end up doing some splitting at my house once in awhile if I find some scrounge wood. I find if I bring too many rounds home thye sit in an unsightly pile too long and I have to handle them more than I'd like!

 

[Pennsyltucky Chris]

There's a good mix in that pic. Looks like you have some beech and birch in there, among others.

 

[blades]

Note that moisture meters come calibrated for dimensioned lumber ( 2x4 and the like) so there is a variance between that and firewood splits, also the species makes a difference. I do not know if there are correctional charts around for this though. I check mine on a 2x4and my hand ( gives a range) then use on a fresh face of a split which works for me. It just a Harbor Freight unit nothing fancy. Fresh battery is a must on these.

 

[RobertNH]

Note that moisture meters come calibrated for dimensioned lumber ( 2x4 and the like) so there is a variance between that and firewood splits, also the species makes a difference. I do not know if there are correctional charts around for this though. I check mine on a 2x4and my hand ( gives a range) then use on a fresh face of a split which works for me. It just a Harbor Freight unit nothing fancy. Fresh battery is a must on these.

Here's a great article (with charts) for reading MC in different types of wood at different temperatures.

http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr06.pdf

 

[Wood Duck]

I like to cut into rounds in the woods, then haul the rounds to a pile near the wood stacks. I split by hand, and like to split a little at a time. With the rounds waiting by the stacks I can split and stack a few rounds then move on to something else.

 

[BobUrban]

There is really no "one" answer" for processing. I think you will find what works best for you as you go. Obviously getting it CSS'd and off the ground is best but if I were in your shoes I would do all I can to get it cut at least to rounds(split would be best) and at least piled up for easy access and then wait for your rig and trailer to get it out. Hand hauling any distance is a LOT of work.

 

[Fred Wright]

I have no way to move logs so timber is bucked in the woods where it falls. That can be challenging at times when it's muddy.

Load out the rounds with a garden tractor and dump cart, stack 'em where the woodpile is gonna be, split & stack later.

 

[Poindexter]

Poindexter - I couldn't believe it when you said 13% moisture. Sure enough that's what it says in the manual. Is that even realistic? I was pretty pleased my wood was able to get to the 18-23% range in less than a year. It has a couple more months to go too but that's a fair bit above the 13% they recommend. Am I going to have problems burning 18-23% mc wood in the BK Ashford?

This is my first season with a BK also, so I don't _know_. OTOH I have been saving up for a while and listening very very carefully to what local to me BK users say.

Our local dealer has been on the "16% per electronic gizmo" bandwagon as long as I have known of him. We do run our stoves long and hard through epic heating seasons year after year. I think what my dealer has noticed, or started noticing, is who has trouble with their combustor after a year or three or five- and how wet is their wood? My local dealer was suprised when I told him the manual for the Ashford says 13%, he (the owner) was expecting 16%.

I think 13% v 16% is a tossup. If the manual for the Chinook 30 and Scirroco 30 say 16% and the Ashford has the same innards, what is going on that BK would lower the spec?

16-20%MC, around here is sorta bare maximum territory, and I suspect these are the folks who finally ended up on the radar of my local dealer as having trouble with their stoves a few months or years after purchase.

Over 20% MC isn't going in my stove. I am not saying you can't or shouldn't, but every pound of water that goes in my firebox is about 1000BTUs wasted boiling off water instead of heating up my house. I think the real number is 992 BTU/ pound . MC > 20% didn't burn well in my last stove, epa cert non-cat, and really doesn't burn that great in my old smoke dragon out in the shop either.

Can you maybe bring wood into your heated garage a half cord at a time or so and get it from 23% down to 19% in a couple weeks maybe? I heat my garage to +55dF, and there is no humidity in there during the winter. I can finish seasoning splits in there a littel bit at a time if I have other dryer wood to keep the stove going.

Alaska birch split small I can get down to 16% in one summer easy, I got some around 14%. Spruce I can get down to 13% in one season consistently. Big splits of birch, yes, I need two years to season them to under 16%. Eastern hardwoods, I dunno but it reads like longer.

 

[Bagelboy]

I cut and split it in the woods, then throw it in the truck and stack on pallets at home. No mess to clean.

 

[JStone]

I have 11 acres of mixed hardwoods, primarily here in western NC. The property is very challenging to access with lots of ravines and dense woods, so most of my harvesting is carrying rounds out by hand, or dragging logs on a small sled I built and then pulling that out by hand. I don't like moving wood any more than I have to, so once I get my wood home I split it and stack it under cover where it seasons until ready for burning in three years. Most of my covered areas are up against a retainer wall and I stack my wood three rows deep. The open front faces south, so I get pretty good sun on the wood all year round. I know a lot of people here at the forum say to season your wood out in the open where it can get some wind and I'm sure that is a better method for quicker drying. However, I have covered storage for a three year supply and with my system most of my wood is actually ready to burn after two years.

View attachment 139852

Nick, could I get some other pictures of this wood shed. I'd like to build one just like it. I have a perfect spot for it. Looks great btw!

 

[RobertNH]

Nick, could I get some other pictures of this wood shed. I'd like to build one just like it. I have a perfect spot for it. Looks great btw!

I was actually eyeing the 'Greenhouse' behind the shed!
Talk about drying in a shorter amount of time!

I'm running an experiment on 3 different types of ways of drying in hopes of only loading what I need this year vs. what I need 3 years from now.
I just don't have the space to load up that much wood!

Personally, and just MHO, I'd add a clear cover the top and add a clear 'slopped' front and give some space for venting.
From what I'm seeing so far, plastic works, but the better you can afford will aid in the process.

I'm running numbers and recording weekly as I proceed.
Only 2 weeks so far into this...

 

[Shane Collins]

This is my first season with a BK also, so I don't _know_. OTOH I have been saving up for a while and listening very very carefully to what local to me BK users say.

Our local dealer has been on the "16% per electronic gizmo" bandwagon as long as I have known of him. We do run our stoves long and hard through epic heating seasons year after year. I think what my dealer has noticed, or started noticing, is who has trouble with their combustor after a year or three or five- and how wet is their wood? My local dealer was suprised when I told him the manual for the Ashford says 13%, he (the owner) was expecting 16%.

I think 13% v 16% is a tossup. If the manual for the Chinook 30 and Scirroco 30 say 16% and the Ashford has the same innards, what is going on that BK would lower the spec?

16-20%MC, around here is sorta bare maximum territory, and I suspect these are the folks who finally ended up on the radar of my local dealer as having trouble with their stoves a few months or years after purchase.

Over 20% MC isn't going in my stove. I am not saying you can't or shouldn't, but every pound of water that goes in my firebox is about 1000BTUs wasted boiling off water instead of heating up my house. I think the real number is 992 BTU/ pound . MC > 20% didn't burn well in my last stove, epa cert non-cat, and really doesn't burn that great in my old smoke dragon out in the shop either.

Can you maybe bring wood into your heated garage a half cord at a time or so and get it from 23% down to 19% in a couple weeks maybe? I heat my garage to +55dF, and there is no humidity in there during the winter. I can finish seasoning splits in there a littel bit at a time if I have other dryer wood to keep the stove going.

Alaska birch split small I can get down to 16% in one summer easy, I got some around 14%. Spruce I can get down to 13% in one season consistently. Big splits of birch, yes, I need two years to season them to under 16%. Eastern hardwoods, I dunno but it reads like longer.

My garage isn't heated so that wont work. When I checked the mc of the wood I only split three pieces, two maple and one red oak. I'll check a few more splits this weekend. But I still feel 18-23% mc isn't too terrible. I'll make it work as I have no other choice really. I do have about one cord of wood from last year, that will help a little. Eventually I'll get ahead.

I have no idea how much wood I'll be burning either, this is our second winter in this house. Last year was quite a bad winter as you all probably remember. We were burning with a Newmac forced air wood/oil combination furnace which is 30 or so years old and very inefficient. We knew we needed to replace it but sort of ran out of time last year. I made it work but it wasn't very pleasant. We burned about 5 cords of wood (our house is 2600 square feet). The BK is a lot more efficient so I'm pretty sure we'll be burning much less than the 5 cords of last year. Only time will tell.

Blades - How do you compare the Moisture content between the 2x4 and your hand to the fresh split? what numbers are you looking for?

Thanks again for all the help everyone.

 

[Shawn Curry]

I'd recommend getting the trailer first. You can put a hitch on your lawnmower and tow it that way. Whether you're hauling rounds or splits out of the woods, you need a trailer.

I have 14 acres of woods, with plenty of down trees to burn. Lots of standing dead too, but I only like to tackle the small ones by myself. I have some pretty dense stands, not many obstacles as far as terrain, save a few low spots. I've had an 18" maple hang up on me, and it scared the crap out of me trying to get it down. Not to mention it was a pain in the neck. I'll wait for mother nature or my tree climbing buddy to do those ones for me.

The first tree I ever cut up out in the woods, I cut the entire thing to firewood lengths on the spot. Then I had to carry every single piece through pricker bushes to my trailer. Swore never to do it that way again. Now I leave it in as long of lengths as I can handle, up to roughly the length of the trailer.

For the trunk and larger branches, I'll "measure" (eyeball with my bar length) and score them with the chainsaw, and cut them into 2, 3, or 4 packs, depending on the diameter. The only thing that gets cut to firewood length in the woods is rounds around say 18" and up. With this method I can haul an 18" tree out of the woods in about an hour and a half. And I don't need to bring chainsaw gas and bar oil with me, because I can get it done on one tank. In fact, I'll usually have gas to spare when I get back to the house, where I break everything down to length on the sawbuck. You can see my processing area in my avatar pic.

I highly recommend gathering it yourself from your own land. I'm addicted to it, and I'm in the best shape in my life. Plus, due to bugs and fungal diseases, you don't want to transport firewood very far. It's just the best and most fun way to go IMO.

 

[RobertNH]

I'll mention this again to you
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr06.pdf
There are some great charts and temperature differentials to work with for several species of wood.
If you have a DMM, it's a great way to check you MC meter for accuracy.
It will also show you how to test (this I learned, 'I' was doing it wrong!).

An MC reader is doing nothing more than testing DC resistance.
The article teaches you about DC resistance and compensation.
If you really want to know what your wood MC is..
Do what I did and read the article.
It taught me a lot..

 

[Shane Collins]

I'll mention this again to you
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr06.pdf
There are some great charts and temperature differentials to work with for several species of wood.
If you have a DMM, it's a great way to check you MC meter for accuracy.
It will also show you how to test (this I learned, 'I' was doing it wrong!).

An MC reader is doing nothing more than testing DC resistance.
The article teaches you about DC resistance and compensation.
If you really want to know what your wood MC is..
Do what I did and read the article.
It taught me a lot..

Sorry, RobertNH. I didn't mean to disregard your post. I was looking after my two year old son when I read it. After opening the .pdf I realized I wasn't going to be able to fully read it with my son running around. I will have a read. Thanks for that.

http://www.amazon.com/General-Tools...qid=1412123280&sr=8-1&keywords=moisture+meter

This is the moisture meter I have.

Thanks again.

 

[Poindexter]

Shane, I am running a burn right now with 16% MC birch per gizmo. First time I have had to light the stove in about a week, I have been running 13% MC spruce for many days in a row now.

So 13% spruce versus 16% MC birch, yup, I can tell the difference. An hour into the first burn I am "happy" with the way the stove is running on 16% MC birch, but it runs a lot better with 13% fuel. When you find some 16% fuel, put some of it aside and see how your stove can really run when you put 13% fuel in it.

What I had this summer was a seasoning stack two splits wide oriented east/ west. The sunny south side of my seasoning rack I got small splits of birch at 11-14% MC. From the shady side of the summer pile I got other small splits of birch at 14-16% MC.

I suspect I won't be able to run the thermostat as low with this wetter fuel, that is I think I'll have to keep the thermostat turned up higher to keep the water evaporated off so the wood can burn, rather than have the stove go out - or run it at a lower setting with dryer fuel.

What I am going to do proactively as soon as I have a really good freeze to kill all the bugs is move the shady side birch splits into my garage en masse to finish drying them before they go in the stove.

13% to 16% MC is a noticeable change in my stove and not a good one.

 

[STIHLY DAN]

2 different types of wood wont tell the difference. Try it on the same type with the different moisture content.

 

[jeffesonm]

Most of my property is woods, so that's where I stack it. I've had some white and red oak cut, split and stacked between some trees in the woods for 18-24 months and it's down to 18% MC. So I would go ahead and stack it out there if it works. Just keep it off the ground (pallets work well). I top cover too, as much to keep the leaves out as the rain.