Finally...Seasoned Wood

[num1hitter]

I started scrounging at the end of last winter in the hopes of being prepared for this burning season. Sadly I was not successful only about a cord was seasoned enough to burn (20-25%). I just burnt through some of that with some mixed results. I still have a few cords of partially seasoned wood split and stacked for next year.

So I have been on what seemed to be an impossible mission to find seasoned wood on craigslist. I would contact the poster and go check out the "seasoned" wood with my moisture meter and of course it most was above 25%, until yesterday. I found a post on CL for $95 a cord of seasoned mixed hardwood. Of course I was extremely skeptical about it because of the ridiculous price. I went and checked out. The wood was stacked and covered but had about 25% moisture. I indicated to the seller I would pass. He then directed me to his personal stash under an overhang that had been seasoned for 2 years. I split a few very large pieces, 10-18% on all of them. He sold me 2 cords at $90 a piece from his personal stash. Unbelievable, I can finally burn truly seasoned wood for an outstanding price.

Hopefully I can make it through the rest of the season with the wood I just bought and occasionally mixing in some partially seasoned wood. I have about 4 cords split and stacked for next year and always looking for more.

The moisture meter has been a game changer for me. I bought one for my father-in-law for Christmas since he borrows mine quite often. Thanks for all of the great information on this forum. It has definitely fueled my wood burning addiction.

 

[pen]

Make sure that chimney is clean before loading up with that good stuff! You may start a new learning curve with your stove with decent fuel.

That said, happy to hear you are still on the hunt to keep ahead! It makes all the difference.

Glad you made out great today (btw, 90 for a cord is an AWESOME price! My area is cheap compared to most at an average going rate of 150-175 a cord)

pen

 

[jharkin]

$90 a cord for <18%????

That is a goldmine! Great score!! Hard to justify scrounging at that rate....

 

[DTrain]

I'm a first year burner and my wood is not all the way there. So I went on CL and the split cords are going for $250-$325. I had to buy a cord to supplement and any thing that wasn't oak was dry, but it was half oak.

 

[wkpoor]

My neighbor sells one yr seasoned and perfectly stacked cords in mostly ash for 125.00. Even though CSS my own I couldn't resist buying a cord off him. Each piece is even split to nearly identical deminsions and he is very particular that each split be a triangle or very near one.

 

[G6 at Snook TX]

I have found that even in hot Texas another summer of seasoning has done wonders for my firewood. I have also learned that oak is great to keep the window from fogging up when the oak is seasoned. I am also learning that hickory needs a little longer to season, though it burns well, but soots the door up unless you are really pushing the fire.

 

[rdust]

If I could buy a cord for 90 bucks I may have to hang up my splitter and saws. Of course I wouldn't be happy with the way someone else splits, I could learn to deal with it for that price.

 

[begreen]

If I could buy a cord for 90 bucks I may have to hang up my splitter and saws. Of course I wouldn't be happy with the way someone else splits, I could learn to deal with it for that price.

+1 I'd do that in a blink of the eye for a cord of unseasoned, split wood. Are these face cords?

 

[nate379]

Yeah no joke. I pay about $120/cord for log length loads... 10 cords at a time! I sell it cut, split and delivered for $225/cord and I have no shortage of customers.

Crazy thing was I tried to sell about 4 cords of 1-2 year seasoned wood this summer for $250/cord and I had a hard time selling it. I even had a customer unhappy because the wood was grey and dry looking

 

[bostock]

that's a good deal for sure. CSS here for all hardwood (typically oak) will be $150-$170 per cord. I buy from a tree guy, cut but not split & not seasoned, for about $100 per cord. I'm finally about 2 seasons ahead, so unseasoned is fine with me. It's a good place to be, not worrying so much about seasoning

 

[Huntindog1]

We had extreme drought conditions in Indiana this past summer but I dont really think it dried the wood out any quicker.

 

[BurnIt13]

My goodness. That is a truly excellent find. There is only one person in my area that sells truly seasoned wood. Its a family farm that uses a giant wood processing machine and then manually stacks the wood in rows. They don't sell it until its seasoned for at least two years. $350 per cord or $375-400 delivered.

The going rate is about $250 per seasoned cord delivered here. But when the wood sellers mean seasoned they mean that it has been a season since it was cut....as in last season....like this past summer. 25-30% moisture is as good as you are going to get.

They just throw them in gigantic unstacked loose piles. Good luck to you if you are the last one to buy and you get the stuff that was on the soil in the middle of the huge pile. I bought three cords of the bottom stuff my first season burning. 35+% moisture content. I think I had a 1/4 cord of bark and mulch on the driveway when he dropped it off. Now I CSS my own.

 

[jatoxico]

He sold me 2 cords at $90 a piece from his personal stash. Unbelievable, I can finally burn truly seasoned wood for an outstanding price.

That's excellent! Seems like a good guy. Maybe you should buy some of his "regular" stuff for a year or two down the road. Still a good price and you make a friend.

 

[DTrain]

My goodness. That is a truly excellent find. There is only one person in my area that sells truly seasoned wood. Its a family farm that uses a giant wood processing machine and then manually stacks the wood in rows. They don't sell it until its seasoned for at least two years. $350 per cord or $375-400 delivered.

The going rate is about $250 per seasoned cord delivered here. But when the wood sellers mean seasoned they mean that it has been a season since it was cut....as in last season....like this past summer. 25-30% moisture is as good as you are going to get.

They just throw them in gigantic unstacked loose piles. Good luck to you if you are the last one to buy and you get the stuff that was on the soil in the middle of the huge pile. I bought three cords of the bottom stuff my first season burning. 35+% moisture content. I think I had a 1/4 cord of bark and mulch on the driveway when he dropped it off. Now I CSS my own.

Yup. All true. Im just inside I495. I think I may have been one of the dudes that got a bottom of the pile. Lots o dirts and bark. Oh well, win some lose some.

 

[mfglickman]

Sweet - somebody did you a very good turn!

If you are scrounging for next year try to get maple, birch and ash, split them small and stack them soon. Save the oak for a few years.

 

[num1hitter]

+1 I'd do that in a blink of the eye for a cord of unseasoned, split wood. Are these face cords?

He actually did not measure it out. He asked if I wanted to measure it out and I told him for that price I'll just take 4 pickup loads, a little less than 2 cords when I got it stacked up at home. I am debating whether or not to buy another cord of the wood at 25% average from the splits I checked. It is the best deal I have ever found. Its from a guy who never sold before and just burns for himself but was not even putting a dent in his stash burning 24/7. He even had his kids help me load up my truck. So I gave them a few bucks.

 

[num1hitter]

If I could buy a cord for 90 bucks I may have to hang up my splitter and saws. Of course I wouldn't be happy with the way someone else splits, I could learn to deal with it for that price.

It is definitely tempting to just get the wood from him from now on but I would not have the thrill of the find for the free wood that is to be had. I think I enjoy cutting and splitting too much to give it up.