I just had a pile of wood chips delivered and noticed there were a bunch of pieces that would be good for kindling. I've been picking them out as I go, but was wondering how long it might take to dry enough to use. They are varying length width and thicknesses. Based on what I've seen in the pile, I'm pretty sure it is a combination of Oak and a evergreen. Assuming it is a 1/4 inch think piece of Oak how long should I give it to dry out. Or should I just try to burn a piece after a few weeks.
Kindlin Drying Time
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Dan Freeman
Minister of Fire
I use wood chips in my food forest, so I always have a pile somewhere on the property. I use them for kindling as well. I usually just scoop some into Tupperware storage containers and set them in my greenhouse. They dry out within a week or so, and even faster the more I stir them up, so the moisture does not get trapped under the first few inches. I guess it's a matter of how wet they are to start off with and where you place them to dry, but remember to stir the pile as they dry.
A rule of thumb I heard was that wood dries at 1" per year. You can adjust that for the thickness of the pieces. But depending on the climate where you are, most of that drying will happen over the summer. I think that a few weeks in winter is probably too short. I leave my kindling for a year but I have lots of it.
Woodsplitter67
Minister of Fire
this is not correct
Wood varies on drying due to density. Popular which is a non dense wood will dry extremely fast like a few months in summer the BTUs being 14 million per cord. Oak on the other hand is more dense extremely hard and will take 2 years or more and has roughly 25 million BTUs per cord. By your theory if I split both varieties 5x5 inches it will take 5 years for each to season. This is not the case the popular will be a few months and the oak will be 2 summers. The other variable is how its being seasoned.. is it in a shed, is it stacked and not top covered, is it covered, how sunny is the area is it in the prevailing winds...
stoveliker
Minister of Fire
Maybe a picture would help... This is the type of stuff I am pulling out of the chip pile. Again, different thicknesses and different wood species. I've seen Oak leaves and pine boughs in the pile, but I have no idea if there are any other types mixed in. So I am going to assume it is all Oak. Right now this bucket is in my garage, but can be brought into the basement. One of the thinner pieces I was able to light with a lighter and it burned. Another piece started but went out. I know I cannot expect this to be usable right away, but what is a reasonable expectation? I'd rather pluck this stuff out of the pile than split larger pieces with a hatchet, realizing I may need to do that until this stuff is ready.
![IMG_0316[1].JPG](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/302/302479-ea8eafb9045141fe486623f823521cfd.jpg "IMG_0316[1].JPG")
JRHAWK9
Minister of Fire
When I split in spring I keep all the splitter trash to use as kindling the following heating season. It's mainly all oak and it works great for kindling.
Dan Freeman
Minister of Fire
I don't see why you can't use that this year. I use wood chips and splitter kindling the same season. I just keep it out of the elements for a while in a vented garbage can, on my porch or in my greenhouse and it is dry enough to start fires.
Put it in a place where there is low humidity, or if you have a spot off the ground on the south and sunny side of your house, it shouldn't take long for it to be dry enough.
EbS-P
Minister of Fire
Spread it out and 3 days of sun it will be dry. Inside give it two weeks with some periodic forced air flow.
If you live near any horse farms that have fences made from 1x6 oak boards, they sometimes replace them with new. I got a couple hundred and some of them I cut in woodstove lengths. I stack three or four on my splitter and make small pieces. Being old and very well seasoned, they catch fire quickly. Photos shows some before and after splitting.
