Seasoning by Wiki

[firecracker_77]

It must be true...my oak will be seasoned in no time flat. 1 to 2 years. I like this answer better than 3 years.


http://www.wikihow.com/Season-Firewood

 

[Applesister]

I've thought about using an unused greenhouse to experiment with a cord to see. But the greenhouses attract hornets and wasps and carpenter bees. Not to mention all the other woodpile critters.
Just like the Holtz Hausens, they look really cool on one side of the coin but on the other side they also look like giant snake dens.
Storing wood in an attic or some other confined space when you might be surprised by wildlife is not an attractive idea.

 

[firecracker_77]

I am yet to see a snake at the woodpile thank the heavens. The day I do, I will be running like a schoolgirl.

I think a greenhouse would be great. A heatbox in the summer.

I wouldn't store wood inside. I'm very concerned about humidity and mold issues in a dark place with little ventilation for that moisture

 

[gzecc]

I was surpised to agree with the wiki information. If only the general public would also read it.

 

[PapaDave]

• 1. Pick two pieces of wood that you think is dry. Knock the two pieces together. If you hear more of a "ring" than a "thud", then it's probably dry.
• 2. Also, check for radial cracks at the ends of the wood, which indicate dryness.
• 3. Burn a piece on a roaring fire base. If three of the sides begin to burn within 15 minutes, the fuel is dry.

Yep, reality be damned, I'm gonna' start burning my Oak in 1-2 years again.
#1 is unknown to me.
#2 means the end of the split/round has cracks in it.
#3 ......uh, if it takes 15 minutes for wood to get going, it's not dry enough. IMHO

 

[NortheastAl]

Cornell university has instructions for a solar kiln to quick dry firewood.

(broken link removed to http://www2.dnr.cornell.edu/ext/info/pubs/Harvesting/CC%20Accelerated%20Seasoning%20of%20Firewood.pdf)

 

[Paulywalnut]

Was Dennis aka Backwoods Savage the author? If not then we still have to wait 3 years for oak.

 

[Woody Stover]

"Wood such as shagbark hickory, cherry and black locust will gain little benefit from air drying, as they have low moisture content." I did not know that....
Pretty sure that if I toss some three-month Black Cherry or six-month Hickory into the stove, it'll be sizzling like bacon....

Was Dennis aka Backwoods Savage the author? If not then we still have to wait 3 years for oak.

"Importantly, there isn't any point seasoning wood longer than it needs to be. Over-dried wood will have less energy as volatile esters in the wood evaporate. These waxy substances contain a great deal of heat energy, so it is a mistake to think that longer is necessarily better."
I'm guessing Dennis had nothing to do with this article.

I'm starting to think that Oak may be two-year wood around here if split medium (6" max,) but the jury is still out. Got some stacked double-row, so we shall see....

 

[clemsonfor]

Yea hickory is full of water!! That stuff will sizzle like crazy.

This stuff was prolly most likely done in the 70-80s before the modern stoves existed. Burning and drying techniques were different. Wood still burned the same but knowledge was diffent.

 

[NortheastAl]

Yea hickory is full of water!! That stuff will sizzle like crazy.

This stuff was prolly most likely done in the 70-80s before the modern stoves existed. Burning and drying techniques were different. Wood still burned the same but knowledge was diffent.

Just checked, and the Cornell article was done in '74. You are correct, clemsonfor, it was an old study.

 

[PapaDave]

I have a stove built in '85 and still don't burn wood (anymore) less than 2 years c/s/s (unless it's pine or maybe poplar).
Doesn't work well even in older stoves. I found that out the 1st season.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

"Wood such as shagbark hickory, cherry and black locust will gain little benefit from air drying, as they have low moisture content." I did not know that....
Pretty sure that if I toss some three-month Black Cherry or six-month Hickory into the stove, it'll be sizzling like bacon....

"Importantly, there isn't any point seasoning wood longer than it needs to be. Over-dried wood will have less energy as volatile esters in the wood evaporate. These waxy substances contain a great deal of heat energy, so it is a mistake to think that longer is necessarily better."
I'm guessing Dennis had nothing to do with this article.

I'm starting to think that Oak may be two-year wood around here if split medium (6" max,) but the jury is still out. Got some stacked double-row, so we shall see....

Nope. Not my article for sure.

For sure it is not necessary to keep wood longer but to think it does not burn good after keeping for several years is totally wrong. Quite the contrary, it burns really sweet and gives some really good heat too.

I have to think about Woodstock folks and me disagreeing on firewood drying so I took some 7 year old wood to the factory and we burned some in a Fireview and some in a Progress. Worked like a charm and I've not had anyone there correct me since.

For more information on that wood we took to Woodstock, ask Tony, aka fire_man.

 

[Woody Stover]

For sure it is not necessary to keep wood longer but to think it does not burn good after keeping for several years is totally wrong. Quite the contrary, it burns really sweet and gives some really good heat too.

Yeah, but just think how great it would burn if it still had all those volatile esters! I'd like to know a percentage; How much difference are we talking about here?
Actually, the whole subject is something I'm interested in learning more about. "Hardwoods burn less cleanly." "Very dry wood results in a drop in combustion efficiency." There have been several similar statements made, though I can't recall them all at the moment. I think it's definitely worth investigating some of the testing and research that's been done on wood combustion. Where is Battenkiller when you need him?

Here's another example in BB's thread, the article in the last pic. Too bad the rest didn't fit in the pic....

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/1982-organic-farmer-wood-stove-ads.111681/

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I've never checked any of our wood. However, that wood was checked at Woodstock and there were a few different readings. I remember one at 8% and another at 11% but don't recall what the others were except they were super low. So much for the wood not drying below what the humidity is....

 

[Paulywalnut]

Woody, can we just burn esters and not bother with the stacks?

 

[blwncrewchief]

Yep, allot if good stuff there and some, well, "stuff" also.

This is a good one: "Wood such as shagbark hickory, cherry and black locust will gain little benefit from air drying, as they have low moisture content."

How did they get Hickory in with cherry and BL. Hickory around here is on par with oak for seasoning time. Second I have never cut live cherry or BL that was less than 35-40%

Next: "With the exception of wanting to gather deciduous trees when their sap is lowest during winter, gathering and seasoning wood during the summer season makes good sense because you can take advantage of the warm weather to start drying out the wood."

OK, I've been doing it wrong. Apparently I should not cut my wood in the fall/winter/spring and only split/stack it in the summer because it will dry better that way.

Why stop now: "On split wood, stack the wood with the bark on the bottom to allow the wood to dry faster."

I have just been doing it all wrong all these years. I guess I better run out and turn that 10 cords of stacks over the right way.

Well at least there is some positive news in there: "2. Also, check for radial cracks at the ends of the wood, which indicate dryness."

Woo hoo. That means the live cherry that I cut on tuesday is ready to burn!

Only 15 minutes?: "3. Burn a piece on a roaring fire base. If three of the sides begin to burn within 15 minutes, the fuel is dry."

Really. I'm pretty sure live fresh cut oak will begin to burn on a roaring fire base within 15 minutes.

And just for the lol:

• Do not stack wood higher than your own height. Being hit on the head by a log falling can cause serious injury.

Yep, I do not stack 8 feet high because I am worried about the split falling off and hitting me in the head, not being buried under the 8,000 pounds of wood when it falls over.

• Be wary of snakes, spiders and/or other potentially dangerous creatures taking up residence in your wood pile. Never put your hand into a pile unprotected––purchase decent leather or other gloves and move wood from the edges rather than sticking hands into holes.

"Johnny, I told you to quit putting your hands in the holes in the wood piles." And always wear your PPE when retrieving your wood from the stacks. Especially if:

• When chopping wood, wear goggles and baseball catcher's shin guards to protect yourself from the axe entering your shins on a missed swing.

Your PPE is baseball catchers shin guards and goggles! I thought this was as funny as it gets until I added this to the picture:

• Some woods naturally spit a lot, even after seasoning.

Now I've had all I can handle. The picture of the guy standing next to a stack of wood with an axe, in baseball catchers shin guards, goggles and leather gloves, being spit on by the splits in the stack. It hurts I'm laughing so hard.
This is definitely a unique read as I have never read an article that has so much very good information mixed in 50/50 with total hideously hilarious BS. Oh wait, I have read a few threads on here like that.

 

[Gark]

I'm going to pull the garden hose out to the stacks and spray them down. They must be too gull darn dry...

 

[MrWhoopee]

volatile esters!

In my experience, Ester became more volatile as she aged. Particularly during menopause.

 

[Woody Stover]

I've never checked any of our wood. However, that wood was checked at Woodstock and there were a few different readings. I remember one at 8% and another at 11% but don't recall what the others were except they were super low. So much for the wood not drying below what the humidity is....

I don't think it can dry any lower than equilibrium, but that may vary depending on if it's summer or winter. The raw meter readings also need to be adjusted for different species. Could be that you had the heat blasting in the car, since you like it hot in the house. Or you took wood from the barn, where it was hotter. I don't recall you mentioning where the wood was from but maybe I missed it? Anyway, the EMC concept makes sense to me but YMMV.
I think that ideally, I'd like to burn wood that was at 16-18%, a bit higher than the EMC here. But if you want to get years ahead, like I do, the wood will probably end up drier than that. So be it.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I don't think it can dry any lower than equilibrium, but that may vary depending on if it's summer or winter. The raw meter readings also need to be adjusted for different species. Could be that you had the heat blasting in the car, since you like it hot in the house. Or you took wood from the barn, where it was hotter. I don't recall you mentioning where the wood was from but maybe I missed it? Anyway, the EMC concept makes sense to me but YMMV.
I think that ideally, I'd like to burn wood that was at 16-18%, a bit higher than the EMC here. But if you want to get years ahead, like I do, the wood will probably end up drier than that. So be it.

Good questions Woody. All of the wood was at least 7 years past being split and stacked. All wood was handled in our usual manner. That is: it was cut during the winter months, split and stacked in late winter or early spring. It was left uncovered until late November or early December. It was stacked in stacks that look like these:



The covering was most likely with old used galvanized roofing but may have been covered with tarp as sometimes we used to run out of roofing and simply used tarps. In the third picture you will notice something under a tarp and that is our MTD wood splitter.

I can assure you one of the best MM was used because Woodstock has a real dandy meter there. There were a couple other meters used too; meters that someone brought with them to the factory. Before leaving home, we placed said wood in bags and then wrapped them up further so I doubt the moisture changed or if so it was very minimal.

So after this I have seriously questioned the "lower than equilibrium" theory. Should someone wish to test some our wood with their MM they are very welcome to do so. However, I think right now the oldest wood we have in the stack was cut during the winter of 2008-2009. It was split during March 2009 and I think we finished the stacking within the first 10 days of April that year. We used saplings that we cut in the woods (our normal) and it has been covered with galvanized roofing since November of 2009. Some of that will be burned this coming winter but not all of it so we'll have more next year that will be a bit older. You are welcome to come check it out.