Drying time for unsplit 4 inch branches

[PA. Woodsman]

I used to burn almost all split wood, but over the last few years have been mixing in some unsplit branches, about 4 inch or so. I know they take longer to dry out because the only surface exposed is the ends, but what are we looking at in general, about a year or more or two? I'm talking Maple, Cherry, stuff like that, not Oak or Mulberry which take longer. I've been collecting them and putting them in my pile for 2 years from now. They are too small to split but are decent wood so I'm grabbing them.....

 

[bmblank]

Same as the 4 in splits, roughly.

 

[BobUrban]

small branches dry rather quickly - not unlike splits of the same species and same size. Maple, ash, cherry, etc. will be ready in a year if your splits are ready in that time frame.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Interesting......I thought they would take longer to dry since there wasn't much surface exposed to air?!

 

[Woody Stover]

I think they would be slower, especially Oak. But I've also heard that soft Maple will dry pretty quick in branch form. I've got a little Sycamore that was fresh-cut in spring. I didn't meter it but it feels pretty light and dry now. If the bark is loose on your stuff, that will help for sure.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

All I can say is that I had 4" maple rounds that did not dry in the same time as splits, if I get a chance tonight, I will retest them, it's been about a year since I last checked because I was disappointed in seeing how wet they still were....

 

[blades]

Better not try that with Birtch, they will be rotten inside the bark.

 

[gerry100]

IMHO, the bark slows the drying a bit. I don't split 4" dia but put in next years pile ( 15/16).

Some time I "stripe" with tip of the saw to break the bark. Might help

 

[Hogwildz]

Maple & Cherry at 4" will be ready in a year or so.

 

[bigbarf48]

Maple seems to dry pretty quick even in branch form

 

[area_man]

I have oak branches I scrounged two years ago, and I'm moving them from their old location to the woodshed. Half have dried well, half have not. The branchy, knotty, crotchy kind did not dry well. I wound up splitting it this past week with a wedge and 4lb hammer. There were a few 24" branches that actually split the whole way with the wedge.

They were about 6" in diameter and down.

I have some brand new pine cut last week into rounds, and my Fiskars just bounced right off the face of 'em. If my previous limbs are any indication, I'll give them a winter to think about things and split them in the spring.

The knotty, branchy, crotchy stuff that I couldn't get through last year are much easier to deal with this year. Then again, I have added a 4' wrecking bar, the wedge, and the 4lb hammer to my tools this year. The wrecking bar does a good job if I can get the splitter to dig in well. I get the tip against the outside of the split and pry using the splitter as a fulcrum. I don't know why, but the wrecking bar doesn't seem to have much advantage unless it's prying against something other than the other face of the split.

If what I wrote doesn't make sense, I apologize. I am new to all of this, so I might be wording it clumsily. Let me know if there is a better way to say it.