question on red oak

[dyerkutn]

I gather from the forum that this is a good kind of wood. There is a local small time operator who has just split a cord of red oak that was 80 feet tall and was taken down by someone who did not want to deal with the leaves. I went to look at it. It is cut nice and small, well shaped for stacking and I know it is green. He is asking $200 delivered. Seems like a good deal to me but want some confirmation on this.

 

[clemsonfor]

Probably a good deal for a real cord 4x4x8. Won't be decent to burn till winter of 14 /15 or better yet 15/16

 

[clemsonfor]

Many on the forum say u need 3 years your results may vary? Personally I don't buy wood. I have access to everything I want. And in the climate I live in paying $250 ish a cord would not save me a terrible amount. Well we also were freezing when buying power and now we sometimes sleep with the window open.

 

[Applesister]

If you can get a full 4' x 4' x 8' cord then 200.00 is a fair purchase price for green oak. Its better if you season it yourself anyway. The guys here says it takes a long time to season. You have to have a good supply of other stuff to use in the meantime.

 

[Paulywalnut]

Like some said it would be good if its 4x4x8.

 

[ScotO]

The price, while not all that bad, isn't all that great either, IMO. I'd want a guarantee that is a FULL cord of wood, stacked....not an estimate.

And furthermore, as was already mentioned, you aren't going to want to burn that stuff for close to three years....oak is notorious for taking FOREVER to properly season. Yes, others have burned it after a year or two, with mixed results. Give it three years, though, and it'll amaze you.....

I'd look around for some already seasoned wood if you are looking for wood to burn this season.....

 

[mustash29]

Around here (SECT) fresh cut (green) red oak can be had for:

100 / cord in log lengths,
100 - 125 a cord delivered in chunks,
150 -175 split & delivered,
200 -225 for C/S/D and partially seasoned.

Considering your locale, 200 is pushing it on price IMO. I've seen CL adds for log loads in your area for around 110 / cord.

 

[NortheastAl]

I'd say it is a little high, unless seasoned red oak is much more in cost in your area. I just got two cord of mostly red/white oak and it was seasoned at least a year from what I can tell for $200 a cord. NY and MA are both expensive places to live, so $200 might be good by you.

And yes, seasoning oak is a long, slow process. I re-split year old oak and it was 35% moisture on my meter. And my meter only goes to 35%. At least two good years of seasoning, but most likely three, as I've learned here, is the way to go. The secret is to try to stay three to four years ahead on wood, so you will always have the best to burn.

 

[clemsonfor]

I split some 5" wood that had laid around in the yard for 1 yr in rounds. It was dead standing for a year at least maybe 2 and it was still 37% MC!

 

[lumbering on]

that's about the going rate around here for a cord

 

[dyerkutn]

Thanks for all the feedback. I see it is hard to give advice without knowing the specific info.

First, purchasing c/s/d wood to my driveway is my only option. I am not in a position to do any work myself other than stacking which my son helps me with.

2nd--yes I am looking at 14/15 or 15/16 to use this wood. This is my first year collecting wood and I am trying to follow advice of getting three years ahead though not entirely sure I have the space on my mildly tight suburban lot to do so with adequate air flow for drying. If I get this load of red oak, I will have purchased and stacked 5 1/2 cords since mid May

3. I have done a fair amount of research and it seems most "green" wood from in my area goes for way more than $200 from established firewood outfits. And secondly a lot of places call 6 mo.- 1 year old wood seasoneod--I know it is not.

mustash 150 -175 split & delivered,
200 -225 for C/S/D and partially seasoned.

I wish I could find these prices locally. If I order from New Hampshire I can get green C/S/D for $200

And I am figuring since I am just starting my cost will be higher the first couple of years until I can get established . Normally I spend around $2000 for oil. And cost is only one reason to switch to wood.

4. I ordered a cord from this guy with the red oak before and when stacked it was defnintely 4x4x8--even a bit more so I know he is fair.

Actually my main question, besides price, was if there is anything particularly preferable about red oak over other oaks besides smelling great.

 

[dyerkutn]

hat's about the going rate around here for a cord

what going rate are you referring to? and what part of NY are you in

 

[lumbering on]

Long Island, $200 a cord.

 

[HDRock]

$160 here ,split delivered, stacked

 

[Paulywalnut]

I called a local firewood dealer near me and asked him for a price for I cord all oak. Hold on to your hat now...$400. delivered
He said get it now because its $450 in November.???

 

[mustash29]

SECT is pretty rural & heavily wooded. I'm very near to 100,000 acres of state forest. Lots of logging in this area, hence the decent prices.

Lots of tree & wood guys seem to have a glut of firewood now, leftovers from Irene & Sandy storm clean up.

Lots of power line trimming going on in this area this sumer as well. Unfortunately, most of that stuff is either hacked into such irregular pieces or is huge stuff that takes some processing just to throw it in a truck.

I've predominately burnt red oak with a little hickory over the last 15 yrs. It takes forever to season properly, smells great, burns hot and long. I like the fact that it leaves a nice healthy coal bed. Very easy to stir it up, give the stove some air, add more wood and you have another raging hot fire in no time.

I burnt a good cord of ash last year, seasons quick and burns hot, but I found it was not holding a coal bed for the longer burn times that I desire. Working 12 hr rotating shifts, that is an issue. We wound up using the ash as "large kindling" and mixing it 25/75 % with the oak.

 

[teutonicking]

I gather from the forum that this is a good kind of wood. There is a local small time operator who has just split a cord of red oak that was 80 feet tall and was taken down by someone who did not want to deal with the leaves. I went to look at it. It is cut nice and small, well shaped for stacking and I know it is green. He is asking $200 delivered. Seems like a good deal to me but want some confirmation on this.

In Maryland (DC subburbs) I used to buy partially seasoned and already-split cords of wood delivered for about $220/cord. I can even get kiln-drid wood for $250-300 a cord delievered. Green wood can be had for less, probably about $160/cord or less.

But now that I have my own splitter and chain saw I get all of my wood from Craigslist and/or from neighbors by picking it up myself in a rented U-Haul trailer and splitting the rounds myself. Sometimes if I ask tree companies doing a job nearby to give me the leftover wood they will and many times they will deliever it to my house for free or for "gas money," usually $20 or a six pack of beer.

 

[dyerkutn]

I called a local firewood dealer near me and asked him for a price for I cord all oak. Hold on to your hat now...$400. delivered He said get it now because its $450 in November.???

That sounds pretty similar to around here. That is why I am hunting far and wide for lower prices. Seem NH is my best bet

if I ask tree companies doing a job nearby to give me the leftover wood they will

This is what my red oak guy does--he has a deal going with a tree cutting outfit and they do a bit of exchanging services. Kind of like you but they do the cutting and splitting and I pay them for the service.

Lots of tree & wood guys seem to have a glut of firewood now, leftovers from Irene & Sandy storm clean up.

That also explains why it is less expensive now.

I've predominately burnt red oak with a little hickory over the last 15 yrs. It takes forever to season properly, smells great, burns hot and long. I like the fact that it leaves a nice healthy coal bed. Very easy to stir it up, give the stove some air, add more wood and you have another raging hot fire in no time.

This is great news--my guy might be getting one or two more red oaks--if I can fit them in my yard for seasoning along with other more fast seasoning wood that would be great. Unfortunately, when you don't process your own wood it is harder to get just one specific type--mostly get "mixed hardwood". When I get another load of mixed I am going to see if I can figure out from the bark what's what and separate them by type of wood and size of splits.

 

[clemsonfor]

White oak is better than red, its denser. Look at the charts.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Thanks for all the feedback. I see it is hard to give advice without knowing the specific info.

First, purchasing c/s/d wood to my driveway is my only option. I am not in a position to do any work myself other than stacking which my son helps me with.

2nd--yes I am looking at 14/15 or 15/16 to use this wood. This is my first year collecting wood and I am trying to follow advice of getting three years ahead though not entirely sure I have the space on my mildly tight suburban lot to do so with adequate air flow for drying. If I get this load of red oak, I will have purchased and stacked 5 1/2 cords since mid May

3. I have done a fair amount of research and it seems most "green" wood from in my area goes for way more than $200 from established firewood outfits. And secondly a lot of places call 6 mo.- 1 year old wood seasoneod--I know it is not.

mustash 150 -175 split & delivered,
200 -225 for C/S/D and partially seasoned.

I wish I could find these prices locally. If I order from New Hampshire I can get green C/S/D for $200

And I am figuring since I am just starting my cost will be higher the first couple of years until I can get established . Normally I spend around $2000 for oil. And cost is only one reason to switch to wood.

4. I ordered a cord from this guy with the red oak before and when stacked it was defnintely 4x4x8--even a bit more so I know he is fair.

Actually my main question, besides price, was if there is anything particularly preferable about red oak over other oaks besides smelling great.

Glad you filled us in on some details. You might, might get red oak ready by 2015-2016 but I would have doubts in your area. However, if everything went perfect, it might work. You'd have to split it small and stack it loose and also stack it in a windy spot. If you don't have good air circulation, for sure you need 3 years and yes, I've seen red oak take longer than 3 years to dry nicely. Much depends upon the weather and how much air you get. Some sunshine will help a lot too but one kicker is that your area gets so much rain and you probably need to top cover right after stacking. This can slow the process a little.

I'll give Ray a jingle so perhaps he can chime in here as he is in the Boston area.

 

[raybonz]

Glad you filled us in on some details. You might, might get red oak ready by 2015-2016 but I would have doubts in your area. However, if everything went perfect, it might work. You'd have to split it small and stack it loose and also stack it in a windy spot. If you don't have good air circulation, for sure you need 3 years and yes, I've seen red oak take longer than 3 years to dry nicely. Much depends upon the weather and how much air you get. Some sunshine will help a lot too but one kicker is that your area gets so much rain and you probably need to top cover right after stacking. This can slow the process a little.

I'll give Ray a jingle so perhaps he can chime in here as he is in the Boston area.

We have had quite a bit of rain here and glad to hear Dyer got the right amount of wood! We have also had lots of heat and lately the air has been breezy, warm and dry.. A good combo for faster drying! Next week looks good as well.. Even if the wood gets wet from rain this seems to dry up quickly and this is a good reason to stack bark side up so the bark sheds the water rather than retaining it.. Usually 2 full years works pretty well with the red oak here but 3 is always better..

Ray

 

[raybonz]

I gather from the forum that this is a good kind of wood. There is a local small time operator who has just split a cord of red oak that was 80 feet tall and was taken down by someone who did not want to deal with the leaves. I went to look at it. It is cut nice and small, well shaped for stacking and I know it is green. He is asking $200 delivered. Seems like a good deal to me but want some confirmation on this.

$200.00 c\s\d is a good price in this area..

Ray

 

[dyerkutn]

Even if the wood gets wet from rain this seems to dry up quickly and this is a good reason to stack bark side up so the bark sheds the water rather than retaining it.. Usually 2 full years works pretty well with the red oak here but 3 is always better..

$200.00 c\s\d is a good price in this area..

Ray--thanks for this info--good to hear from someone who lives so close to me who I know is reliable!! I am feeling pretty good about all the wood I have collected, though when my neighbors see another cord dropped in my driveway they will probably think I have lost my mind--and I am not done, still need to stock up for the coming winter, which will be stacked in my carport out of the rain. I only have one cord there so far. May have to get more kiln dried for this first season.

 

[dyerkutn]

I'll give Ray a jingle so perhaps he can chime in here as he is in the Boston area.

thanks--this was very helpful

 

[raybonz]

Ray--thanks for this info--good to hear from someone who lives so close to me who I know is reliable!! I am feeling pretty good about all the wood I have collected, though when my neighbors see another cord dropped in my driveway they will probably think I have lost my mind--and I am not done, still need to stock up for the coming winter, which will be stacked in my carport out of the rain. I only have one cord there so far. May have to get more kiln dried for this first season.

Never been accused of being reliable before

Ray