It was a wood burning miracle!

[dafattkidd]

I had a blue spruce cut down in March. I've had the rounds stacked since then. I split some of them this week, and you'll never guess what happen: they seasoned in the round! I split them and tested the moisture content immediately and they were in the mid teens. Bonus wood for this year.

Admittedly the longer rounds were still not ready, but any rounds that were 12" or less fully seasoned in six months in the round. Wood burning magic!

 

[gzecc]

Its all relative.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

Yes softwood can season fast given the right conditions.

I live near a magical forest where the trees are already seasoned before I even cut them down.

 

[dafattkidd]

Yes softwood can season fast given the right conditions.

I live near a magical forest where the trees are already seasoned before I even cut them down.

Oh shush, you. I know all about your wood burning situation. It is of epic proportions. This is the best I get in the land of overdeveloped small lots and high taxes.

 

[BobUrban]

Not questioning the reading or readiness but isn't the most accurate method to turn the prongs parallel with the grain? Not a big deal - just thought I read that here at some time?

 

[dafattkidd]

It was the same reading both ways. This was better for the picture.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

Not questioning the reading or readiness but isn't the most accurate method to turn the prongs parallel with the grain? Not a big deal - just thought I read that here at some time?

Bob, do you actually get a different reading by turning the prongs on your meter 90 deg? I've never been able too, I get the same reading either way.

 

[Grisu]

Noticed the same with some pine rounds (cut to length) that I did not have time to split and therefore stacked them up as they were for several months. Especially the ones on top were noticeably lighter and had no sap coming out during the splitting. A lot of moisture goes out the ends and the low density of softwoods probably helps with that. I am thinking of doing that always from now on when cutting pine. The lighter rounds and the reduced sap were certainly appreciated.

 

[Applesister]

I have a lot of Blue Spruce that we planted here. Nursery trees and they are all losing needles. I researched online that its a bug/ fungus issue. Its devastating to have these major landscape trees dying from the bottom up. And Ive been eyeing them as potential firewood but Im from the school of "softwood fearing" so the trees continue to shed needles and look like sh*t.
Even after reading this thread Im not fully convinced I want to trying burning softwood. I hate the goohy sticky pitch associated with cutting pines.
And I keep a stockpile of mineral spirits and acetone and toluene.
I read Blue Spruce is native to Colorado and doesnt do well in humid eastern states where humidity contributes to fungus issues.
Its a bummer to face cutting these trees up.

 

[Rossco]

'Instant Chimney Fire' written all over that wood

I have no idea how long it takes to season Spruce / Pine as its already dry off the saw.

 

[Poindexter]

I guess it depends ont he stove and the chimney. I burn all the birch I can get in the depth of winter and fill out my stash with spruce (we got black and white spruce up here) for the shoulder seasons.

We had a very dry summer I think it was 2012, I had about two cords of spruce that I split and stacked in March that was reading 12% MC in September same year no matter where I stuck the pins. The stack smelled ever so vaguely of turpentine.

In my last stove, epa cert non cat that stuff would get up on to full on secondary burn in nothing flat, run like a freight train and then burn out quick. Put out a lot of heat doing it.

My new combustor equipped stove does similar, I have about two cords of spruce that I split and stacked back in March that is reading 13-14% MC this year. In my current stove a box full of spruce lights up quick, gets the combustor up to temp pretty quick and then when I engage the combustor, well it looks like my avatar. With the combustor stove it takes quite a bit longer for the spruce to burn out, and the heat coming out of the stove is a lower temp for a longer time.

I did fell a tree that took maybe a lightning strike? about 20 years ago, a few of the rounds up by a broken limb had golf ball sized globs of sap here and there. Those splits, with the visible gobs of sap are going on the bonfire pile. The splits with the visible drops of sap on the ends of each split are going in my stove.

I would not run sappy wood cold/low, that is asking for cresosote deposits. But if you can burn it off in the stove box before it cools in the chimeny, dry wood with dried sap in it will throw a lot of heat quickly.

M2c

 

[Rossco]

Yeah I was only kidding about the chimney fire. Seems to be the theme around here regarding pine's.

 

[TMonter]

I've cut standing dead Lodgepole pine that is less than 20% moisture. In fact people I know who are new to woodburning and don't have a established wood supply that is usually what I recommend for the first year of burning to get an established backlog. Problem is now other people seem to be taking the lodgepole and it's getting harder to find.

 

[STIHLY DAN]

Blue spruce? To many damn branches, you can have it.

 

[dafattkidd]

Blue spruce? To many damn branches, you can have it.

It is proving to be annoying to split. I've been eyeing the harbor freight electric splitter to take care of this.

 

[Dix]

Good for you !! This spring / summer season has been optimum (and I don't mean the cable company ) for seasoning firewood!!

I am very pleased with the progress of my seasoning this year!!

 

[dafattkidd]

Glad to hear it Dixie. Frankly my wood supply is crappy this year, so this was a welcomed little bonus. I didn't intend to burn this until next winter.

 

[Cynnergy]

Even after reading this thread Im not fully convinced I want to trying burning softwood. I hate the goohy sticky pitch associated with cutting pines.
And I keep a stockpile of mineral spirits and acetone and toluene.

Surely just some butter would do a better job than stinky chemicals?

 

[blacktail]

I hate the goohy sticky pitch associated with cutting pines.
And I keep a stockpile of mineral spirits and acetone and toluene.

As a kid I would get pitch all over my hands from climbing trees. My mom would spray Pam cooking spray on my hands to take it off.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

As a kid I would get pitch all over my hands from climbing trees. My mom would spray Pam cooking spray on my hands to take it off.

Hmmm? Pam is pretty slippery, maybe she was just spraying the Pam on your hands so you wouldn't be able to climb those trees.