What seasoned wood looks like to me.

[quads]

Elevating off the ground indeed is good and I doubt anyone would argue with it. However, there is some of our wood that is stacked directly on the ground and we've done this for years. The reason it works is where we stack. It is on high ground and nothing but sand. Water goes through sand like **** through a tin horn.

The only bad thing we find is that some of the wood will bury itself right into the ground but that is no problem. In the spring, we then tap them with a maul and they pop right out. Those are then thrown on top of another stack to be burned later. Reason? They aren't seasoned! But it is just the bottom layer and not all of it. Some can be burned right then. And if you've seen any of my posts, I probably have close to the amount of wood that quads has. At last count it was 23 cords.

Yes, that's about the same situation/conditions as me. We live in the part of WI called the Central Sands, it's all pure sand and I live on high ground. My bigger piles have also been stacked in the same place for many years, so have a layer of bark, wood chips, etc. under them. But that's right, all of the wood isn't touching the ground like some of the worry-warts would seem to imply, only the bottom (sacrificial) layer. Everything above the bottom is elevated, just like everybody else.

23 cord is a good bunch of wood. I've never precisely measured all of mine, but I would say there's that much or more at any given time.

 

[savageactor7]

Nice....I kind the idea of multiple piles of wood here and there Quad. You must have 100 cords or so drying. We pile our wood and I suppose you're right about the wood underneath and in the center taking longer to season but once you're a few years ahead it doesn't matter. As far ahead as you are now I bet you could save yourself many hours of labor piling some wood up. Piles don't blow over and you can pile way higher than you can stack...split wood that is not rounds.

 

[quads]

Thanks savageactor7. I don't think I have that many cord around, but I've got plenty. Depending on how much I sell or give away, I'm 4 or more years ahead. If I keep every stick of it for myself, then I'm probably twice that many years ahead. I burn about 4 or so cord per year in the stove, and maybe another cord in my resting place firepit.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

quads, with our 23-24 cords we are at least 7 years up on the wood. But like you, we might sell some and also give some away. When we put in the new soapstone stove, our fuel needs dropped dramatically and now we use only 3 cords per year instead of the 6-7 cords we used to burn.

 

[quads]

That's a good feeling to know that your house will be heated for that many years in the future, with no, or very little, cost! When people talk to me about how much the price of LP gas is, or how much it cost them to heat their house last winter, I tell them that it cost me $2.89 to heat my house for the winter. Their eyes get big and they say "WHAT?!?!?" Then I tell them that I can cut a year's worth of firewood with about one gallon of gasoline in the saw. Therefore, I heat my home with one gallon of gasoline every winter!

 

[Jfk4th]

That's a good feeling to know that your house will be heated for that many years in the future, with no, or very little, cost! When people talk to me about how much the price of LP gas is, or how much it cost them to heat their house last winter, I tell them that it cost me $2.89 to heat my house for the winter. Their eyes get big and they say "WHAT?!?!?" Then I tell them that I can cut a year's worth of word with about one gallon of gasoline in the saw. Therefore, I heat my home with one gallon of gasoline every winter!

Hey, what kind of wood stove you have anyway, nice pics BTW.
Bravo

 

[quads]

Hey, what kind of wood stove you have anyway, nice pics BTW.
Bravo

Well......let's just say that at this point it is a precious family heirloom, affectionately named Old Smokey.

 

[ohio woodburner]

Quads, you sell that stack of wood for $25? Their selling it for $60-$70 here in Ohio. Crazy If i ever start buying wood I'm coming to buy some off of you

 

[LLigetfa]

Quads, you sell that stack of wood for $25? Their selling it for $60-$70 here in Ohio. Crazy If i ever start buying wood I'm coming to buy some off of you

What is that, about half a face? $25 x 6 = $150 a cord.

 

[heatwise]

i see an awful lot of wood piles uncovered around here,been tempted to try drying a stack without covering, but the woodworking side of me tells me to cover the top. seems like whenever its burn season its also met with about a week of rain to kick it off, then it freezes. i have great respect for how others prepare wood fuel and appreciate reading and seeing pictures of it. pete

 

[quads]

$25. It's 1/2 face cord or 1/6 full cord. I don't sell large quantities, the majority of my customers are campers and fireplace burners. I give away more than I sell, to friends and family. I'd be happy to sell you a little, but Wisconsin has a law now that you can't transport firewood farther than 50 miles from where it was cut. I live farther than 50 miles from any of the borders!

I don't cover my woodpiles, but I do keep a month's worth on the porch and a day's worth in the house by the stove. Freshly rained on wood never goes directly into the stove.

 

[Jim Post]

Wow! That is quite a pile of wood to work up. Very impressive!

I took a couple of shots of my scroungings for this season...Oak, Elm, Cherry, Silver Maple, Box Elder...Anything really I don't discriminate. if it's wood and drys out I will burn it.

I stack one long row on pallets (currently 128 feet) in an East-West line so the sun hits it all from the South. I move a weeks worth from stack to garage with a tractor front scoop bucket. I don't cover it except for a 8' tarp length on the next weeks wood. Any snow or ice usually melts off in the garage prior to burning.

Stay Warm!

 

[maplewood]

Love to see those seasoned piles.
I can't believe I used to sometimes burn wood less than 3 months after splitting.
My only saving grace was that it was stored in a heated basement, and it continued to dry until it was burned.
I'm 1.5+ years ahead now, and hope to be 2.5 by next year.
I haven't started giving it away yet - it would kill my dad, who helps me out a lot.
Happy burning.

 

[quads]

Very nice olpotosi! I know a guy that lives over by the Necedah Refuge that lines his firewood up like that too. His runs all along his property line like a fence. Looks cool.

Maplewood, keep getting farther ahead and pretty soon you will be giving it away! Ha ha! If I hang onto everything I have, I am about 5+ years ahead. By selling and giving away, I usually end up burning 3+ year old wood myself. It's getting harder to keep track of though. I've got wood stacked all over.

 

[Billster]

$25. It's 1/2 face cord or 1/6 full cord. I don't sell large quantities, the majority of my customers are campers and fireplace burners. I give away more than I sell, to friends and family. I'd be happy to sell you a little, but Wisconsin has a law now that you can't transport firewood farther than 50 miles from where it was cut. I live farther than 50 miles from any of the borders!

I don't cover my woodpiles, but I do keep a month's worth on the porch and a day's worth in the house by the stove. Freshly rained on wood never goes directly into the stove.

Quads I have really enjoyed this thread... Very interesting

It's very interesting to know you split it all by hand!

My grandfather and great-g-father never covered their wood stacks.. (I'm not saying your that old) :lol:

I have never tried to leave my wood uncovered, but I should because my grand parents did it that way,and it worked for them. Now I see (you) do it that way also, and it brings back memories to see yours.. I'm getting ready to cut more wood for 2011/12 season, and I will leave it uncovered... I don't have 500+ acres like you, but I do have 17+ acres to have wood here and there. :cheese:

I'm not a newbie, I'm 42 and I've worked on firewood since I was a young boy, helping my Father and grandparents... I have always enjoyed working on firewood, and it feels good to have a supply of seasoned wood to burn in the winter.

I take my tractor, ATV, trailer, saws etc.. etc.. and go out in the woods and stay all day gathering wood.. I don't find a lot of trees on the ground, so I have to drop some.. I think I seen a picture of you cutting up a nice tree on the ground, that didn't have any bark ? .. Those are the nice ones (IMHO)



Do you work on firewood every day ??

Thanks for starting this thread

 

[quads]

Thanks for your interesting post Billster, and for not saying I'm old!

I can't say that I work on firewood everyday, but most days when it's nice to be in the woods. I don't mind it when it's hot or cold, but I don't like the humid weather. My hands get too sweaty and the maul handle gets slippery. Otherwise, as long as nobody is out there hunting (I don't hunt anymore but I don't want to disturb those that do), and I'm not milking the cows, I'm usually out somewhere making firewood. We have a lot of trees that were killed by oak wilt. I wait until they tip over after their roots rot off and I cut them up. By then the bark is long gone. I never fell a tree, unless I need to for some reason. The ones that fall by themselves keep me busy. In the meantime, the woodpeckers and other critters like the standing dead trees.

Ha ha, no, I don't think I will write a book, but thanks for the compliment. There are many that disagree. Don't do it just because it works for me, but as long as you say you're not a newbie to heating with wood and know what you're getting into, give the uncovered wood method a try if you want. I see the picture you posted in the 2009 woodpiles thread and if I had a nice lean-to like that, I sure wouldn't fill it up with pieces of dead trees, but that's just me.

 

[Billster]

Thanks for your interesting post Billster, and for not saying I'm old!

I can't say that I work on firewood everyday, but most days when it's nice to be in the woods. I don't mind it when it's hot or cold, but I don't like the humid weather. My hands get too sweaty and the maul handle gets slippery. Otherwise, as long as nobody is out there hunting (I don't hunt anymore but I don't want to disturb those that do), and I'm not milking the cows, I'm usually out somewhere making firewood. We have a lot of trees that were killed by oak wilt. I wait until they tip over after their roots rot off and I cut them up. By then the bark is long gone. I never fell a tree, unless I need to for some reason. The ones that fall by themselves keep me busy. In the meantime, the woodpeckers and other critters like the standing dead trees.

Ha ha, no, I don't think I will write a book, but thanks for the compliment. There are many that disagree. Don't do it just because it works for me, but as long as you say you're not a newbie to heating with wood and know what you're getting into, give the uncovered wood method a try if you want. I see the picture you posted in the 2009 woodpiles thread and if I had a nice lean-to like that, I sure wouldn't fill it up with pieces of dead trees, but that's just me.

Humid weather is the only time I don't like to work on firewood.

Hunting season is in right now, and stays in from Sep. to Jan... I do a lot of hunting, and this weekend
is black-powder season... when I go deer hunting I always carry a chainsaw on my ATV, and I have went out
in the mountains before to deer hunt, But, get out there and find a nice oak tree on the ground and instead of
hunting that day, I would cut up the tree and come back and haul it out. :cheese:

I mentioned in my other post about my grandparents not covering their stacks, and then I found this thread.. I know it worked for them and I should try it because that's how my family done it also, and it works for you.. I'm sure there is other people that don't cover their stacks.

And you wouldn't fill up my shed with dead trees. Ha Ha, the wood that I've seen you cut up is nice wood, and I like the one that you found that had no bark.. That's great/dead wood :cheese: .. I wish I could find wood like that!

 

[jcjohnston]

Quads you are one hell of a neat guy, I humbly respect and admire your work ethic. The country needs more men like you, awesome pictures of your wood piles too!!

 

[quads]

We have so many deer seasons nowadays that I can't even keep track of them. There's bow seasons, 3 or 4 gun deer seasons in addition to the traditional one, and then two turkey seasons every year. There is a gun season, doe only, going on right now. I used to enjoy hunting, but most of the people that I hunted with grew old and are gone now. I know what you mean about cutting wood during hunting season, many times I did that myself. Or picked corn.

The tree with no bark; that's almost every tree I cut. They have been standing dead for 5-10 years already when I cut them. The only time I cut a tree with bark still on it is when a storm knocks one down.

I have been thinking about buying a new saw someday. I bought two Stihl 026 saws from a neighbor several years ago for $50. One of them quit running last year and needs work, the other is getting slow and tired.

I have heard good things about beech, but I have never seen a beech tree, to my recollection.

 

[quads]

Quads you are one hell of a neat guy, I humbly respect and admire your work ethic. The country needs more men like you, awesome pictures of your wood piles too!!

Aw shucks! Thanks, but I'm just doing what I need to do and trying to enjoy some of it along the way. No big deal.

 

[HardWoodW]

Quads- first of all what a stack of wood. My wife thinks I'm strange when I slow down to look at folks woodpiles but I might have to take a road trip to show her yours.
It sounds like you really enjoy splitting wood-I started splitting wood by hand about 2 yrs ago when the power line co took down a big oak in my yard and I have to say it's very satisfying to do; there's just something about it I can't quite explain. Plus I figure it's good exercise.

 

[gibson]

Old/"seasoned" doesn't make it dry. I have had wood that color, bark falling off etc- and it was sopping wet. This is especially true when it has been slushed on for a while.

I have also had wood that had a warm color, no cracking, well intact bark- and it was as dry as it gets. In fact- I don't like for my wood to get that dark, or for the bark to fall off- usually I find (at least here) that there will be decay somewhere in the pile if I let it go to that- especially if it's touching the ground (where it will never get dry for me). Decaying wood is BTU's lost.

The sound it makes is one clue as to dryness. Density for a wood that you deal with a lot is a good indicator (feels lighter to trained hand).

I go through about 12 cord in the kiln, and 4 for the house every year, so I do have a leeetle experience in telling what's dry... and I can't tell it's dry looking at it.

Much respect to all, but I burned all of last year with oak and maple, one year seasoned, and 3/4 filled one of my kids sand pails with creosote. I would love to have some 5 year seasoned wood, but it ain't happining. That being said, I am very envious of those wood piles, and some day I will have some...

 

[quads]

This is the spot I am at right now, in the front yard stack. The wood I am burning on the right (from here it goes monthly to the porch, then daily next to the stove) and the recently processed wood on the left. I fill in the gap with fresh processed as I make room by burning the seasoned. After I finish going through all of the front yard stack (my primary stack), then I move to the secondary stacks in the back yard. After that, I begin to haul up some of the oldest stacks from out in the woods, snow depth permitting.

 

[ohio woodburner]

Very impressive stacks. I wondered what in the heck you planned to do with it all if you only burn 4 cords a year, then I saw the last picture : ) Hope you don't have to hand split all that.

Yes, every single stick is hand split by myself. No one else touches it from tree to stove.

Quads Just wanted to say your a hell of a man. Splitter took a crap this morning splitting some ash, thought what the heck I'll get the maul out. Little did i know I'd be having a heat pack on my back all night. lol Man i wish i could split all by hand and I'm a young buck as my dad says.

 

[quads]

Sometimes I get sore. Not too often though. I just keep working through it and it eventually goes away. When I get a sore back, it bothers me the worst in the morning when I get up to milk the cows. It gets stiff and sore when I sleep. After I've moved around and got up and down milking cows for a couple hours it's limbered up and feels much better. Then I head out into the woods.

It also helps that I don't do one thing for too long. I cut for awhile, then I split awhile, then I load, haul, and stack. That way I don't pick on the same set of muscles over and over nonstop.