"seasoned" sale - *** EDIT: Now featuring 50% less lol ***

[edthedawg]

ok this isn't going to end well - just giving you all a solid warning...

I finally got my 4 cords that were delivered back in Feb or March (can't recall - been so long) stacked in the big new shed. Definitely enough room for 4 more cords in there, plus a little more. Since we were building two new bathrooms (as well as building the shed) I let this stuff sit way too long on the dirt/gravel, and it really soaked up a lot of ground moisture. Not much mold or rot, but a lot of heaviness there in any pieces that were on the ground. Of course this is mostly red and white oak, w/ some birch thrown in.

So I scanned for "seasoned" wood for sale. Found 4 guys local. Called them, and got 2 callbacks. One guy has cut/split ready for delivery, been split for 8 months. I'll probably go w/ him unless I can find something better. I know - too short for full seasoning time, but if it's the best I can do, it's the best I can do. We're not above just sucking it up and paying the oil man (or the bio-brick man) this winter if we can't burn clean & efficiently.

Another guy has 2 options: log length, been cut a year+, and he can buck and split it however I want. OR he can deliver some that's already been cut/split/piled for 6 months. He invited me to come look at the piles so I went on the way home from work.

The cut/split pile was HUGE. Easily 15 feet tall, in a 60'x60' footprint. Stuff looked decent - surfaces getting silver, felt nice and lightweight, despite the significant amount of rain we've had. But my opinion was the wood down deep in the pile was likely still pretty orange (unseasoned).

As for the logs-length - I've never worked w/ log-length wood before, but we still looked it over. Pulled some accessible loose bark off of a couple pieces, and found the wood surface to be VERY wet. I just can't imagine those rounds would be anything remotely close to having seasoned, even a little.

This guy swore up and down that he had the best wood in the area, was bound by his license to sell nothing but the best, and that either way i went, the wood would definitely be burn-ready for this winter. Pretty sure I'm not parting w/ my green for his green.

So no real question - just kinda wanted to express my dismay. The stereotype lives on...

 

[Duetech]

True wood burners like true chefs know when there is enough seasoning.

 

[Wet1]

Well, your oak wasn't going to be ready for this season anyway, but you should be good to go next year. Log length stuff that has sat for even a full year will still be almost as wet as the day it was cut, so forget that idea. Your best bet is to go ahead and buy some of the "seasoned" splits. Resplit a few and stick a meter on them to see what you have. If you resplit his splits you'll probably be okay for this season since we still have some time before they would need to be tossed on the fire. Another trick is to leave a couple of days worth of wood inside near the stove (but at a safe distance). It's amazing how fast wood drys in a warm dry room next to the stove.

 

[edthedawg]

Got in touch w/ #3 today. Oak, ash, maple, and hickory - all sitting split & spread out a year and half. Was sitting in log lengths for 2 yrs prior. And $20/cord cheaper than the other guys!

Would enjoy seeing it beforehand, but oh well... 2 cords tomorrow, and 2 more Thursday. I'll cancel the second two-cord if the first 2 look dripping green.

and i will NOT let this stuff sit on the ground for 6 months

 

[d.n.f.]

Out my way most people don't even start collecting till Sept/Oct (it is cooler to work donchaknow).

Seasoned dry wood for most people is split and stacked before the snow flies. That is the way it is and will always be.

This site has taught me tons, I used to think six months was fine. Ignorance was bliss and responsible for more wet wood burning and less heat output with more chimney cleanings.

 

[madrone]

Out my way most people don't even start collecting till Sept/Oct (it is cooler to work donchaknow).

Seasoned dry wood for most people is split and stacked before the snow flies. That is the way it is and will always be.

This site has taught me tons, I used to think six months was fine. Ignorance was bliss and responsible for more wet wood burning and less heat output with more chimney cleanings.

Yep. The wood gathering season is beginning here for most people. I see truckloads of unsplit rounds being delivered, piled on the ground, and carefully covered with blue tarps held down with bricks. That stuff will get split in a month or 2, or right before burning. My neighbor is just now starting to split up the dogwood that was cut down 2 months ago. That'll be nice and smoky if he manages to get it to burn at all. If I had enough to spare, I'd trade him some seasoned doug for that delicious dogwood.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Another thing that is amazing is that I've seen several good looking stacks of wood pop up this spring only to disappear this summer. The reason you can no longer see them is because they've bought huge tarps and covered the wood completely! The tarps are tied very tight with ties going around the piles all the way to the ground. No way for moisture to escape. The sad part is that a couple of these I know have burned wood for many years! As was stated, ignorance is bliss...

 

[maplewood]

I, too, have learned lots from this site. Some of it my father and grandfathers had taught me, but in my youth I confess I didn't value their input.
So now, from total strangers, I seek advice ... and it's the same thing they told me all those years ago!
I used to cut / split / stack my wood in the spring and burn it that winter. And I'm doing that again this year. But for the last time.
I've got 2+ years supply ready now, so I'm good to spring 2011. And I'm already scoping out some wood to cut as soon as it cools down, so
I'll be starting on 2011/2012's season.
Thanks to you all, and to my father and grandfathers, who were patient with me through this process.

And the scary thought? I'm now passing on advice! lol
Happy burning.

PS - I have bought a moisture meter this year. Best $23 I ever spent for something to tell me the truth without holding back any punches.

 

[edthedawg]

With the potential prospect of a major hurricane hitting in the next week or so, I MIGHT just throw a tarp over the un-stacked stuff for the duration of the deluge. But I learnt my lesson last winter about wrapping a tarp even a little around stacked stuff! You couldn't make a better humidifier if you tried!

My goal is to clear the 2-car wide gravel/dirt driveway space between the house and barn tonight (gotta move a semi-abandoned old project 1966 VW), get two cord dropped tomorrow day, stack some of that tomorrow night, then drop the next two cord Thurs, and just keep stacking thru the weekend and into next week - every day until it's all up. Eventually the only thing 'covering' these stacks will be sloped, clear corrugated roof panels held up a foot above the tops of the stacks.

I reckon the last bit will be to supplement again this winter w/ Bio's or Eco logs... next year lookin' GOOD tho.

 

[Skier76]

With the potential prospect of a major hurricane hitting in the next week or so..

I hear you on that. I'm hoping it tracks away from us.

 

[edthedawg]

(broken link removed to http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/weather/08/18/severe.storm/index.html#cnnSTCOther1)

Animation showing several of the latest track models. All show Bill turning east far south of NE. Still keeping my fingerin crossin...

 

[Skier76]

If it does hit...could be some serious scrounging. But at the expense of a lot of property damage. I don't want to see that.

 

[Wet1]

Got in touch w/ #3 today. Oak, ash, maple, and hickory - all sitting split & spread out a year and half. Was sitting in log lengths for 2 yrs prior. And $20/cord cheaper than the other guys!

Would enjoy seeing it beforehand, but oh well... 2 cords tomorrow, and 2 more Thursday. I'll cancel the second two-cord if the first 2 look dripping green.

and i will NOT let this stuff sit on the ground for 6 months

Glad to hear you might have found some decent wood! So what did you end up paying for this, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[edthedawg]

hold onta yer seats: $180/cord.

(mind you, i'm not in this to set any kind of heating cost reduction awards. I just wanna get away from oil as much as possible. and i consider this a small price to pay for the level of effort i have not yet been able to put into it all)

 

[Wet1]

That's not actually all that bad for CT. If fact, if it's oak, maple, hickory and truly season as stated, that's more than fair assuming you get true cords.

 

[Skier76]

I think that's really good for CT! That's what I paid up in VT...and I thought I was getting a deal.

 

[edthedawg]

Moved the beetle. Set three railroad ties parallel and level to hold 4+ "skids". Bought 9 cinderblocks, 16 PT 2x4's, and a buncha 2'x8' plastic corrugated sheets for cover... All ready for the next drop tomorrow.

(Fingers still crossed)

 

[firefighterjake]

Out my way most people don't even start collecting till Sept/Oct (it is cooler to work donchaknow).

Seasoned dry wood for most people is split and stacked before the snow flies. That is the way it is and will always be.

This site has taught me tons, I used to think six months was fine. Ignorance was bliss and responsible for more wet wood burning and less heat output with more chimney cleanings.

Same here . . . it's funny to see folks just now getting firewood delivered in log length or starting to cut and split it up since I know darned well that they're planning on using that wood this year . . . meanwhile all of my wood was cut to stove length last Fall and about a third of it (2 cords) was split in the Fall as well . . . gotta love that nice, checked, gray look.

 

[quads]

Out my way most people don't even start collecting till Sept/Oct (it is cooler to work donchaknow).

Seasoned dry wood for most people is split and stacked before the snow flies. That is the way it is and will always be.

This site has taught me tons, I used to think six months was fine. Ignorance was bliss and responsible for more wet wood burning and less heat output with more chimney cleanings.

Same here . . . it's funny to see folks just now getting firewood delivered in log length or starting to cut and split it up since I know darned well that they're planning on using that wood this year . . . meanwhile all of my wood was cut to stove length last Fall and about a third of it (2 cords) was split in the Fall as well . . . gotta love that nice, checked, gray look.

Same here too. Dad used to cut firewood in the morning and put it in the stove that night. Almost everyone around here still does it that way (except me). They all look at my stacks of wood, years ahead of the game, and think I'm nuts.

 

[edthedawg]

After tomorrow, I should have the next two heating seasons' supply on hand - gonna take me a few more days to stack it up

 

[btj1031]

$180 for seasoned c/s/d sounds good to me. I just paid $175 per for 2 cord sopping wet green, which is the lowest I have seen in the area for some time. Seasoned wood seems to be $200 to $250 delivered. I hear ya about wanting to do whatever possible to not burn oil. Plus, the heat is so much nicer and its fun to watch.

 

[newstove]

Out my way most people don't even start collecting till Sept/Oct (it is cooler to work donchaknow).

Seasoned dry wood for most people is split and stacked before the snow flies. That is the way it is and will always be.

This site has taught me tons, I used to think six months was fine. Ignorance was bliss and responsible for more wet wood burning and less heat output with more chimney cleanings.

Same here . . . it's funny to see folks just now getting firewood delivered in log length or starting to cut and split it up since I know darned well that they're planning on using that wood this year . . . meanwhile all of my wood was cut to stove length last Fall and about a third of it (2 cords) was split in the Fall as well . . . gotta love that nice, checked, gray look.

Yup, I just had a whole grapple load of wood dropped off in my driveway. Everyone looks at it and says, "Hey, that's a great amount of firewood, that will keep you warm this year." To which I reply, "No, it will keep me warm 2 years from now." and then point out back at the 7 cords I have already stacked and drying quite nicely (3.5 cords for this year, 3.5 cords for next year.)

;-)

(Oh, and a picture, because I know it never happened if there is no picture. ;-) )

 

[maplewood]

Out my way most people don't even start collecting till Sept/Oct (it is cooler to work donchaknow).

Seasoned dry wood for most people is split and stacked before the snow flies. That is the way it is and will always be.

This site has taught me tons, I used to think six months was fine. Ignorance was bliss and responsible for more wet wood burning and less heat output with more chimney cleanings.

Same here . . . it's funny to see folks just now getting firewood delivered in log length or starting to cut and split it up since I know darned well that they're planning on using that wood this year . . . meanwhile all of my wood was cut to stove length last Fall and about a third of it (2 cords) was split in the Fall as well . . . gotta love that nice, checked, gray look.

Yup, I just had a whole grapple load of wood dropped off in my driveway. Everyone looks at it and says, "Hey, that's a great amount of firewood, that will keep you warm this year." To which I reply, "No, it will keep me warm 2 years from now." and then point out back at the 7 cords I have already stacked and drying quite nicely (3.5 cords for this year, 3.5 cords for next year.)

;-)

(Oh, and a picture, because I know it never happened if there is no picture. ;-) )

...I believed you before the picture, but I smiled when I saw the picture. Thanks!

 

[edthedawg]

I like'm pictures too here's my "before" pic, taken this morning. 4 cords stacked, 4 on the way. They'll line up on the left side, along the existing stack and then on 2x4's set across those railroad ties. (pix look crooked - those ties are all set level and square.)

Second pic shows the two-car width drop-zone between the back of the house and the barn. Beetle had been sitting here on the left.

 

[Skier76]

Great pics guys!