Since we all know wood dries mostly out the ends I'm going to try bringing those ends closer together by cutting some wood 3-4" long and split it less. Then bring it in to season around the stove. The splits will end up being about the same overall size just the end grain will show more than the side grain. I know from holding GTGs in the past the race cookies left over dry fast but those where typically 1" ers.
Going To Try Cookies
- Thread starter wkpoor
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Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
SolarAndWood
Minister of Fire
I've been burnin a lot of shorties this year and it is a PITA to fill the firebox with them. Given the option, I wouldn't do it but I don't cut most of the wood I get. That said, they are bone dry.
If you knew how fast my Solo can cut its probably faster than splitting. As for the mess I've got 1/2acre covered in crap from processing. It won't even be noticed. In the spring I just put on the lanscape rake. Rake in a pile and load it out. 2 months later you'll never tell anything was there after it grasses over.Backwoods Savage said:
tfdchief
Minister of Fire
Short does work. At the beginning of the season I tried my uglies from last winter, mostly oak and hickory. I wanted to get rid of them if possible. I had a really big pile. Wasn't sure if they would be seasoned, but they were, even the oak......started quickly and burned great. Short pieces season quickly with the right conditions.
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
More work to be sure . . . and there is the issue with storage and stacking . . . but yeah, chunks or cookies definitely season much, much faster than the normal 18-20 inch wood I have . . . myself I wouldn't purposely cut up cookies and chunks, but they do get used by this woodburner.
If I were to hold a GTG then I would have a mountain of them in short order. In the past I've had so many I end up using them in a bon fire. Now I'm thinking they are a short term solution to wet wood. I'll just cut a weeks worth and see how it goes. Again my saw cuts fast so it will actually be less than if I were cutting to length and then splitting. Its the waist in the kerf thats makes it not ideal for long term.
If you had a bandsaw that would be a good idea. Bit yer have a pile of sawdust using a chainsaw and little fruit for the effort...
Between all the cutting and all the noodling I end up with huge piles of saw dust as it is. Some much in the spring it takes about 3 bucket fulls to remove it with a 3/4 yard bucket. This sounds dounting but with the grapple and a hot saw it will go very fast and then most will only get split once in half. My ported 346 can eat through woods like Cherry 12" in diameter in 4secs or less. The Solo is faster yet. So lopping off cookies will be and piece of cake. Only down side I see is the waisted wood with all the extra kerfs.Scotty Overkill said:
Other thing is this will only be done on bigger rounds say 8" and above.
SolarAndWood
Minister of Fire
woodsmaster
Minister of Fire
I bet you use a lot of gas and sharpen often. I don't Know how you would stack single rows in the wind, but
for a small quantity to get dried fast by the stove would probably work. It will also act as a humidifier.
for a small quantity to get dried fast by the stove would probably work. It will also act as a humidifier.
Adios Pantalones
Minister of Fire
It'll work, but the fuel, time, labor, and wood waste are going to make it expensive and tedious for any real volume.
LLigetfa
Minister of Fire
Sounds like a case of poor foresight and planning. I hope cookies are not your SOP for burning same year wood. Better to get years ahead IMHO.
That said, decades ago living hand-to-mouth, I measured wood seasoning times in weeks instead of years. I was scrounging culls from a plywood mill. I would cookie cut the two ends and burn those right away since they had a chance to dry more.
That said, decades ago living hand-to-mouth, I measured wood seasoning times in weeks instead of years. I was scrounging culls from a plywood mill. I would cookie cut the two ends and burn those right away since they had a chance to dry more.
Ironwood
New Member
My neighbor gave me a trailer load of blocks from steel shipments. They are 2X3 hardwood of random lengths. I cut them to size on the shop band saw which left some shorts between 5 to 6 inches. Been loading the shop stove with them and really like the quick heat.
Its a case of ,job, family, and everyday life that gets in the way.In yrs past I've been yrs ahead on wood but last year we got real serious into growing sweet corn and selling to markets and then there was tractor shows, mowing grass and taking care of everyday life. Just couldn't seem to make it priority to get the wood split. I help my neighbor all yr long too getting his firewood that he sells to make extra money. I do vow this yr to build a wood shed and get it filled with wood.LLigetfa said:
I have a pile of uglies beside my shed that I was thinking I'd just cut up smaller to avoid renting a splitter. It's not a big enough pile for a splitter rental. I wouldn't have to cut complete cookies - maybe one or two cuts per round and then I could split them easier? Is this reasonable?
Everyone that sees this a labor intensive has never been to a GTG. With a couple hot saws you can make a mountain of cookies in very short order.Adios Pantalones said:
John_M
Minister of Fire
smokinj
Minister of Fire
Ironwood
New Member
No reason not to. Before I had a splitter cut up uglies with the saw all the time. If it won't go into the stove what use is it.basswidow said:
I have a couple of pine tree jobs coming up, Maybe I'll cookie-cut those logs in use them in my maple stove. It will be around a month till we have a sap to cook, If I cut them into 4 inch thick cookies that should give me some reasonable heat out of that pine. Better than giving the logs away!
I've held 4 racing GTGs here at the house. The best turn out I counted 150 chainsaws showed up. Not everyone races though. Some come just to hang out, some to cut cookies from big wood, and some to race seriously. A GTG is the best place to try new saws, play around with different saw/chain set ups or just watch the pros lob off cookies from 10" cants at under a sec per pass.basswidow said:
Kenster
Minister of Fire
Seems like a major waste of time and gasoline to me. And I'm surprised no one has challenged the OP's first statement that wood dries more quickly from the ends. Why do we bother to split it, then? My understanding has always been that wood dries much more quickly from a split face than from the ends. Yes, I suppose shaving a cookie off of each end of a ROUND would get you some reasonably dry wood but cutting a log into chunks to speed up drying, rather than bucking and splitting seems counterproductive as you will never get long, hot burns from chunks and cookies like you would get from a big, dry split.
Perhaps as a one time thing to expedite the drying process when you might otherwise be stuck with no dry wood, but I can't see doing this as a general practice.
And if you want to have a wood processing party (GTG?-- we spell "to gether" as one word around here! ;-) ) why not do it right and have a BSS (bucking and splitting and stacking) party.?
Perhaps as a one time thing to expedite the drying process when you might otherwise be stuck with no dry wood, but I can't see doing this as a general practice.
And if you want to have a wood processing party (GTG?-- we spell "to gether" as one word around here! ;-) ) why not do it right and have a BSS (bucking and splitting and stacking) party.?
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