Wood is drying fast
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I don't think we will get much seasoning with that humidity! 
wendell said:
I am also finding it VERY hard to get enthused about getting out there and splitting/stacking the rounds laying on the ground. I've also got two sources I have to get to this next week to pick up free wood (hard maple/shagbark hickory/oak) but just can't face it in this heat.
Shari
Shari said:
Early morning... be out there at first light... that is why I do. I've been cutting/hand-splitting wood for 2 weeks now and I normally go out in the evening and do all the cutting (easy work) then the next morning I'll go load, haul, split. Repeat it that night...
this week i scavenged about 15 or so short logs. im going to try and process them in tomorrow's heat. suposed to be 95 f .1 1/2 hours work in total. id love to get the sun on this stuff. im thinking this is the best drying weather we have had in quite some time. pete
I have all this year's wood already processed, just been working on 2011-2012 white oak. 2.5 cords of it. I'm not in any hurry, and I doubt it will be done before snow flies.
burntime
New Member
Wendell, I am not far from you and routinely cut and split oak both red and white. It is always ready in a year and a half. Basically if I split and stack now it will be ready next year without a problem. It must be a very different climate for the guys that say it takes 3 years, less then optimal location, or a different species...
burntime
New Member
I split mine in about 4-5 inch splits and its down under 20% in that time without a problem. The white oak is usually close but red is always seasoned about as far as it will get.
Not shure why it takes some peoples oak 3 years to season, the 1 and 1/2 years is what works for me with green oak and single rows in the wind and sun.
oldspark said:
Actually, your 3 reasons are right there. I have none of your luxuries. As a requirement to stay married, I have to live in the city with houses all around so my rows are too close together, the wind is blocked by the houses around me and I get very little sun.
Not being a smart ass but you should point that out in your post, when I first joined this forum I could not believe the drying times and moisture content and the times listed for the firewood people had but no mention of how they were stacking their wood. Clarification for the newer people helps someone just starting out.wendell said:
Yes, you are probably right but I would say that it is extremely rare for people to have the room to stack single row in full wind and sun. I believe my original point is valid, however, in that somebody who is not planning on being done splitting white oak until this winter and is planning on burning it next year may not get the results he is hoping for.
Yup, this has been a bad summer for lawns but a great one for drying wood. I split and stacked a mountain of ash, oak maple and cherry in March of this year. All of it was stacked in single rows with reasonable sun and wind exposure. I bought a moisture meter this morning and was consistently getting readings of 5% exterior, 20% interior on the splits. Mind you, I split a lot of this stuff on the small side, but it bodes very well for the upcoming burn season, especially since we still have about 1.5 months of drying weather left. Can't wait to fire up the new Quad 4300 Step!
I don't know about the rest of you guys, but it looks like this year should be very good for drying. Last year, we had 11 days that were 90 degrees or above, with all of them being in August. This year, we have had nearly 60 days of 90+ so far and it started in June. True, humidity has been high at some times, but it looks like the heat would account for something.
I have my black locust splits in 18-24" lengths, stacked in single rows about 5' tall and 24' long. I have the rows spaced about 5' apart and in direct sun with the wind blowing across them. It is one of the advantages of living on a 12+ acre farm out in the country. Furthermore, all this came from a guy who was clearing land and cut them last fall. I got them in March and we split them then.
I am currently looking at a red oak that is in a boundry fence between my hayfield and a neighbor's pasture field. The tree is about 42" in diameter at the base, 60'+ in height, and has several limbs that are 16"+ in diameter. It is growing on my side of the fence, but leaning drastically into his field and I would have to cut the fence and use a tractor to pull it thru. It is hard to get motivated about doing this when it is 93 degrees at 11:30 am with a heat index of 105. Don't suppose waiting another month or 2 will hurt. Still looking for the easy takes of trees already on the ground, but this one is going to be some work.
I have my black locust splits in 18-24" lengths, stacked in single rows about 5' tall and 24' long. I have the rows spaced about 5' apart and in direct sun with the wind blowing across them. It is one of the advantages of living on a 12+ acre farm out in the country. Furthermore, all this came from a guy who was clearing land and cut them last fall. I got them in March and we split them then.
I am currently looking at a red oak that is in a boundry fence between my hayfield and a neighbor's pasture field. The tree is about 42" in diameter at the base, 60'+ in height, and has several limbs that are 16"+ in diameter. It is growing on my side of the fence, but leaning drastically into his field and I would have to cut the fence and use a tractor to pull it thru. It is hard to get motivated about doing this when it is 93 degrees at 11:30 am with a heat index of 105. Don't suppose waiting another month or 2 will hurt. Still looking for the easy takes of trees already on the ground, but this one is going to be some work.
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
Man, in this weather I am so thankful I don't have to be cutting, splitting or stacking firewood! I'll do mine in cooler weather; much cooler.
As for the red oak, we've burned some in 2 years but it is far, far from ideal.
I'm the opposite of Wendell, to stay married I live in the country (but it also is my choice. I hate even going to town.) I stack wood in the sun and wind. However, I do not stack in single rows but I have tried stacking some red oak by itself in single rows in the past. It made no difference; I still waited 3 year. Well, actually it was cut during winter then split and stacked in April. Same thing for pin oak, which really is about the same as red oak.
As for the red oak, we've burned some in 2 years but it is far, far from ideal.
I'm the opposite of Wendell, to stay married I live in the country (but it also is my choice. I hate even going to town.) I stack wood in the sun and wind. However, I do not stack in single rows but I have tried stacking some red oak by itself in single rows in the past. It made no difference; I still waited 3 year. Well, actually it was cut during winter then split and stacked in April. Same thing for pin oak, which really is about the same as red oak.
boatboy63 said:
Boatboy,
There is no point in cutting that tree until at least November. You already have your firewood lined up for the winter, plus, red oak is notorious for taking forever to season. If you cut it now, it will have even more moisture in it. Wait until November or December when it has gone dormant. It will have less moisture and it will be easier to work in cooler temps.
I have never worried when I cut the tree and wonder how much sap flow has an effect on the firewood, the sap flows in the outer part of the tree so I think the extra moisture is minimal, with the biggest contributing factors being time, wind and sun and the way it is stacked, bottom line cut it when you can and c/s/s as soon as possible.
richg said:
richg,
I like the way you think. The nice thing about this one is that it is on my property so I don't have to worry about somebody else getting there first. It seems that lately, I keep hearing, "I just gave away a bunch of firewood a couple of weeks ago. I would have given it to you if I had of known you burn wood." What was really bad was that 1 guy I know just gave away about 5 cords of maple that had been split and stacked over a year ago. He said his wife made him quit burning wood and put propane logs in. That's one of those times when you get that sick feeling in the pit of your stomach, kind of like one of those famous grazing tinglers that takes about 5 seconds after the hit before you feel it.
I did make a good CL finding today. Listing said hardwood on the ground and enough for at least 2 truckloads. Went to look at it and it was from a storm that had broke trees down at the edge of a woodline. One was oak that is about 30-40' long and about 20" in diameter at base. The other appears to be elm that is about the same size. I called to see if I could look first and they said fine, but they wouldn't be home. There is probably 4 truck and trailer loads there instead of the 2 she said. After looking, I emailed them back and told them I would be there Monday morning and would like to bring a weedeater as it is in a field they keep mowed and the grass/vines are about 12" tall. She emailed back and said that was fine and that she would even put the bush hog on her tractor and mow as close as she can tomorrow so I don't have to worry with snakes. She even told me there was another tree down at the top of the hill and I was welcome to it. Nothing like southern hospitality. What makes this a strange find is that I am 75 miles round trip by taking 1 route. I am about 25 miles on another route, but have to take a ferry about 1/4 mile across the lake. I have lived here 30 years and never been on this ferry that is about 10 miles from my house.
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