Seasoning Oak

[ambull01]

I'm about to stock up on some oak in preparation for next year. I keep reading on this site about having to season oak for 2-3 years. Is this true!? If I have to season it for that long I may as well forget about oak. I don't have the space in my yard to accumulate 3+ years worth of oak plus work on firewood for next year.

On another site I've been reading they say oak only needs about a year or so for MC to drop below 20%. What makes oak take so long to season? If it's because it's a hardwood, why don't all hardwoods take as long?

 

[BrotherBart]

I have burned it after a year and it is a real pain and waste of BTUs keeping it burning. Two years minimum top covered in the sun and wind. I got a shock last season when some oak wasn't playing nice and I opened the door and heard the first wood hissing I had heard in years. And that stuff was over three years on the stacks.

 

[ambull01]

Wow. So oak holds more moisture than other hardwoods? I think I may skip oak and look for other hardwoods. I have to find the BTU chart again to compare.

 

[AnalogKid]

I'm not sure it holds more (it may?) but it's just incredibly dense and holds onto the moisture it does have, a long time. It is nice to burn, but I'm in the camp that its seasoning time makes it a little less desirable than other species, for me personally.

Don't get me wrong, if I happen across some I take it with open arms. In fact I have about 3/4 of a cord that I will burn this year, and another 1/2 cord that will be ready for next year. I just don't have the time or space to be 2-3 years ahead on oak plus all the other wood I would need to process to have to burn while I wait for the oak to season.

 

[xman23]

Wow. So oak holds more moisture than other hardwoods? I think I may skip oak and look for other hardwoods. I have to find the BTU chart again to compare.

Don't pass it up. One of the finest burning woods out there. Almost all my wood is oak. I burn 3-4 year old wood.

 

[AnalogKid]

Don't pass it up. One of the finest burning woods out there. Almost all my wood is oak. I burn 3-4 year old wood.

Yeah, definitely don't pass it up....haha.

 

[Husky]

I've burned red oak for many years. I find that if I let it season for 16 months I'm good to go. Best burning wood, burns long and leave a great coal bed. I do leave it in a place that stays dry and get good air movement.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

If you find a split in your stack set it aside. Sneak up on the seasoning time that it takes by just putting it in its own stack. Burn it when it gets real cold and the super dense wood can be appreciated. Splitting into small splits will make it season faster.

 

[TomatoLover]

If you find a split in your stack set it aside. Sneak up on the seasoning time that it takes by just putting it in its own stack. Burn it when it gets real cold and the super dense wood can be appreciated. Splitting into small splits will make it season faster.

This might be a dumb question, but I'm new to this, so keep that in mind. When you split oak into smaller splits, does it decrease its value in terms of burn times and coal beds? I thought I read somewhere that while smaller splits will quicken the seasoning time, it decreases the value of what gives oak its good name. Is there any truth to that?

 

[2PistolPacker]

Wow. So oak holds more moisture than other hardwoods? I think I may skip oak and look for other hardwoods. I have to find the BTU chart again to compare.

I have been selling firewood for over 10 years and I split my wood thin so it will dry quickly. Now with the new epa stoves and how they burn so hot so quickly I'm going to stop splitting so thin and just let the large splits dry longer. I split 3 cords of oak 17 months ago, I split most of it less than 2.5 inches thick the rest is in 6 x 8 inch logs. The 2.5 inch thick wood is at about 18% mc, I split several 6 x 8 inch pieces in half to test and they were at 25% mc. I also tested large pieces of maple, pine, walnut and mulberry all split at the same time as the oak and they average 17% mc. If you want large splits to be ready in one year don't get oak or hedge. I split 4 plus cords of locust several weeks ago, the trees had been dead for at least 3 years and the trunk wood mc was still above 30%, the limb wood is less than 20%. I knew the locust was old because it didn't stink like hell, in fact it smells almost pleasant.

 

[ambull01]

Don't pass it up. One of the finest burning woods out there. Almost all my wood is oak. I burn 3-4 year old wood.

You must have a giant yard.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

This might be a dumb question, but I'm new to this, so keep that in mind. When you split oak into smaller splits, does it decrease its value in terms of burn times and coal beds? I thought I read somewhere that while smaller splits will quicken the seasoning time, it decreases the value of what gives oak its good name. Is there any truth to that?

Smaller splits have a larger surface area so they will burn faster. You will still get the full amount of BTUs out of it though. This will probably reduce coaling also, which can be preferable on very cold nights when you have to push the stove a bit. Many find themselves with too many coals and too little heat coming out. The only alternative canbe to shovel the coals out so there is room for fresh wood.

 

[ambull01]

View attachment 144814 View attachment 144812
I've burned red oak for many years. I find that if I let it season for 16 months I'm good to go. Best burning wood, burns long and leave a great coal bed. I do leave it in a place that stays dry and get good air movement.

Do you test the MC? Not sure how red oak compares to white oak which is what I've been splitting. I split them real small to help season faster but I may have made them too little. Probably drastically cut down on the burn times which is what oak is good for, from what I've read. Guess the best thing to do is make various size splits.

 

[ambull01]

I have been selling firewood for over 10 years and I split my wood thin so it will dry quickly. Now with the new epa stoves and how they burn so hot so quickly I'm going to stop splitting so thin and just let the large splits dry longer. I split 3 cords of oak 17 months ago, I split most of it less than 2.5 inches thick the rest is in 6 x 8 inch logs. The 2.5 inch thick wood is at about 18% mc, I split several 6 x 8 inch pieces in half to test and they were at 25% mc. I also tested large pieces of maple, pine, walnut and mulberry all split at the same time as the oak and they average 17% mc. If you want large splits to be ready in one year don't get oak or hedge. I split 4 plus cords of locust several weeks ago, the trees had been dead for at least 3 years and the trunk wood mc was still above 30%, the limb wood is less than 20%. I knew the locust was old because it didn't stink like hell, in fact it smells almost pleasant.

This really puts a lot of doubt in my mind on all the "seasoned oak" ads I see. How can everyone possibly have so much oak that's seasoned for 2-3 years?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Bingo! Often they think a tree that has been cut down and the trunk is lying in the mud is seasoning.

It is possible that they have a kiln and can dry it, but that's probably not the case.

This really puts a lot of doubt in my mind on all the "seasoned oak" ads I see. How can everyone possibly have so much oak that's seasoned for 2-3 years?

 

[Retreadsme]

I'm like almost everyone else .... oak spends a minimum of two years in the outside stacks and 1 yr inside stacked before I can burn it well and often times it ends up needing to stay inside 2 yrs. Where you live makes a difference when curing hardwoods also. Down here in the Delta, nothing dries quickly until winter. oh wait .... that's when it's frozen! Like everyone else said - don't pass on it though! About the only thing that requires less than 3 yrs to cure here is sycamore and willow. Of course ya might as well burn balsa wood if willow is a choice.

 

[Osagebndr]

I Stack hard to cure wood by itself like locust and oak can't bring myself to burn Osage as I like it for bow wood, anyway stack it in the spot that's gets the most sun maybe it'll work that's what I'm hoping for but if it don't it don't

 

[ambull01]

I'm like almost everyone else .... oak spends a minimum of two years in the outside stacks and 1 yr inside stacked before I can burn it well and often times it ends up needing to stay inside 2 yrs. Where you live makes a difference when curing hardwoods also. Down here in the Delta, nothing dries quickly until winter. oh wait .... that's when it's frozen! Like everyone else said - don't pass on it though! About the only thing that requires less than 3 yrs to cure here is sycamore and willow. Of course ya might as well burn balsa wood if willow is a choice.

That's insane! So worse case scenario you have to wait 4 years to burn oak. No. Way. I think I'll just hunt for pine and let everyone fight for the decade to season oak. I'll sleep in the insert room to feed it.

 

[cableman]

My oak was dwn for months then split for a year, MC reads under 20%, i split around 3x4 splits. Sometimes you just gotta deal with what you can get! Burns good so far

 

[drewberry24]

By no means am I doubting the 3 year seasoning process, but I am burning white and red oak that fell during Sandy in November of 2012. I cut, split, and stacked it at the beginning of this year and it is reading 18-21% on the mm. It is burning great right now, of course I'm sure it will burn even better next year but I am lucky for what I have for my second year of burning.

I guess my point is that depending on the circumstances you may be able to get some oak ready to burn a little sooner than 3 years.

 

[ambull01]

I can live with those drying times. I'll do a little experiment. Split some oak in a couple different sizes. Do a MC reading periodically and see how long it takes to get to 20%.

 

[williemon]

I have the same issue. In my other house, it had a standard prefab fireplace. It was a small house so I could heat for the day and part of a night but it got cold fast. I could use oak that seasoned for at least 10 months but no less. In my newer home with a northstar, I need two year oak, and somethimes thats iffy.
I started burning pine now cause its plentyful and easy to dry.

 

[Phoenix Hatchling]

I have been selling firewood for over 10 years and I split my wood thin so it will dry quickly. Now with the new epa stoves and how they burn so hot so quickly I'm going to stop splitting so thin and just let the large splits dry longer. I split 3 cords of oak 17 months ago, I split most of it less than 2.5 inches thick the rest is in 6 x 8 inch logs. The 2.5 inch thick wood is at about 18% mc, I split several 6 x 8 inch pieces in half to test and they were at 25% mc. I also tested large pieces of maple, pine, walnut and mulberry all split at the same time as the oak and they average 17% mc. If you want large splits to be ready in one year don't get oak or hedge. I split 4 plus cords of locust several weeks ago, the trees had been dead for at least 3 years and the trunk wood mc was still above 30%, the limb wood is less than 20%. I knew the locust was old because it didn't stink like hell, in fact it smells almost pleasant.

I have black locust that was down for 26 years. My guys cut it to 12 inch lengths and split it last year. I'm burning it now, and it could STILL go another year or so, and it does still smell like crap! Real putrid stuff but burns hotter than you can stand!

 

[ambull01]

I have black locust that was down for 26 years. My guys cut it to 12 inch lengths and split it last year. I'm burning it now, and it could STILL go another year or so, and it does still smell like crap! Real putrid stuff but burns hotter than you can stand!

26 years? I can scratch black locust off my scrounge list too.

 

[ambull01]

I have the same issue. In my other house, it had a standard prefab fireplace. It was a small house so I could heat for the day and part of a night but it got cold fast. I could use oak that seasoned for at least 10 months but no less. In my newer home with a northstar, I need two year oak, and somethimes thats iffy.
I started burning pine now cause its plentyful and easy to dry.

Yep it's starting to look like pine will become my friend. Helps that a lot of people think you can't burn pine too. Should be easy to get.