All kinds of stupid "newbie" questions to ask!

[Mr_Super-Hunky]

Okay, so I don't know the answers to these questions, but what better place to ask right?. So here goes:

Questions:

1.) How much wood fits in a pick-up truck?. (Standand 8' bed, and shorter 6' bed found on ford Supercrew F150). Also, is the amount the same whether its say 8' limbed logs, or 18'' rounds, or "split" pieces?.

2.) Is it okay to burn the bark, or should it be removed?.

3.) I'm worried about storring any wood in the house due to possible bugs, termites, ants etc. Is it okay to store wood outside on front porch?, or should it be storred away from the home as to not invite bugs and such in/around the home?.

4.) If all I cut was dead standing oak, (which I did), since the wood is very dry, do I still need to *season* it, or can I burn it this year?. [It is totally dry!].

5.) Is it okay to burn some totally dry, but somewhat rotting wood?. [I found a large stand of dead Oak and cut it all down. Some of the wood is a little "foamy", as in styrofoamy on the inside as it has been dead for a few years.]

6.) We have Oak, Juniper, Alligator Juniper, Aspen and Ponderosa Pine to cut. I remember seeing a chart which explained which was the hardest wood as well as which ones smelled nice to burn. Can anyone describe the burning charactoristics of these types of wood?....i.e fast burner/slow burner, smells good/stinks when burned.

7.) Since Pine burns very fast, is it okay to burn an entire "round" without splitting it to attempt to increase burn time?.

8.) I know that there are way to many variables to judge accurately, however, is there any basic guide to estimate how much wood (cords) will be used to heat xxx amount of sq footage. For example, a 2000 sf home may use around 5-6 cords of wood to heat it during the winter..... just a guess is fine. I just have no idea how much wood I need to heat a 4000sf home. I'm getting sore from hauling so many logs!.

9.) How many seasons in advance can you store wood?. I.e, does split and stacked wood go bad after several years?. Should I only store a year or two of wood at a time?.

10.) Are 2x4's okay to use as kindling assuming no nails?. I know that plywood/particle board is not allowed due to the glue in it.

Sorry for the dopey questions, but I bet there is someone else besides me who does'nt know all the answers to these questions and they may become better educated as well.

Thanks in advance.

 

[webbie]

I'll take some stabs:

1. This depends greatly on the density of the wood - if we are looking for "how much BTU's". Other than that, use the cubic feet, and 128 CF to a cord. Cubic feet = LxWxH - so a bed that was 8 feet long, 5 feet wide and 2 feet high would be about 2/3 of a cord. Yes, it can vary depending on size and stacking, but so can ANY cordwood.

2. OK to burn bark - some species lose their bark during seasoning, other tend to keep it.

3. OK to store on porch, but that should usually be wood that is "moving" down the assembly line into your stove, as opposed to sitting in the same place for a year. Also can depend on species and climate in your area. In New England, many porches contain a lot of wood stacked.

4. Iron wood - dead standing, can be burned immediately. It will be the best wood you have!

5. Yes - less heat value in the punky part, but as long as it has some solid matter to make it worth your while.

I'll leave the other for the next person.

 

[Harley]

I'll give it a shot

1) most likely, you'll fit the most in with the straight limbed logs, followed by the stacked splits, then the rounds. Depending on the suspension (you DO NOT want to overload it). You'd probably get about 3/4 cord safely stacked in an 8'bed.

2) Yes... its fine to burn - some will come off as you split it- especially the dead stuff.

3) I've never had an issure with bugs... if you store on the porch.... DO NOT OVERLOAD IT Leave some airspace (drying will take longer too. Maybe the best would be brining in a week or a few days worth onto the porch once you start burning.

4) I'd say you should, though it would probably be fine this year... hard to tell unless you get a moisture reading on it.

5) If it's punky, but dry... no problems burning it... you won't get a lot of heat though.

6) Not sure on Juniper & Aspen, but depending on the type of Oak, I probably would go for that.

7) Sure... as long as its dry

8) Depends on house and the stove, and how its operated. I think 5 cord for a 2,000 sf house is in the ballpark, but that doesn't mean you need 10 cord for a 4,00 sf house though.

9) Pobably varies due to different climates. Personally, I wouldn't go more than 2-3 years out myself.

10) Sure. I wouldn't use a lot, because they will get going fast and hot.

 

[Hogwildz]

Okay, so I don't know the answers to these questions, but what better place to ask right?. So here goes:

Questions:

1.) How much wood fits in a pick-up truck?. (Standand 8' bed, and shorter 6' bed found on ford Supercrew F150). Also, is the amount the same whether its say 8' limbed logs, or 18'' rounds, or "split" pieces?.

I would guess an 8' bed loaded to tops of sides if stacked, to hold about a 1/2 cord. 6' hmmm 1/3 maybe?
As far as round or split. same amount to me, split appears more due to more air space between when stacking.

2.) Is it okay to burn the bark, or should it be removed?.

Burning bark is fine. Makes good fire starter also.

3.) I'm worried about storring any wood in the house due to possible bugs, termites, ants etc. Is it okay to store wood outside on front porch?, or should it be storred away from the home as to not invite bugs and such in/around the home?.

I carry in only a day or twos worth inside stacked on each side of the hearth. I stack about a 1/2 cord at a time right outside the door on the porch in a 1/2 cord rack.
I didn't notice an overabundance of insects, plus in winter most insects are dead in the wood. Od at least I have not seen many live ones. I guess they burn as well

4.) If all I cut was dead standing oak, (which I did), since the wood is very dry, do I still need to *season* it, or can I burn it this year?. [It is totally dry!].

I doubt even while dead, that the standing wood is as dry as it would be if split & stacked and let to dry during the summer. I'd cut it up & spit it now, and see how it does come winter time. If not fully ready, save for the following season, or toss a couple in at a time with a good hot fire going. I had to burn wood that was wetter than I had cared to last winter, but I didn't have much choice. Still it burned.

5.) Is it okay to burn some totally dry, but somewhat rotting wood?. [I found a large stand of dead Oak and cut it all down. Some of the wood is a little "foamy", as in styrofoamy on the inside as it has been dead for a few years.]


I burn with or without the dry rot, you may find some of the dry rot clumps at the bottom of the ashes, but woods woo, I say burn it. And I do
6.) We have Oak, Juniper, Alligator Juniper, Aspen and Ponderosa Pine to cut. I remember seeing a chart which explained which was the hardest wood as well as which ones smelled nice to burn. Can anyone describe the burning charactoristics of these types of wood?....i.e fast burner/slow burner, smells good/stinks when burned.

7.) Since Pine burns very fast, is it okay to burn an entire "round" without splitting it to attempt to increase burn time?.

Sure thing, rounds burn longer and not as fast.

8.) I know that there are way to many variables to judge accurately, however, is there any basic guide to estimate how much wood (cords) will be used to heat xxx amount of sq footage. For example, a 2000 sf home may use around 5-6 cords of wood to heat it during the winter..... just a guess is fine. I just have no idea how much wood I need to heat a 4000sf home. I'm getting sore from hauling so many logs!.

9.) How many seasons in advance can you store wood?. I.e, does split and stacked wood go bad after several years?. Should I only store a year or two of wood at a time?.
You can store several seasons in advance, you can always cover it if it looks like its getting too weathered. If its not laying on the wet ground or in a puddle, you should be fine. Some of these guys are several years in advance stacked up and ready.

10.) Are 2x4's okay to use as kindling assuming no nails?. I know that plywood/particle board is not allowed due to the glue in it.

I usem, just make sure they are not pressure treated, that is a nono. Even if theres nails, you can still burnem. I do and scoop the nails out with each cleaning, or use a good magnet to grab them even better.

Sorry for the dopey questions, but I bet there is someone else besides me who does'nt know all the answers to these questions and they may become better educated as well.

If we all knew all the answers, this site would be a vast empty wasteland LOL. Great site, great folks, and great help & info. I asked many questions, nothing dumb about it. The only dumb thing is to not ask questions to gain knowledge and info

The 8' and 6' bed is just guessing on my part, never measured it out with a load of wood.

Thanks in advance.

 

[BrotherBart]

Glad to see that you survived the beating on arborsite.com.

Your Wiki assignment is to load that pickup with round logs. Take'em home, buck'em and split and stack'em and measure how much split wood it holds.

 

[rdrcr56]

My 3/4 ton dodge with a topper that is even with the roof of the cab will hold a hair shy of a full cord if it's packed in way tight.

 

[jtp10181]

7) If the rounds are too large they will never fully dry out no matter how long they sit, FYI.

9) for hard woods it is usually good to have it drying out for two years after being cut and stacked.

 

[elkimmeg]

I hade 16 cords last season used 5/6 so far I have replaced what I used Any wood from now on is for the 4 year out 80% is oak
If it is off the ground stacked it will last a long time easilly 5 years On ded standing wood I use then as all nighters in 6" rounds larger than that I split them of it I detect moisture I split them
if split and stacked now all should be ready for this winter takes about 33 months of drying for standing dead oak.

My wood is seasoned 2 years before use

the rest of the questions have been covered

 

[Gooserider]

The questions I can answer have been already for the most part... I would say get as much as you can split and stacked, off the ground, preferably covered on top. Don't worry about how much for now, you want to have more ready than you will actually burn, that way you won't run out. Then refill the supply next year, a few seasons of that will give you a feel for how much you will actually burn. Partially dry wood can be burned, but the drier the better, and it basically doesn't go bad, so you really should work on trying to get a couple years ahead.

Gooserider

 

[Robbie]

1. don't know for sure.............. :roll:

2. yes, or if it's ready to fall off, save it to help start fires with.

3. Storing wood on the porch.........put plastic under wood or a tarp, this will keep bark/bugs and other crud off of your porch/deck etc.

4. yes, split it though, and place it in the direct sun until fall, it will be perfect by then if it's already dead.

5. yes, don't waste a lot of time on this wood though if it's too punky.

6. oak is wonderful, smells like a whisky barrel freshly cut and burns a long time, don't know about the others. Nothing like going outside on a cold night just to smell your oak burning..........it takes you home.

7. yes.

8. if you do the next question as prescribed, this question won't matter at all.......... ;-)

9. get as many as you can get, really, you won't be sorry !

10. just don't leave the room after lighting.........red hot potential here in a few minutes if really loaded.


Robbie

 

[elkimmeg]

Who won the naming contest?

 

[granpajohn]

Re: wood stored on a wood porch...It's been done successfully for years, but please do be careful. Perhaps you don't live in Termite Heaven, as I do, but I've found that certain insects come back to life after a load of frozen wood, (typically oak), sits on the hearth for a day or 2. Click Beetles can be heard clicking in the log until it is finally burned. Although I have seen termites come in from the woodpile, they are quite lethargic in winter.
I always make sure that firewood is separated from my wood flooring by a woodbox, or rack.

We rarely get temperatures below zero here in the South, so maybe this doesn't apply to the coldest climates.

 

[jqgs214]

Well I just got a f150 w8' bed and loaded it full 3 times, just over the bed and it was 1/2 cord exactly.

 

[Jags]

Well I just got a f150 w8' bed and loaded it full 3 times, just over the bed and it was 1/2 cord exactly.

Sorry, just trying to clarify. Do you mean that each of the 3 loads were 1/2 of a cord? 3 loads equaling 1.5 cords? That would sound about perfect.

 

[jqgs214]

YES 3 LOADS = 1.5 CORDS

 

[Hogwildz]

wow, my guess was pretty close.

 

[TresK3]

The thing I like about this place is that other people ask the same questions I have. As a fellow-newbie, thanks for asking. And thanks to everyone else for all the answers!

 

[Mr_Super-Hunky]

Wxman:

I have a Ford F-150 supercrew (with the full sized rear seat and doors), so my bed is only 6 feet. However, with the tailgate down, its 8 feet and I am loading very small 8 foot limbed logs (4-6 inch diam). Do you think that this would also equall 1/2 cord of wood?. I tend to go a bit higher than the side rails in the middle and ratchet strap the load for the haul home.

 

[jqgs214]

Prolly close