Spring fever

[Missouri Frontier]

I am re-entering the world of wood heat. I bought a cat stove and have been frantically gathering wood for the last 2 months. I have 3 cords of previously standing, dead red oak and cotton wood and elm c/s/s. which brings me to my question. Will any of this wood be ready to burn this winter? I ask because buying wood when I own 10 acres of hardwood forest hurts my heart. I know I can get a moisture level measurement device but, I was hoping for some educated guesses. Thanks.

 

[Jon1270]

I don't have a lot of experience with dead standing wood, but I've been tracking the drying of a split of elm that was cut live and healthy in mid-March, and it has gone from 76% MC down to 26% in a bit over 2 months. There are serious limitations to my little study, e.g. the split is only 14" long, and is on top of a stack in a very sunny spot and gets exposed to more sun, wind and rain than would most splits in a typical pile. But given that yours has a head start because it was dead when you cut it, and given that you live in a warmer climate than I do, I'd be optimistic. The cottonwood is supposed to dry fast, too. Not so sure about the oak.

Anyhow, if your experience is like most people's then there's no point in buying wood even if yours will be less than ideal in the first year. The stuff you could buy would probably be even wetter than what you've got for free.

 

[Missouri Frontier]

Thanks Jon1270. My splits are short as well. 16 inches. I'm also putting up green honey locust, hackberry, shagbark and hedge apple. I know there is no chance for that stuff this coming winter. I'll keep my fingers crossed on the standing dead stuff.

 

[firefighterjake]

Standing dead elm got me through my first winter . . . it was around this time of year that I started cutting it on my property. Cut, split and stacked now . . . and it may be OK to burn depending on just how dead the tree is . . . in general wood towards the top of the tree or at the branches was quite dry . . . wood closer to the base and trunk was not as dry.

I thought I did pretty well in the first year . . . and in hindsight I think I did better than many. But in Year 2 when I was burning wood that was a year plus cut, split and stacked . . . well whoa doggy . . . it was a whole new burning experience.

In any case, if you're burning your own standing dead wood a few suggestions . . . a) You might want to consider a moisture meter. I don't have one, but you may find it handy to know if the wood is good to go, way too wet or borderline. b) I suspect that even if you buy wood right now that is cut and split you may find that it is not much better than the standing dead wood you may cut down on your own property in terms of moisture content. c) Be careful when taking down standing dead trees -- dead limbs can sometimes drop down and having a large, dead limb land on your head is not a good thing. d) Get some pallets or slab wood -- if you are burning semi-seasoned wood you may find having some very dry slabs or pallets to help bring up the temp in the stove to be a good thing. e) In the first year keep a close eye on the creosote build up in your chimney -- especially if the wood is semi-seasoned.

Good luck.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

Another thing you could do if you are hoping to be able to burn some of that wood this coming winter is split the wood real small. The skinnier you split it the more it will be exposed to the air and the faster it will dry, providing you stack it loosely as well. If you stack it too tight the air won't be able to circulate around the splits and carry the moisture away.
I'm kinda in the same boat with some green wood I just got, I topped a couple of my neighbors over grown walnut trees and saved the bigger branches for burning, I hope to be able to burn it this winter, so I split all the wood as thin as I reasonably could, nothing bigger than 3" wide. I can't see a 3" piece of wood not drying out in 6 months, especially in our hot summers.
Normally I cut all my wood in the fall for burning that winter. I usually only cut standing dead lodgepole pine, which is already very dry and can be burned right away, so the whole act of cutting and seasoning wood is something I don't have much patients for.

 

[Missouri Frontier]

Thanks Jake and Jack. Your posts are helpful. I've been watching for the widow makers. I've been splitting pretty skinny (unless I get lazy at the end of the day) I'm probably over thinking this whole thing. I'll burn the driest I have watch for creosote build up and hope for the best. One other question. I find myself getting keyed up when I pass a stand of timber on a highway. I'll try to mentally calculate cords or btu's. Is this normal wood junkie behavior or should I seek help? Just joking but, I do love this stuff. I told the wife the other day that I'd be perfectly happy quitting my job and just processing firewood full time. She said no dice.

 

[Woody Stover]

You're doing what I would do to get ahead. Stack everything in single rows with lots of room between the rows, in your windiest spot. If the upper Oak branches are at like 20%, split even the smaller ones in half and they might be pretty good by fall. If you can find some quick-dry wood, grab it. Best is soft Maple (Silver, Red.) Dead White Ash will be close to ready. Even Tulip Poplar will dry fast, but heat output is lower.

Is this normal wood junkie behavior or should I seek help?

You can either seek pro help, or just hang out here. We don't view it as abnormal, so no help needed.
[/quote]Just joking but, I do love this stuff. I told the wife the other day that I'd be perfectly happy quitting my job and just processing firewood full time. She said no dice.[/quote]No dice, and no money either, once you figure in time, equipment, gas etc.

 

[Paulywalnut]

I've checked out red oak in all different circumstances. Green or just cut dead standing and 5 years laying on the ground.
It seems to dry out quickly to about 24 or 25% moisture. Then the waiting starts for the 17 or 18%. Some standing dead
looks dry but check a piece and its probably 22 or 23%. It then dries faster when split and stacked. Just my unofficial findings.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I am re-entering the world of wood heat. I bought a cat stove and have been frantically gathering wood for the last 2 months. I have 3 cords of previously standing, dead red oak and cotton wood and elm c/s/s. which brings me to my question. Will any of this wood be ready to burn this winter? I ask because buying wood when I own 10 acres of hardwood forest hurts my heart. I know I can get a moisture level measurement device but, I was hoping for some educated guesses. Thanks.

Welcome to the forum Missouri Frontier.

Cat stoves can be good even though years ago many had big problems with them. In fact, we had read so many horror stories about them that the last time we went stove hunting we had decided against getting a cat stove. Just to make a long story short, we now do own a cat stove and could not be happier!

So you've been gathering dead wood for the last 2 months which probably means April and May but perhaps you did start in late March. That does not leave a lot of time for wood drying, even in your area. Also in NW Missouri, I understand and have seen that it tends to be a very wet area which is not helpful for drying wood. But all is not lost.

I would concentrate the most on the cottonwood and elm. We burn quite a bit of elm and have burned almost 100% elm in some winters. We wait not only until the tree is dead but also wait until all or close to all of the bark has fallen off. Doing this we find most of the top half of the tree is ready to burn right away! The bottom half will still be full of moisture.

Cottonwood can dry very fast after it has been split and stacked and I would not doubt you can burn some of this wood next winter.

Oak is another animal altogether. Being dead will help but is not a cure-all for sure. For example, we cut a standing dead pin oak (red oak) a couple years ago (just looked and it was March 2011) and many thought we could burn it the following winter. We had cut it in March. We did try to burn some of the punky stuff and it would burn but not the solid stuff. We did also burn the remaining punky wood from that oak this past winter and just a very little bit of some that was partially punky. It did okay but not great. We do plan on burning more of it this coming winter which will mean it will be 2 and 1/2 years old or thereabouts. Usually with good oak we definitely give it 3 years in the stack. But I don't think we'll have a problem with it this coming winter.

One thing I did with this oak was to stack it in single rows and stacked it really loose rather than trying for a tight stack. We want air movement so that is why we stack loose. I'd suggest you do the same thing with all the wood you are cutting and stack it in the windiest spot you have. I also would advise that you cover the top of the stack just because of all the rain you get. But be sure to stack only the top. Also get it up off the ground. We just cut saplings and stack the wood on those. It works well, practically no cost (only the cost of cutting it) and no ugly pallets to contend with after you've taken the wood to burn.

Good luck.

 

[Missouri Frontier]

Thanks Woody. I'm going to use a lot of dead standing cottonwood this year. As far as my addiction.... I guess I'm home.

 

[Missouri Frontier]

Thank you pauly and savage. I have about a cord and a half of dead standing cottonwood CSS now. Probably 3 1/2 more cut waiting to be split and stacked. We built a house into an existing pole barn. We insulated like our life depended on it(closed cell spray foam and batted r40 ceiling r30 walls) It is 1200sqft. I'm guessing 50 million btu's will get it done for the season(wife likes it thermonuclear). But I don't know, I'm just making my best guess based on the propane we used last winter in a terribly insulated trailer we have been living in on the property during the build. You guys a laying some great experience on me. I appreciate it.

 

[Missouri Frontier]

Btw my stove manufacturer says the wood should be 25% or lower moisture content. Is see you guys talking 15 to 18%. So is The manufacturer blowing smoke(pun intended) or will 25% MC wood burn satisfactorily?

 

[Realstone]

If you have the time and bother, split it thin. The thinner the split, the faster it will dry, especially if the sun and wind get at it.

Frost threat tonight. After that, I'll change my avatar.

 

[Paulywalnut]

Btw my stove manufacturer says the wood should be 25% or lower moisture content. Is see you guys talking 15 to 18%. So is The manufacturer blowing smoke(pun intended) or will 25% MC wood burn satisfactorily?

For me I try for 18% or lower. You burn what you have, but once you get a few years ahead it just seems to work out for you with the wood seasoned correctly. I don't know much about cat stoves. except I've heard they need dry seasoned wood for them to operate correctly.

 

[paul bunion]

Btw my stove manufacturer says the wood should be 25% or lower moisture content. Is see you guys talking 15 to 18%. So is The manufacturer blowing smoke(pun intended) or will 25% MC wood burn satisfactorily?

Wood with 25% moisture content will burn, probably with a little observable 'hissing' as the trapped moisture evaporates off. 8 pounds of wood at 25% is really 6.5 pounds of wood and 2 cans of beer, so there is still a lot a water in it. Just remember that it takes a tremendous amount of energy to turn water into steam so the wetter the wood the more heat you never get to realize.

 

[Missouri Frontier]

Thanks guys. For all the help. As I work through the learning curve I'm sure I'll have lots of rookie questions. It sounds like I found the spot fr the right answers.

 

[ScotO]

Welcome to the forums, Missouri Frontier! you've already gotten some great advise above, I'll throw my two cents in as well. Oak, even though it's been dead standing, probably isn't going to be ready, except for maybe the tops and some of the medium sized branches. Those trunks will be wet inside, especially near the bottoms of the tree. But, it pays to get started collecting that as well, because in two years or so, it'll be primo. I'd do what the others said, get lots of that elm and even some poplar and cottonwood. I didn't see anyone mention soft maple and even beech. Silver and red maple, even if cut green right now, can be ready to burn by winter if conditions are good for it. The big thing is that you get it split and stacked ASAP. And try to make the splits small to medium (4x4" to 5x5" is ideal for quick seasoning). There are lots and lots of standing dead maples in my neighbor's woods, and they are usually almost ready to go when cut. I use that stuff in the firepit all the time in the summer, and it takes off like mad.......

 

[Woody Stover]

I didn't see anyone mention soft maple

Sawdust building up in the ol' eyeballs, is it? Make sure to wear goggles every time...

 

[bogydave]

You got lots of good advice already.

You should be OK with the elm & cw.
The BK's like dry wood but will handle some not so dry wood,
burn hot for about 30 minutes to evaporate off the moisture.

First year, inspect the chimney monthly. That will tell you lots about your wood.

We all have gone thru the stage of burning "not so dry" wood.
Then when you burn some 2 to 3 year old seasoned wood, wow, what a difference.
Then you'll know why many of us work hard to get ahead

 

[Missouri Frontier]

I know this isn't a BK thread but this is more of a wood question anyway. Of all the species on my dirt hedge apple(Osage Orange) is the most numerous. I'd like to burn it. Some of the old timers around here say don't burn full loads of hedge you'll melt your stove down. It would seem to me that since the BK stoves operate more as a wood gasifier, that over firing on a full load of hedge shouldn't be a problem. Is my logic solid or am I going to turn my living room into a steel foundry?

 

[Missouri Frontier]

Thanks Dave I feel better knowing that everyone has been through the not so dry wood stage. I'll follow your recommendations on periodic flue inspections. Do I also need to be wary of cat build up? If so what should I be looking for there?

 

[bogydave]

Thanks Dave I feel better knowing that everyone has been through the not so dry wood stage. I'll follow your recommendations on periodic flue inspections. Do I also need to be wary of cat build up? If so what should I be looking for there?

The only time I had build up on/in the cat was from the stainless one that came in the stove.
I burned some spruce, which sparks & caused a lot of ash to get in the small holes & plug it. (over a bout a months time frame)
Now I have a ceramic cat with bigger holes, no problems with spruce or birch, for over a year now.
Manual does say to yearly, pull the pipe, inspect & vacuum out the cat & bypass compartment.

Creosote is not a big issue if you monitor your system. Clean it when needed.
Burn the driest wood you have, the drier the better.
" But you burn what you got "

Creosote becomes a big issue if you burn cool fires & wet wood for long periods.
Build up inside the chimney, can get a 1/4 to 1/2" thick. (not good)

If you burn wet wood & you run a chimney brush to clean the pipe every 4 to 8 weeks, you are fine.
If you get some black glass or build up inside the stove, burning a hot fire helps clean it up quit a bit.

I get creosote build up on the pipe cap now & then.
Since I started being able to burn drier wood, I get very little.
I still inspect mid season & clean the chimney at least once a year.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Btw my stove manufacturer says the wood should be 25% or lower moisture content. Is see you guys talking 15 to 18%. So is The manufacturer blowing smoke(pun intended) or will 25% MC wood burn satisfactorily?

He is, ummmm, maybe being a bit optimistic for sure. I would not want to burn wood with that much moisture. Now saying that I will also tell you that I do not know what % moisture our wood is but could guarantee it is well below 20%. We do it the simple way. Cut, split, stack and then give it a few years before burning. The benefits are tremendous.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I know this isn't a BK thread but this is more of a wood question anyway. Of all the species on my dirt hedge apple(Osage Orange) is the most numerous. I'd like to burn it. Some of the old timers around here say don't burn full loads of hedge you'll melt your stove down. It would seem to me that since the BK stoves operate more as a wood gasifier, that over firing on a full load of hedge shouldn't be a problem. Is my logic solid or am I going to turn my living room into a steel foundry?

And pine will burn your house down too.....or so many will say. If it were me, I would not fear burning that hedge apple just like I do not fear burning pine.

 

[Realstone]

And pine will burn your house down too.....or so many will say. If it were me, I would not fear burning that hedge apple just like I do not fear burning pine.

Me neither. If it does get too warm in the stove you can always turn the damper down.

Hey Savage, is that quote at the bottom of your sig line from Fat Freddy or Phineas?