drying 3 years out

[relax]

im about 3-4 years ahead on my wood,i want to start stacking green cut oak with no out side drying inside my quanset so i dont have a lot of restacking,will this wood ever dry enuff to burn in 3 to 4 years. i have a 18' overhead door thats open year around so all it gets is a fair amount of air flow. wood is cut to about 18.5''

 

[maxed_out]

+1, I dont see any reason it won't be fine. Sounds like a nice setup. And 3-4 years willreally work in your favor.

 

[CTYank]

With single door (?) some of the wood may benefit from circulator fans.

Rounds of oak will dry much more slowly than splits, which you didn't bring up. Except for forks/knots, red oak splits easily enough by hand. Chainsaw will easily cut the hard part of the forks/knots. Shorter rounds will dry more rapidly than longer.

Is this for an OWB? Adirondack fireplace? (Just curious.)

 

[Backwoods Savage]

With the lack of wind, I'd say you are pressing it a bit on drying time unless you can get some air circulation in that shed.

 

[cptoneleg]

There is a real good reason why folks don't go streight to the shed with their wood, and it is not because they just like to move their wood around.

 

[Kenster]

Split it fairly small then, surely, in four or more years it should be good to go. OR, you could split it and toss it into a pile. Just leave it in the pile as long as you can stand it before you move it into the hut. That will give it a good jump start on the drying process. I realize that the bottom and center of the pile won't be as dry as the top/outside of the pile it will still be further along than it would be stacked in the hut.

 

[cptoneleg]

Split it fairly small then, surely, in four or more years it should be good to go. OR, you could split it and toss it into a pile. Just leave it in the pile as long as you can stand it before you move it into the hut. That will give it a good jump start on the drying process. I realize that the bottom and center of the pile won't be as dry as the top/outside of the pile it will still be further along than it would be stacked in the hut.

Most states don't have 90 to 120 days in a row without rain and above a 100*, Im from Texas :lol:

 

[Kenster]

Split it fairly small then, surely, in four or more years it should be good to go. OR, you could split it and toss it into a pile. Just leave it in the pile as long as you can stand it before you move it into the hut. That will give it a good jump start on the drying process. I realize that the bottom and center of the pile won't be as dry as the top/outside of the pile it will still be further along than it would be stacked in the hut.

Most states don't have 90 to 120 days in a row without rain and above a 100*, Im from Texas :lol:

I wouldn't wish that on anybody!! But I would think his wood would still dry more outside, regardless of his location, than it would in his hut.

 

[DanCorcoran]

I don't know what else you have in that quonset, but be aware that there'll be more moisture/humidity in the shed as the wood dries, unless you have good air flow through.

 

[LLigetfa]

I don't burn Oak but from what I hear, it takes a good 3 years in ideal conditions. My father had no concept of seasoned wood and would put green wood inside. It was disgusting with mold. The interior of the unheated building was covered in hoar frost and rusted all the tools he kept in the building.

If you don't want to stack it twice, just leave it outside until you are ready to burn it.

 

[Kenster]

I don't burn Oak but from what I hear, it takes a good 3 years in ideal conditions.

That's a pretty over-generalized statement. In 'ideal' conditions, oak can dry much sooner than three years. It may take three years in AVERAGE conditions. I have a bunch of oak that was very wet, fresh green when I split it last winter. Some as late as February.
By late August it was measuring around 17% moisture content. I'm already burning it and getting the best, long term burns I've ever had.

Now, talk about 'ideal' conditions.... Try a year with virtually no rain and over 100 days of 100+ degree temps and strong, hot, dry winds for months on end.

That'll do it.

 

[LLigetfa]

OK, poor choice of words. "Ideal" would be to have a kiln dryer in which case 3 days or less could do it. If I lived in an area with virtually no rain and over 100 days of 100+ degree temps and strong, hot, dry winds for months on end, I probably wouldn't be burning enough firewood to worry about stacking it twice. Does the OP's North Dakota fit your description? Let's not take take it to extremes.

 

[oldspark]

It dont take 3 years to get Oak under 20% in Iowa, must be ideal conditions here.

 

[bogydave]

Lots & lots of variables when it comes to how fast wood dries.
Some basics are "off the ground" such as on pallets, "good wind/air circulation", "space between rows".
Climates, wood types, spit sizes vary.
When you finally get a good batch of dry wood, you'll know & remember the how & why you did it.
Because one thing is not variable, really dry wood is "Soooo noticeable" when you burn it. You'll want to do it more often

 

[BrotherBart]

Depends on the size of your hut.

 

[shawneyboy]

Depends on the size of your hut.

So size DOES matter

 

[relax]

sorry im so slow at getting back to yah all ,but i worked til 2 30 am then a crown on the rocks for my wcd ,off to bed ,up at 9 00 am ,hunted deer til 4 30 now back at work at 6 30 pm again to repete it all .as for my oak inside ,its mostly all split and stacked in rows about 7' high and rows about 12' long.i guess i had so much to cut about 15 cords ,i just didn't want to handle it so much and i have plenty of ash and elm to last a few years.but i was really concerned as i read some posts about mold and other things,i do not see any thing on the wood yet , so maybe next spring i will put my industral fan in on it when it gets hot,there is nothing but wood in the building.been in there 2 years and i did burn some from the out side rows and it seems to be burning ok with a mix of ash and elm.. mid 20 s moisture,,i do think another year or two and it will be rocking..i do have bout 5 cord stacked outside so i have a back up plan..that dam wcd has me tho as i could be done hunting but i seem to be more intrested in looking at all the trees i will be cutting instead of watching for deer...

 

[relax]

and bart , thats ausome wow lotsa stacking lotsa toddies burning in a mansfield

 

[ohlongarm]

I put some white oak green in a shed in 2004 with east west ventilation,this stuff is a hard as any rock and bone dry,I put 2 splits abot 6 inch in diameter in the front of my BK after raking 20 hours coals to the front threw the air to her and the stovetop thermometer hit 650 in a hurry,the stuff burned 14 hours before it turned to baby powder. Point is green wood will dry in a shed with adequate ventilation.

 

[cptoneleg]

I put some white oak green in a shed in 2004 with east west ventilation,this stuff is a hard as any rock and bone dry,I put 2 splits abot 6 inch in diameter in the front of my BK after raking 20 hours coals to the front threw the air to her and the stovetop thermometer hit 650 in a hurry,the stuff burned 14 hours before it turned to baby powder. Point is green wood will dry in a shed with adequate ventilation.

So your answer is a shed with good ventilation 6 or 7 yrs.

 

[oldspark]

I put some white oak green in a shed in 2004 with east west ventilation,this stuff is a hard as any rock and bone dry,I put 2 splits abot 6 inch in diameter in the front of my BK after raking 20 hours coals to the front threw the air to her and the stovetop thermometer hit 650 in a hurry,the stuff burned 14 hours before it turned to baby powder. Point is green wood will dry in a shed with adequate ventilation.

So your answer is a shed with good ventilation 6 or 7 yrs.

And who said you could not dry wood in a hurry?