get me seasoned! (new to wood)

[spam]

ok well I got myself about 2.5 cords of wood all stacked on the side of my house. the wood is a mixture of many types. most of it is split some of the 2" logs are not. some is green some is dead some has bugs some is so clean it looks like lumber. It's a real "mix"!
The one thing that is the same is the fact that it all seems heavy and damp to my novice eyes. so whats the best way to get this stuff to a burnable state by winter? Right now I have the stacks under a blue tarp because they are calling for 10 days of rain here and I did not think that would be good. any tips/tricks? should I put some in my basement or screen porch?

 

[thewoodlands]

ok well I got myself about 2.5 cords of wood all stacked on the side of my house. the wood is a mixture of many types. most of it is split some of the 2" logs are not. some is green some is dead some has bugs some is so clean it looks like lumber. It's a real "mix"!
The one thing that is the same is the fact that it all seems heavy and damp to my novice eyes. so whats the best way to get this stuff to a burnable state by winter? Right now I have the stacks under a blue tarp because they are calling for 10 days of rain here and I did not think that would be good. any tips/tricks? should I put some in my basement or screen porch?

The best thing to do if you can is get it in full wind and sun stacked without the top on and let it season. Some wood takes longer than others for seasoning especially oak 2-3 years.







GIBIR

 

[smokinj]

Your on track, uncover after the heavy rain.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

ok well I got myself about 2.5 cords of wood all stacked on the side of my house. the wood is a mixture of many types. most of it is split some of the 2" logs are not. some is green some is dead some has bugs some is so clean it looks like lumber. It's a real "mix"!
The one thing that is the same is the fact that it all seems heavy and damp to my novice eyes. so whats the best way to get this stuff to a burnable state by winter? Right now I have the stacks under a blue tarp because they are calling for 10 days of rain here and I did not think that would be good. any tips/tricks? should I put some in my basement or screen porch?

Get it split and stacked off the ground and under cover with plenty of ventilation

 

[Jags]

Get it split and stacked off the ground and under cover with plenty of ventilation

Just stressing a very important point.

 

[Kenster]

2" logs?? Two inch Logs?? Did you mean two feet long logs? You don't need the wood until next winter. It probably won't be ready to burn for two years.
You don't need to cover AT ALL until shortly before you're ready to burn it. Especially do not cover it up with a tarp. At the very most, top cover only but that's a waste of material. It will season just fine without a cover of any kind.

 

[Wood Duck]

Make sure it is stacked loosely so that air can pass between the stacks and between the splits as much as possible. Air flow is more important than keeping the rain off. You should be OK by winter.

 

[weatherguy]

Its like living in the rain forest here in the northeast this week. Make sure its off the ground, gets pallets or stack on 2 x 4's. I would get more wood and start getting wood now for 2012-2013, just in case the world doesnt end on 12/23/2012. Not sure what kind of stove you have or the size of your house but I would get more wood for this year too. Any oak wont be ready for two years minimum, so maybe try to get something other than oak for this year.

 

[golfandwoodnut]

you said it was next to the house, get it at least 15 feet away from the house. You don't want bugs in the house and you will not get ventilation. Also lose the tarp. Only cover the top when it is time to burn.

 

[firefighterjake]

ok well I got myself about 2.5 cords of wood all stacked on the side of my house. the wood is a mixture of many types. most of it is split some of the 2" logs are not. some is green some is dead some has bugs some is so clean it looks like lumber. It's a real "mix"!
The one thing that is the same is the fact that it all seems heavy and damp to my novice eyes. so whats the best way to get this stuff to a burnable state by winter? Right now I have the stacks under a blue tarp because they are calling for 10 days of rain here and I did not think that would be good. any tips/tricks? should I put some in my basement or screen porch?

1) The wood in the rounds should be split ASAP.
2) Large splits can be split smaller.
3) In this case I would top cover only, leaving the sides open to the wind and sun (whenever it returns)
4) Keep the stacks outside (not in the basement).

 

[spam]

have any pics of stacking methods? The furthest i can get from the house is 4 feet small yard.. I am as green as my wood lol but i NEED to burn this pile of wood THIS winter due to $$$$

 

[Jags]

Then you really, really need to maximize air flow and sunlight. Single rows stacked loosely with walking room between rows, if possible.

 

[weatherguy]

have any pics of stacking methods? The furthest i can get from the house is 4 feet small yard.. I am as green as my wood lol but i NEED to burn this pile of wood THIS winter due to $$$$

Stack in the area that gets the most sunlight and is exposed to wind the most. Get it off the ground so you get air flow underneath also.

 

[firefighterjake]

have any pics of stacking methods? The furthest i can get from the house is 4 feet small yard.. I am as green as my wood lol but i NEED to burn this pile of wood THIS winter due to $$$$

Stack loosely . . . and stack to get as much sun and wind exposure as possible. Single rows would work best.

 

[spam]

what do you mean by "single rows" ? pic? should it look like this?





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[Wood Duck]

As somebody else mentioned, 2.5 cords isn't really a lot of wood for a whole winter, even if you are just burning part time. Four cords is a typical annual usage, and plenty of woodburners burn more than four cords a year. Keep you eyes open for tree services cutting, down limbs, scrap lumber, etc. I have collected a lot of wood in very small increments - every bit helps.

 

[Intheswamp]

what do you mean by "single rows" ? pic? should it look like this?



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Below is a shot of some of my single-row stacks. The more space between the rows the better, but my distance is probably a little bit much...but I can run my lawnmower between the rows to keep the grass down and I've got the room so I stacked them this far apart.

Having said that, I've been processing a good bit of wood around the stacks and I haven't been able to mow sufficiently so the weeds and briars are creeping in there. Hopefully this weekend I can do a little clean-up and neat it up some.

If you could post a picture of your area I'm sure you would get some good suggestions on some good ways to use it.

Best wishes,
Ed

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Those pictures of Ed's show you how to stack single rows.

Also, you state, "...about 2.5 cords of wood all stacked on the side of my house." Sorry, but if you have the wood stacked on the side of the house, that is one of the worst ways of stacking wood! There are two reasons for this. The first being that you will not get good air circulation and the second is the possible bug problem too close to the house. If it were me, I'd take the time to restack that wood more out into the opening.

 

[firefighterjake]

what do you mean by "single rows" ? pic? should it look like this?



oooooooooo
oooooooooo

Below is a shot of some of my single-row stacks. The more space between the rows the better, but my distance is probably a little bit much...but I can run my lawnmower between the rows to keep the grass down and I've got the room so I stacked them this far apart.

Having said that, I've been processing a good bit of wood around the stacks and I haven't been able to mow sufficiently so the weeds and briars are creeping in there. Hopefully this weekend I can do a little clean-up and neat it up some.

If you could post a picture of your area I'm sure you would get some good suggestions on some good ways to use it.

Best wishes,
Ed

This is perhaps one of the best pics to illustrate the best ways to season your wood as fast as possible . . . without resorting to a kiln or giant magnifying glass hovering in space and directed at your wood pile.

Single rows.
Exposed to the sun and wind.

 

[thewoodlands]

[quote author="Intheswamp" date="1305822403"][quote author="spam" date="1305783752"]what do you mean by "single rows" ? pic? should it look like this?






Intheswamp, very nice!




Zap

 

[Intheswamp]

what do you mean by "single rows" ? pic? should it look like this?



oooooooooo
oooooooooo

Below is a shot of some of my single-row stacks. The more space between the rows the better, but my distance is probably a little bit much...but I can run my lawnmower between the rows to keep the grass down and I've got the room so I stacked them this far apart.

Having said that, I've been processing a good bit of wood around the stacks and I haven't been able to mow sufficiently so the weeds and briars are creeping in there. Hopefully this weekend I can do a little clean-up and neat it up some.

If you could post a picture of your area I'm sure you would get some good suggestions on some good ways to use it.

Best wishes,
Ed
<picture snipped>

This is perhaps one of the best pics to illustrate the best ways to season your wood as fast as possible . . . without resorting to a kiln or giant magnifying glass hovering in space and directed at your wood pile.

Single rows.
Exposed to the sun and wind.

Whatever you do DO NOT USE A SPACE STATIONED MAGNIFYING GLASS! Below is what happened when I tried it!
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v

 

[PapaDave]

what do you mean by "single rows" ? pic? should it look like this?





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oooooooooo

Pretty much, and here's a real example...

 

[CTYank]

As somebody else mentioned, 2.5 cords isn't really a lot of wood for a whole winter, even if you are just burning part time. Four cords is a typical annual usage, and plenty of woodburners burn more than four cords a year. Keep you eyes open for tree services cutting, down limbs, scrap lumber, etc. I have collected a lot of wood in very small increments - every bit helps.

Amount used varies quite a bit. For me, 2 cords is a lot, even if 1/4 of it was pine this year. (Gas furnace 5 yrs on cold standby.) One learns how to run a stove efficiently; some stoves are inherently efficient. And ... a couple of feet of single-wall smokepipe can really improve efficiency- routinely I'll measure 100 deg F temp drop along 2' pipe.

Were I to use 4 cords of wood over a winter, I'd set traps for poachers.

Given your time constraints, get a waterproof cover on it, with a little space on top, draining clear of the wood. Once you get water migrating out of the wood, you do NOT want to allow it back in; don't be fooled by the surface.

 

[spam]

ok now i get it how the heack do you guys get your stacks so neat and square looking????

 

[spam]

I live on a small lake and it is very windy here so I hope this helps me. what do I want the wind to hit,the sides(bark) or the face(where cut) ?? or should I always stack criss crossed so it hits different logs at different angles? sorry for all the dumb questions guys