Well I got me some wood but dang...

[KJamesJR]

Well I went ahead and ordered some processed greed wood vs the grapple I was looking for. $250 a cord delivered, cut at 22” and split. I asked them to keep the birch out but dang... they brought me four cords of oak. Almost all of it looks like oak. Red and white. Here I wanted wood for THIS winter as in 2019-2020. I’ll see what I can do to get these drying to sub 20% by October or so. Probably have to split these smaller too... I was able to get sugar maple around 18% in one season stacking single row un covered up on a hill. There’s only so much moisture we can leech out of wood in NH. As much as I hate to say it, but I’m hoping for a hot dry summer.

Looks like I’ll be heading to big sisters this weekend to cut some maples. Come summer I’ll probably have more wood than I intended to have even from a grapple. At least I know the maples will dry at her place. Then I’ll trailer it all home come fall.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining as many regard oak as a primo wood, I’m just afraid it won’t dry in time.

I’ll share a pic tomorrow afternoon. Currently dark and covered in snow as it snowed AGAIN today.

 

[Jan Pijpelink]

Put it in a kiln. There have been posts on here. It will be below 20% within a few months, if you do it right.

 

[KJamesJR]

So my idea is to stack it on some strapping up off the ground, single rows in the sun then wrap it in pallet wrap. Think that will work?

You’ll have to forgive the bad photo, it’s been snowing for two days.

 

[SpaceBus]

Why no birch?

 

[Jan Pijpelink]

So my idea is to stack it on some strapping up off the ground, single rows in the sun then wrap it in pallet wrap. Think that will work?

You’ll have to forgive the bad photo, it’s been snowing for two days.

Read this thread https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/solar-cord-wood-kiln-operation.152699/page-3#post-2180232

 

[KJamesJR]

Why no birch?

I didn’t want more birch because I already have a lot of it on the property. If I need it I can get it easily. I’m also not a fan of how it smelled when I burned it this winter and attributed it to the large amount of soot/creosote I swept out of the chimney back in January.

 

[KJamesJR]

Read this thread https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/solar-cord-wood-kiln-operation.152699/page-3#post-2180232

I may just have to steal Woodsplittets design.

I’d want one large enough for two cords. Maybe a single row, 24”wx4’hx16’L... I wonder if the length would screw things up though.

 

[Jan Pijpelink]

I may just have to steal Woodsplittets design.

I’d want one large enough for two cords. Maybe a single row, 24”wx4’hx16’L... I wonder if the length would screw things up though.

Length doesn't really matter. I did one for 42 ft. As long as it is all covered, plastic doesn't touch the wood and moist air can leave thru the top.

 

[KJamesJR]

Length doesn't really matter. I did one for 42 ft. As long as it is all covered, plastic doesn't touch the wood and moist air can leave thru the top.

Looks like woodspilitter wrapped his pretty tight. Like right around the wood.

If I set that up as tall as his, and as narrow, I fear the entire row would blow over. I’ll give it a shot though. 9% on oak and 2% on cherry is a little low for my liking. I’d be happy around the 18% range.

 

[Jan Pijpelink]

Looks like woodspilitter wrapped his pretty tight. Like right around the wood.

If I set that up as tall as his, and as narrow, I fear the entire row would blow over. I’ll give it a shot though. 9% on oak and 2% on cherry is a little low for my liking. I’d be happy around the 18% range.

Yep, he told me it was a bit on the dry side.

 

[SpaceBus]

I didn’t want more birch because I already have a lot of it on the property. If I need it I can get it easily. I’m also not a fan of how it smelled when I burned it this winter and attributed it to the large amount of soot/creosote I swept out of the chimney back in January.

I burn 50% birch and about 50% source and fir. It doesn't make more creosote in my experience, but it's not an easy drying wood. If you don't split anything over 2", then it will get punky, rot, and cause loads of creo.

 

[KJamesJR]

I burn 50% birch and about 50% source and fir. It doesn't make more creosote in my experience, but it's not an easy drying wood. If you don't split anything over 2", then it will get punky, rot, and cause loads of creo.

The birch that I received was delivered. It was dry around 20% moisture but I think that it may have been a bit punky as all the trees where from standing dead stock. This was paper birch.

Some folks like the smell of birch burning, I personally do not. It smells pretty sharp.

 

[KJamesJR]

Yep, he told me it was a bit on the dry side.

Well I'm going to give it a shot on two cords. I'll stack them, wrap them and check internal moisture after say four weeks and go from there. We're not exactly in the clear as far as weather goes so I probably wont see any real world results until end of May. I'll have two cords stacked single row, top covered, in full sun as a control.

 

[johneh]

If wrapped in plastic need to vent moisture at the top
You do not need trapped moisture it will introduce rot