Question for you wood experts. My father in-law has some wood left from previous years that he is giving to me. The wood is mostly fir and spruce. It has been piled in lengths for two years, but he had put it in a shady area. The wood is very damp. What would be the best thing to do to dry it out. I was thinking that I would saw it off, spit it restack it in a better location and then move it to my wood shed in the fall. The alternative would be to saw off the wood, split it, and then put it in my wood shed. Which would be the better way to go....or should I do something totally different.
Damp Wood
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I'd say cut 'er up, split it and move it to the wood shed. Moving wood twice is not my game, but I'm lazy. I'm a big fan of moisture meters -- albeit you need to know how wood works however there's a lot to be said for categorically knowing what the moisture level of the stack is. For $20-25 it's a cheap easy way to verify that your wood is running at the coveted 20% range. I have an 18 acre woodlot of spruce and I rarely use my moisture meter now... I just seem to *know* when my wood is ready. But for the first few years the meter saved us because I was always wrong in guessing the moisture content.
Good luck with the free load of wood.
- Mark
Good luck with the free load of wood.
- Mark
By stating, "sawing it off" I think that means it is in buzz lengths rather than firewood lengths. If so, you definitely have the right idea by cutting it up and then splitting.
I'm not a big fan of putting wood in a shed while it is seasoning unless that shed is built like an old corn crib so as to allow pretty good air flow through it. Even then, you state the wood is wet now so it very well may be wet all the way through. If so, you need to get it in good air flow and sunshine if possible. Then move it inside in the fall or early winter.
Good luck.
I'm not a big fan of putting wood in a shed while it is seasoning unless that shed is built like an old corn crib so as to allow pretty good air flow through it. Even then, you state the wood is wet now so it very well may be wet all the way through. If so, you need to get it in good air flow and sunshine if possible. Then move it inside in the fall or early winter.
Good luck.
I think I'd stack it in a sunny, windy spot if I had the space. Laying around in the moisture probably means some rot has started, and I'd want to dry it ASAP to slow or stop the rot. I'd be concerned that stacked in a shed it would continue to rot. The shed is shadier and less windy than an open spot, and you're likely to stack more closely in a shed to save space. Once it is dry, you can restack in the shed.
Might want to saw some of the spruce up b4 you move it to check for rot. I've seen it turn to mush in the damp/shade in 2 years.
For me knowing what "very damp" means would be important . . .
"Very damp" -- Meaning punky and rotten to the core = Toss in the woods
"Very damp" -- Meaning not well seasoned when measured by a moisture meter or by a visual/feel after splitting a round = Cut, split and stack in rows to allow seasoning
"Very damp" -- Meaning wet on the outside bark, but not rotten = Cut, split and stack
"Very damp" -- Meaning wet on the outside with some punky sections, but mostly solid wood = Cuts, split and stack (and possibly remove punky sections if easy to do so)
"Very damp" -- Meaning punky and rotten to the core = Toss in the woods
"Very damp" -- Meaning not well seasoned when measured by a moisture meter or by a visual/feel after splitting a round = Cut, split and stack in rows to allow seasoning
"Very damp" -- Meaning wet on the outside bark, but not rotten = Cut, split and stack
"Very damp" -- Meaning wet on the outside with some punky sections, but mostly solid wood = Cuts, split and stack (and possibly remove punky sections if easy to do so)
C02Neutral said:
Fir and Spruce are pretty dry to begin with. I wouldn't bother doubling up the work.
Damp fir and spruce aren't worth much. Is this wood critical to your seasons burning? If not, I'd be very picky and check it carefully. It yes, I'd cut and split it, let it air/sun dry 'till fall, then throw it into the shed.
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