Keeping it Dry

[willyswagon]

Well this winter will be the first year back to heating with wood in over 20 yrs.
I made sure I got ahead of the game right from the start. Had 12 cord of 8' stuff delivered in March for $90/ cord. It was dropped in December.

I blocked it all right away and took a MM reading just to see how it would go. It all came in between 40-50%. I stacked it side by side on pallets, leaving 12" between the rows so the air could flow through. We had the driest, hottest summer ever. By mid Aug the MM reading were from 13-20%.

Now the games in my head started, should I cover it or not?
We usually get heavy rains in late Sept- mid Oct. You know right in the middle of the Potatoe harvest.

A buddy of mine owns a local boat shop, and dropped some old shrink wrap off in case I did decide to cover it.

So the price was right and the kids and I went to work, moving wood from one stack to the other to ensure that the water woud quickly run off and not pool between the rows. I'm some glad we did it because we had about 3" of rain last week, and they are calling for another 4"-6" tonight and tomorrow as hurricane Leslie makes its way by to the South of us.

It is amazing how putting the plastic on the stacks has directed the wind through the pile. I placed the higher stack to the west( prevailing winds) and it seems that it is causing the wind to be forced down through the pile. A couple of my buddys were over checking it out and they were as surprised as I was.

Here how it looks now.

 

[PapaDave]

So, you don't split much, eh?
Quite a bit of wood, nicely stacked and covered.
Split a few of the rounds and recheck the MC. Or, is that what you did?
I see that shrink wrap a lot around here. How well does it hold up?

 

[swagler85]

Looks good, Lot of wood. What kind of stove do you have? Outdoor? Some of those rounds are very big to be burning in an indoor stove.

 

[BoilerMan]

SOLOTTA beech, my favorite firewood!

TS

 

[BillsWS]

Fantastic!

 

[willyswagon]

So, you don't split much, eh?
Quite a bit of wood, nicely stacked and covered.
Split a few of the rounds and recheck the MC. Or, is that what you did?
I see that shrink wrap a lot around here. How well does it hold up?

The shrink wrap holds up for a couple of years.

The splits are all on the Western side of the pile. I didn't know how well things would dry next to the trees, so I put all of the splits over there to get as much wind as possible. They are at 13%, the rounds are 20%.


I set it up so I can just back the truck up to the pile and take either the splits or rounds. Then just back the truck into the garage and burn out of the back of the truck till I need more wood. The added weight helps a little to!!

 

[PapaDave]

That truck is beautiful!

 

[rottiman]

Absolutely AWESOME Jeep......................................

 

[willyswagon]

That truck is beautiful!

Thanks Willys built it 56 yrs ago to work, and that's what it does.
I use it for snow, brush, wood, and this

 

[ScotO]

Love the woodstack, and the truck! Saw your username, I have a 1949 Willys Wagon in the barn, started the restoration on it around 8 years ago but put it on hold til my house project is finished. Welcome to the forums, looks like you got a good start already!

 

[willyswagon]

Absolutely AWESOME Jeep......................................

Thanks but that's not a Jeep, it's better (Willys)
This is my Jeep!

 

[willyswagon]

Love the woodstack, and the truck! Saw your username, I have a 1949 Willys Wagon in the barn, started the restoration on it around 8 years ago but put it on hold til my house project is finished. Welcome to the forums, looks like you got a good start already!

Thanks, Ya there is one of those around too, now you see why I haven't burnt wood in 20 yrs??
Like the truck, it is a 1956, only this one is far from stock. 425 hp small block.

 

[ScotO]

Thanks, Ya there is one of those around too, now you see why I haven't burnt wood in 20 yrs??
Like the truck, it is a 1956, only this one is far from stock. 425 hp small block.

Nice! I've got an 8" lift (spring-over conversion and 2" body lift) under mine, I'm a Ford guy at heart so I got a 302 mated to a toploader 4 speed in front of the original Dana 18 transfer case. Dana 27 up front, Dana 44 in the back. Frame was blasted, all new firewall and floorpans we fabbed are in, rhino-lined the undercarriage and inside on the floorpans. Someday, when I get time, I'll finish it!

 

[osagebow]

That truck even stopped the wife in her tracks - beautiful!

 

[rottiman]

Thanks, Ya there is one of those around too, now you see why I haven't burnt wood in 20 yrs??
Like the truck, it is a 1956, only this one is far from stock. 425 hp small block.

So,So SWEET

 

[steeltowninwv]

march to august 50% to 20%...what kind of wood is it?...soft maple...cherry?....i dont think ive seen wood dry that quick before...did u split the wood and take an inside measurment of moisture?

 

[DexterDay]

march to august 50% to 20%...what kind of wood is it?...soft maple...cherry?....i dont think ive seen wood dry that quick before...did u split the wood and take an inside measurment of moisture?

Nice stacks..... Really nice stacks. Nice Willys... Nice Jeep.. Geez.. (jealous guy right here )

But I have to agree Steeltown and PapaDave (post #2)... Re-split new pieces. Both a round and a split. Then check M/C on the inside of a fresh face/cut.

Checking on the outside will always give you a low reading and isnt an accurate measurement of the "Center" of the wood.....

Every new measurement, should come from a piece that was freshly split.

Beautiful place you have there..

 

[willyswagon]

All I can report is what the Moisture Meter reports.
Spilts when resplit show between 13-15%, rounds from 8-10" dia when resplit show 20%.

Any blocks bigger than that have not been checked as they will be split this winter after the frost gets in them.
They are to be burnt in the 2013-14 heating season.

Wood is Maple, birch and the odd beech.

We live in a very windy area, there is a reason they have placed a wind farm 10 miles from my house. It is blowing about 15 kts(17mph) right now, supposed to swing to the North and blow 35 kts for the next day or so.

Up here when it comes to drying wood, wind is your friend!! Rain is not. We have recieved 98mm(3.8") so far, and they are saying another 30mm(1.2") is on the way today. So if we get that....... 5" since last night.

 

[willyswagon]

march to august 50% to 20%...what kind of wood is it?...soft maple...cherry?....i dont think ive seen wood dry that quick before...did u split the wood and take an inside measurment of moisture?

The original reading were between 40-50% Most were 40%, there was the odd 50.
I may just not have found the higher moisture logs in the pile while doing my samples, but I have checked over 50 pieces of various sizes.

 

[PapaDave]

Well then, I'd say you're gooder to go.
Really does sound like very good conditions for drying wood, and since it's all covered, the rain shouldn't have much of an impact.
What kind of stove?

 

[onetracker]

beautiful pics!

AND

you've proven (At least to me) that rounds will dry out reasonably well if stacked off the ground in good drying conditions. so now i don't need to stress over all the rounds i have in stacks around the compound. i can split it the year before and be fine. i'm gonna experiment with a few oak rounds and see what that reveals.

i think someone already did this long term test on this forum. anyone remember who/when? sounds like something battenkiller would have done.

 

[firefighterjake]

Sweet stacks . . . sweet Willys . . . sweet island that you live on . . . been to PEI two or three times now . . . and after a few short years away I find myself wanting to go back.

 

[willyswagon]

Sweet stacks . . . sweet Willys . . . sweet island that you live on . . . been to PEI two or three times now . . . and after a few short years away I find myself wanting to go back.

Don't come today, it is pouring like crazy.
We got another 1 1/2 " this am, and now they are saying a further 1" to come.
Localized flooding with street closures.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Willyswagon, welcome to the forum.

Nice wood piles and some good comments from you.

Love the Willys. My father owned one and I also used to own one of the rare Willys cars. Loved it. It ran good and had overdrive so got great gas mileage. It was a sad day when it gave up the ghost.

 

[golfandwoodnut]

Willyswagon, does that bring back some memories. My first car/truck was a 1957 Jeep Wagoneer, it was used as an ambulance on the power lines in WV and only had 15,000 miles on it. I was only 16 and bought it with my paper route money for $375. Then I found a 1942 Willys pickup truck with a 1938 Dodge Flathead engine for $100. The metal on that thing was 1/4 of inch thick, it would never rust out. It was geared really low, as I remember.

Nice stacks too, but I wish I kept those early trucks. Still love 4 wheel drives today because of it.