What would you do?

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LongRoad

New Member
May 11, 2020
3
VA
I got behind in cutting wood for 3 years (sickness and surgeries) and would like an opinion on what to do.

I have a Garn 1500 and back up LPG boiler. I own a small honey farm and manage around 350 bee hives so I use a lot of hot water and heat during the summer.

Right now I have.
4 cords hard wood around 14% covered
5 cords soft wood around 13% covered
5 cords hard wood around 21% covered
10 cords soft wood around 28% covered. Cut this fall.
15 cords soft wood around 32% covered. Cut this winter.
15 cords soft wood around 34% covered. Cut this late winter and spring.
About 15 cords piled cut early spring.

We mostly burn popular and have four 12 by 20 car ports we stack our wood under.
We burn between 12 and 16 cords a year depending on how much LPG we use.
I have a 2 car garage in the boiler building where I store wood during the winter that has in slab heat and an exhaust fan.
My plan was to move the 4 cords of hard wood and 5 cords of soft wood into the garage this week and stack the last 15 cords of soft wood under cover.
I have dual 1,980 tanks and around 30% full. Will top off the tanks when the cost gets under $.75 for bulk delivery.

Is it worth moving some of the wet wood into the garage and using the boiler to try and dry it this summer?
If you tried to dry wood how would you do it?
 
I would think the soft wood and poplar would dry out on its own pretty fast if in a open area w/ lots of air flow and sun, of course on the premise that its been split and stacked, the hardwood will make it in the mid teens on its own also since it seems like its pretty much at the end of its seasoning cycle.
I'd just use LP as long as the price is low and firm, I'd also cut more wood to get that much ahead, but I know it could be tough on the body to, especially when recovering, you don't want to over due it.
 
Have you looked into solar kilns that people here use to season wood? Depending on the orientation and amount of sun the car ports get, would it be possible to seal the ends to create a greenhouse style setup to dry the wood?
 
I know from times past the popular takes about 18 months split, staked, and covered to stabilize under 20% if cut in the fall.
I'm not cutting anymore wood till this fall. There are to many other things to do.
I cut 24" logs, split them, and stack them with 18" between rows under the car ports so they get air flow.
I'll be able to get cheap LPG in bulk and will have to take delivery of it. Where I'm at no way to contract future loads into the winter at cheap prices.

I'll YouTube solar greenhouse tonight.