will it be ready to burn next year?

[kversch]

I have been given a bunch of wood that has been cut in logs 4 feet long. The wood has been cut for 3 or 4 years now and stacked. If I cut this up and split it and stack it do you guys think it will be dry enough to bun mid way through next winter? the wood is a mix of hard woods maple oak cherry black locust ect.

 

[Pennsyltucky Chris]

Probably just the maple and cherry.

You've got at least a couple years on the others. I'm not that far from you, and my maple and cherry is ready in a year. If you get yourself a moisture meter for $20, you'll be able to tell what's dry and what's not.

 

[tigeroak]

If the maple is soft maple yes if you get after it now, but if it is hard maple 2-3 years on it. Cherry might be ready. I keep soft maple and cherry 2 years the rest is on a 3 year rotation but after this late summer then will be on 4 year .

 

[gzecc]

If it was all petrified dead standing it could all be ready. If its like most I get, the oak will need two more years, the cherry could be ready if split small and the others might be ready if split small and single rows in the sun.

 

[maple1]

If it's been cut for 3 or 4 years, I'd hazard a guess it would be good for next winter. I might also worry it might be starting to get a bit punky being stacked that long in the round. Better get it split up regardless.

 

[Barnett]

So burning wood takes 3-4 years to Make ready ? So it seems to me Wood burning is Only for folk who ve land and trees (hardwoods) and tractors and maybe firewood processing equipment? As a stove owner I find I can rarely Use thee Stove .As I cannot find wood to burn people/ buis. locally 27705 that sell wood for burning do not seem to know what theyre doing (green wood) like cut yesterday . when i look for wood and ask questions everyone takes an attitude. Shows up at my house I look at what they have and tell them I wouldnt think Id start a bonfire with that . they get all upset and state that theyre burning it . I splain that youre not getting much heat off that.. i get looks funny looks when i ask do you know of a well managed woodlot blank stares ? too good to be true this alternate source of keeping warm . mos def not ready for prime time .. at least in hillsborough Nc areas.. good luck in your quests . Col D

 

[maple1]

So burning wood takes 3-4 years to Make ready ? So it seems to me Wood burning is Only for folk who ve land and trees (hardwoods) and tractors and maybe firewood processing equipment? As a stove owner I find I can rarely Use thee Stove .As I cannot find wood to burn people/ buis. locally 27705 that sell wood for burning do not seem to know what theyre doing (green wood) like cut yesterday . when i look for wood and ask questions everyone takes an attitude. Shows up at my house I look at what they have and tell them I wouldnt think Id start a bonfire with that . they get all upset and state that theyre burning it . I splain that youre not getting much heat off that.. i get looks funny looks when i ask do you know of a well managed woodlot blank stares ? too good to be true this alternate source of keeping warm . mos def not ready for prime time .. at least in hillsborough Nc areas.. good luck in your quests . Col D

No - all you need is some space somewhere to stack it until it's ready. And planning ahead. Having your own trees or tractors & processing equipment don't make it dry faster. A kiln would though - if space is really tight, you could DIY up a small kiln & cycle a years supply through over a couple or few summer months. If I was buying wood I would not buy it expecting it to be ready to burn when I bought it, I would buy it expecting it would be ready to burn in 2 years - and get 2 years ahead on the supply. Then if it is ready sooner or drier than that when you get it - bonus. And once you have a supply that is truly dry to where it should be, you shouldn't burn quite as much.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

So burning wood takes 3-4 years to Make ready ? So it seems to me Wood burning is Only for folk who ve land and trees (hardwoods) and tractors and maybe firewood processing equipment? As a stove owner I find I can rarely Use thee Stove .As I cannot find wood to burn people/ buis. locally 27705 that sell wood for burning do not seem to know what theyre doing (green wood) like cut yesterday . when i look for wood and ask questions everyone takes an attitude. Shows up at my house I look at what they have and tell them I wouldnt think Id start a bonfire with that . they get all upset and state that theyre burning it . I splain that youre not getting much heat off that.. i get looks funny looks when i ask do you know of a well managed woodlot blank stares ? too good to be true this alternate source of keeping warm . mos def not ready for prime time .. at least in hillsborough Nc areas.. good luck in your quests . Col D

Too much drama, not enough hard work...
Get wood, cut it up, split it on the smaller side, stack it single row in the sun and wind.....

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

I have been given a bunch of wood that has been cut in logs 4 feet long. The wood has been cut for 3 or 4 years now and stacked. If I cut this up and split it and stack it do you guys think it will be dry enough to bun mid way through next winter? the wood is a mix of hard woods maple oak cherry black locust ect.

Get a moisture meter, cut and split the wood, test it and report back..... That's the best way to tell for now......

 

[Jon_E]

So burning wood takes 3-4 years to make ready?

No. It requires some planning. Every species of wood has a different drying time, and it is highly dependent on several conditions, most notably the size of the wood splits and the ambient weather conditions. If you were to separate rounds from a single tree into two separate experiments, taking every other piece from the tree and putting it in alternate piles, you could obtain radically different results just from how you prepared that wood for drying. One pile, ideally, would be split to "normal" firewood size (I consider that anything that can be easily picked up by the end with one hand), stacked up off the ground in a sunny location, top covered, and allowed to dry for three years while exposed to wind and sun. The other pile, for sake of comparison, could be simply thrown into a pile, as rounds, just inside the edge of the woods, covered with a big tarp and left to sit, untouched for three years. Which one would you think would be likely to be acceptable firewood in that space of time? I believe that the pile of rounds covered by the tarp would be partially rotten and not have lost much of its' original moisture. The other stack would be ready for anyone to burn.

Those conditions could be taken to even more extremes. I know of people who stack split wood in greenhouses or solar kilns, with fans and even dehumidifiers. I would imagine that under those conditions, even carefully sized oak splits would be ready for the woodstove in less than a year. Still others, drag dead trees up to their porch with the tractor and burn the chunks they cut within hours.

If you do not have the resources to harvest your own firewood, plan ahead. Figure out how much you need for a year's time, and then buy three times that amount to start. Find a place to stack it, cover the top of the stack, and let it dry. Every year after that, buy another year's worth of wood, stack and cover. Burn the pile you stacked three years ago. Repeat indefinitely. For the first two years only, following that plan, you will have to find a source of seasoned wood for the first year, and you will have moderate success with the prior year's stack for the second year. Build a wood shed and use it.

 

[Barnett]

looking into a metal box in direct sunlight to dry faster ( conex box) its actually less expensive to buy a box vs supplies n time to construct a shed .as i do not have alot of trees to cut n make posts n such if I do this my shade n landscape is crap.. so i need buy wood three to four years BEFORE thinking about this heat source... wella.. So I go broke waiting for thee time to heat Inexp.. wonderful thing kinda what i figured just giving others a heads up BEFORE they start listening to the sales pitches of the wood burning equipment mfgrs and sales folk .. Do diligent work to Find and secure a FUEL source or you will be running youre expensive heat and looking at a very nice heating appliance that you cannot use ., BEWARE try securing say 50 thousand pounds of wood thats approx 12 or so cords depending on water content...American woodyrd I think offers Kiln dried firewood 260 Cord p/up only and that amount fubars them badly he he.. 18 wheeler w conex box to p/up funny stuff .. Col D

 

[Barnett]

No. It requires some planning. Every species of wood has a different drying time, and it is highly dependent on several conditions, most notably the size of the wood splits and the ambient weather conditions. If you were to separate rounds from a single tree into two separate experiments, taking every other piece from the tree and putting it in alternate piles, you could obtain radically different results just from how you prepared that wood for drying. One pile, ideally, would be split to "normal" firewood size (I consider that anything that can be easily picked up by the end with one hand), stacked up off the ground in a sunny location, top covered, and allowed to dry for three years while exposed to wind and sun. The other pile, for sake of comparison, could be simply thrown into a pile, as rounds, just inside the edge of the woods, covered with a big tarp and left to sit, untouched for three years. Which one would you think would be likely to be acceptable firewood in that space of time? I believe that the pile of rounds covered by the tarp would be partially rotten and not have lost much of its' original moisture. The other stack would be ready for anyone to burn.

Those conditions could be taken to even more extremes. I know of people who stack split wood in greenhouses or solar kilns, with fans and even dehumidifiers. I would imagine that under those conditions, even carefully sized oak splits would be ready for the woodstove in less than a year. Still others, drag dead trees up to their porch with the tractor and burn the chunks they cut within hours.

If you do not have the resources to harvest your own firewood, plan ahead. Figure out how much you need for a year's time, and then buy three times that amount to start. Find a place to stack it, cover the top of the stack, and let it dry. Every year after that, buy another year's worth of wood, stack and cover. Burn the pile you stacked three years ago. Repeat indefinitely. For the first two years only, following that plan, you will have to find a source of seasoned wood for the first year, and you will have moderate success with the prior year's stack for the second year. Build a wood shed and use it.

Yes lotsa planning .. Trying to Buy is thee Amusing part of it .. so before ya start talking about a stove you need round up approx 50K pounds of wood to stack and shed up .. then spend three years hashing out appliance type here .. then purchase install and then just maybe you might be ready to think about wood burning .. near a five year plan other than that wear your gear indoors set heat low and keep paying high utility bills another 5 .. great info sirs .. Col D

 

[Seanm]

Nah just grab some pine or soft hardwood, c,s,s in the spring and it should be good to go come winter if you dont split it to big. Then get some higher btu woods that you c,s,s at the same time as the pine and you will be able to use that the following year. If you have the space for the denser hardwoods like oak great if not you can keep it to softwoods with a smaller stash of the good stuff for when you need it.

 

[firefighterjake]

Thou shall not burn unseasoned wood, unless thy wish to risk a chimney fire.

 

[Wildo]

It's an art/hobby that you love or you don't. Learning the curve and saving money is up to you, we're just here to help.

 

[Wildo]

To the o.p.: You'll get by if you split & stack now. Start looking for ash since it is quick drying. Mix your wood with dry pallet wood/board ends/flooring scraps/eco bricks/bio bricks & you will be fine.


Oh ya don't forget to put up 50,000 lbs of wood. It may sound like a lot but you and a friend can do it in 10 days . Next year you only need 5 days.

 

[Wood Duck]

Seasoning takes time, but also depends on how you stack. Wood stacked off the ground in a sunny, windy spot and top covered in a way that keeps rain off but allows wind to pass through the stack will be pretty good in a year for most species of wood, or two years for the most dense woods like oak.. On the other hand, wood stacked in a big, dense stack in a shady spot out of the wind, and allowed to accumulate leaves on top, or covered with a tarp that sags down the sides of the stack, that wood might be pretty poor after three years, or it might start to rot before it dries out.

If you're behind and need wood for next winter, get it split ASAP, avoid oak, and stack it where lots of air can pass through. Keep the rain off, and you'll be in decent shape for next winter. Right next to it stack more for the following winter, do it now, and the following winter you'll see what you were missing.

 

[Poindexter]

Any birch in those 4' rounds is garbage by now, don't bother splitting it. The rest, I dunno.

If you are going to buck it to 16" lengths I would segregate the ends fromt he middles and look for the 2/3 of total end pieces to be dry sooner if you are in a rush.

Otherwise agree with above, dunno the eastern hardwoods well.

 

[Bagelboy]

You can't change science. Wood needs to be dry to burn. Stacked, split, and sitting til dry enough to burn. You can burn whatever you like in your stove or fireplace, but the members here are knowledgeable individuals who are here trying to help the less experienced burners. You might just want to get a pellet stove, Barnett. Less hassle, less patience, less work, no planning! Instant results with no wood processing!

 

[Barnett]

not trying to alter thee universe , maybe speed it up , re arrange it a lil.. i buy wood its that simple if i wanted to process firewood id buy the stuff and wella process firewood.. this buis like most others has alot of Bullshiet built in .. its human nature .. I guess . realistically it seems a cord of wet hardwoods would weigh in somewhere round 4800 pounds. So I need round up say 10 or so cords 50K or pounds . get that in a hot box in SC area USA .. dont really give a poop how looooong it takes to dry (waiting) now ive ? what 2-4 yrs to wait to burn No? So wht to do during this 2-4 year period buying is sketchy at best i found a local wood yard seasoned cords 200 bux kiln dried 260 ..still cheaper than elec or gas .. p/up is issue

 

[Barnett]

Thou shall not burn unseasoned wood, unless thy wish to risk a chimney fire.

what happens in a chimney like a metalbest twisted n clamped etc all penetrations correct or over built ? house burn down or pipe melt ? im talkin a runaway .. I thought thee pipe was engineered to possibly accept this once and maybe protect the outter area of pipe n penetrations? .. thanks

 

[Oldman47]

Barnett, you sound like a bike rider saying that a helmet will help him survive a crash so wear a helmet and ignore safe driving practices. I could not disagree more. You have safety equipment for when all of your safe practices fail, not instead of using safe practices.

 

[Barnett]

Oldman I hear ypu I did not say any such thing its actually a pretty simple question . i will be able to give you an answer soon no not in my dwelling . i asked this because i wanted to know how the design of this stainless pipe chimney has been designed it can handle 2100 degrees clamped n twisted collar design so blowing apart seems pretty well covered .. stainless melts at a pretty stout or hi temp im sure . so my question is simply is the pipe engineered to withstand a runnaway once and keep fire at bay and save structure or not i think prolly so personally .. and i will have a chance to safely find out shortly i work with some firefighters ive got an old setup im willing to destroy so we gonna set up a stove in a structure to be burned anyway so we gonna set it up correctly penetrations all of it .. and set it up for a runaway and not damp thee stove down or do any of the things one would normally do and see if it burns down or can contain the fire in pipe in thee stoves airtight assy on up thru chimney even fire coming out of thee stack will it burn up the penetrations will it burn out saving the structure im sure twill ruin all the metals and cast iron .. And Yes I do ride a motorcycle about 30K year round and ve thee best saftey equip money can buy and use it daily that was a great reply though thanks so much .

 

[Barnett]

You can't change science. Wood needs to be dry to burn. Stacked, split, and sitting til dry enough to burn. You can burn whatever you like in your stove or fireplace, but the members here are knowledgeable individuals who are here trying to help the less experienced burners. You might just want to get a pellet stove, Barnett. Less hassle, less patience, less work, no planning! Instant results with no wood processing!

i hear ya pellet thats completely buy everything ..at least with a log burner you ve some diversity buying sometimes or filling a container and waiting etc my familia has been burning wood a couple hundred years and used to do stuff thatd make us all cringe glowing red pipes thru window pane etc i dont have an abundance of land to take/cut trees from so ive to buy it .. now american woodyard offers seasoned wood 200 cord or kiln dried for 60 more they just do not have capability to load a 20-40 ft container so ill take smaller loads to thee container using more gas in the truck to do so more man hours etc the labour intensity is getting us up there near thee gas bill now.. so reality really is the money saved is veeeery little but shes much hotter (wife N House) I personally have not much need for alot of heat im outdoors all the time .. ive got plenty of time .

 

[Barnett]

BK handles green pretty well to .. my mistake for not having one , possibly a gassifier but then im back to coils water fans .. i like my house heat with no electricity ..