Getting firewood ready for this winter

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
A true cord of oak at $150 is a steal. Who cares if it is seasoned?

For what it’s worth, I’d buy 10 cords and let them season until I was convinced of moisture content.
 
Yeah he can sell it so cheap cause it's his neighbors yard. Got to hurry up before he gets back from work!
 
I put ugly crap like that in my fire pit, not my wood stove. Oh, and yes... BS on getting oak from green to 18% in MD in 6 months. He must be just measuring the outside face.
 
Fob is freight on board?
Yup, free on the dock at the steam powered kiln, $400/ cord, you come and haul it away, you have 24 hours to clear your wood off the dock when the kiln notifies you that your order is ready for pickup. There are third party small businesses that will load your wood onto their truck and bring it to your house, but there is an additional fee for that.

The kiln will also sell product off the "you pick pile" by the cubic foot where you load your own truck and then drive over to the office and they measure your load blah blah. I did buy I think two tacoma loads, about half a cord from them spring 2023. From "Aurora" in Fairbanks the fuel is very high quality at $400/ cord steam kiln dried. I am not sure if the other commercial steam kiln is still running, but I know "Big Mike" professionally and I am confident when his kiln is running he is pushing out honest product.
 
What is this new design plan you speak of? I am intrigued. Sounds interesting!
My 2020 design has been running satisfactorily for three years now. I am pleased with it, the homeowners I built it for are ecstatic. I have simplified the design a little bit, and running through the various load/beam calculations again is bringing confidence.

I am planning to build out four units here, with one already built to handle about 60 psf ground snow load, easy to stack in, adequate to season in and it should still be standing and working the day I die of old age. Break even time is kinda 2-3 years, but service life expectancy is 30+ years. There will be a new thread when I have all the ducks in a row singing 4 part harmony a capella.

Like this, only easier: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/2020-woodshed-design-mark-1-is-built-and-filled.181504/