Wood buying questions.

[Niko]

So i found what seems to be a very nice guy actaully drove up to his place and saw his setup. Hes got a huge processor that take some big ass log lengths and spits em right out into cords.

So i have a couple of questions.

He showed me the logs that where potentially for me. He told me that they have been down for 2 years. He took one log put it in the processor and cut it and split it. I used his moisture meter about 4 feet into the log and grabbed a piece split wood. Corner where balde made slice says 32 percent, middle where the split says 22 percent. He tells me within a couple of months of outside drying the wood will be ready for burning. I took a piece that was split just in case i was to put a picture up.

Ok my other question Whats a good book with pictures so i can see the species of wood so I know what i am buying. So if i go back up to this guys place i can bring this book and i can say ok in my pile of logs i have oak, hickory, ash etc and can use the book to actually determine what i am getting.

Its gonna be awhile till i understand the different types of hard wood out their. So pictures would be awesome!



Last he says he gaurentees he cords so if he short he will make uo the rest. Hes truck is a 22 feet long 8 feet wide and 4 feet tall triaxle dump bed. He say he delivers 4 cords at a time. I did my calculations and it seems to be about right.

 

[turn_n_burn]

Always beware of anything over 20% moisture that has the word "seasoned" within 2 miles of it. Any kind of blade impact where the cut is made will force water out of the fibers, and I suspect that's why the middle split read as drier than the crosswise cut portion. For the naked eye, look for radial checks (split marks in a star pattern) on anything already cut. Not a perfect science, but if you see logs with smooth ends and no checks, run like hell. Some guys I've seen with those big cutter/processor setups deal in volume and not quality, and it's harder to keep tabs on 300 cords of wood rounds and splits than a few dozen as far a moisture is concerned. Mass-produced Mosin-Nagant rifles from the Soviet Union are not as well made as a good German Mauser 98's from the exact same year. The big operations buy log truck loads from big loggin companies that cut both live and dead standing trees of all varieties,so it can be random. Not to say all are bad, most of these guys are very good at what they do regardless of operation size. I haven't seen a good firewood bible anywhere, and would love to write one someday. I'm obsessed with different kinds of wood, hard or soft. I just go to google, type in split (insert whatever type you want to see) firewood and click on the images tab, and you'll get a reasonably good idea, but it can still be a crapshoot. I've seen crooked ass juniper splits that I thought were Shagbark hickory at first, so beware. I've gone to www.wood-database.com many times.They have reasonably accurate pictures or straight-sawed lumber grains (usually cured) and it gives you a relative density rating for each one, and over a short time you can get pretty familiar with weights of a certain size split. My advice, (and this list goes from light and soft to hard and dense) grab a similar size split of Ponderosa or Spruce, then one of Doug Fir or Larch, and some random hardies like Softer Maples (like silver or Norway), Ash, Red or White Oak, Sugar Maple, and finally Black Locust or Osage Orange, the latter 2 seem to have the highest BTU's per given volume). The denser it is, the longer it needs to season. Some with thick bark will almost never season because it traps all the water in (like American elm, which seems heavy as hell but dried isn't too bad) so split is always best. I once thought poplar with furrowed bark was younger black locust. Noob mistake for sure.

 

[turn_n_burn]

 

[gzecc]

Possible but unlikely the wood will be ready for this year, if our burning in a stove/insert. Logs without leaves requires experience to learn to ID. A book is a good start. Only years of practice will help you identify. Hardwoods take a minimum of 2 summers split and stacked off the ground in single rows in my yard to get to ~20%MC. If it required less we would all be doing it.

 

[Woody Stover]

Logs may have soaked a little rain water into the ends, maybe that's why the center metered lower? 22% isn't bad, if all of it was that dry, but you could have tested a log from a faster-drying type of wood such as soft Maple; An Oak log cut at the same time probably wouldn't be as dry. That guy can probably ID wood, so I would ask for soft Maple, Black Cherry, even Tulip Poplar if you are under the gun for dry wood for this winter. It will need to be close to 20% regardless, to be OK for this winter. If there are Oak logs in the load, split and stack (small splits, 4" max) and save that stuff for 2016 winter.

 

[Wood Duck]

I wouldn't try to learn all woods right away. That will take a few years. I'd learn to ID oak and pine/softwood. Oak is easy. All oaks have medullary rays that are visible in the cut ends of the logs. Look on this site and you'll see tons of pictures and discussion. Pine and softwoods are usually easy to ID because of the smell, which is of course piney.

My rationale is that oak is great fuel but takes longer to season than most other woods. You will want to separate oak from other woods, or at least be aware which is oak. Pine and other evergreens are easy to separate from hardwoods so that is the main reason I suggested you learn to ID them. Softwoods season fast and make fast, hot fires but they don't burn as long as the better hardwoods, so it is convenient to know how to ID them.

If you are trying to learn get a real field guide (not some regional or state guide with photos and interesting notes about how to make baskets from the twigs), and learn one tree at a time. Most tree ID guides are based on leaves and twigs, not bark. Bark is similar on many trees and varies among individual trees. Leaves are a lot better fro ID. ID a tree by the leaves, then examine the bark. After you do this enough times you'll be able to ID the tree by bark, even though bark varies.

 

[bags]

Do a lot of reading here and use the search bar with your questions. There are many discussions about all of the above. Educating yourself is time well spent and will protect you buying wood. Many woods are preferred for various reasons and many have their favorites but as I see it all wood burns. Some better than others.

It is truly hard to find "seasoned" wood unless you ensure that yourself. Many people sell " seasoned" wood many here would not burn for a long time yet. Read, read, research, and then research and read some more. Many good people here and very keen on the ins and outs of wood and wood sellers.

Do your homework because it will pay off. There are some honest cord wood sellers out there but many are scumbags making a quick buck. Almost zero regulation on processed wood other than he said she said stuff. You need to have a good understanding yourself and being here is a great start.

 

[jatoxico]

Main thing is to start the clock on having dry wood on hand. If the price is right I wouldn't get too caught up in the species. Knowing what you have in your area should help you make a good guess. If he says he's selling you hardwood you ought to be able to judge that correctly with just a little knowledge.

I would go on the assumption that it will not be seasoned as well as you would like. Sellers don't split wood and properly stack/season it for 2 years before selling. I wouldn't either. Buy what you need to get ahead and get it stacked and drying. In time it won't matter if you buy green or not and you can be pickier if you want.

 

[Niko]

Yea im figuring guys split the logs when they get ready to deliver less work makes sense lol.

 

[Applesister]

Everyone has great suggestions so far, and here is one that may be more or less too ambitious depending on your dedication :
I would be overwhelmed IDing wood from scratch. I agree with Woodduck, learn the softwoods, learn poplar and learn Oak.
I gave poplar to a neighbor of mine last winter and hes still complaining. Its the dread disease. Nobody wants it mixed in their purchased wood.
Okay..this is my suggestion,
Go to a local lumber yard that sells all the domestic hardwoods and exotic imports. Ask for wood samples of each species (cutoffs). Collect a sample of each wood they have. And refer to them for comparison. Ask a manager for help, or offer to pay for a sampler set of cut offs.
And not to confuse but the only poplar sold at lumber yards is yellow(tulip) poplar, which is not the Aspen poplar you need to be able to ID. Sorry.
Use a magnifying glass to look at wood grain (like Bruce Hoadley).
Ask the lumber manager which trees are in your locale. Ash...locust...cherry...and focus on the most common.
In the meantime just go by density it has a direct equation to heat output. Simple, dense wood creates more heat. Its like my favorite saying...sh*t rolls down hill.
Slope the pipe 1/4" per foot.
I know none of that makes any sense.
Oh...and another thing, pictures of trees on Google are not always what they say they are.
If you ask to see pictures of Ash bark, you will see pictures of all kinds of trees. Its not accurate. Dont go by the internet.
The wood Database is a really good source of info. They have samples of every tree you could imagine.
A really good book that I just got from Barnes and Noble was, Michael D. Williams's 'Identifying Trees' An All Season Guide to Eastern North America.
Best pictures Ive seen and no errors. It shows tree trunk, bark, leaves, fruit and other identifying features.
But no wood grain photos. It seems no woodworking, furniture making endeavors cross over to Botany.
Have fun...

 

[Niko]

Yes a lot lf excellent info. Much harder then expected as the trees are cut down in log length so not fruit or leaves etc. only thing i see is bark and the ends where the cuts are. Ill def check the book at my local barnes & noble and see of they jave anything else. I aslo found a mill somewhat close to me so ill see if i can ask some questions and get some end cut samples.

All excellemt advice, ive heard of the ash beetle and now a poplar diseae?

So when logs are cut and down on the ground whats a easy way to tell the difference between softwood and hardwood, since species identifying is a lil more difficult. I know if you have some splits and barrel of water softwood floats and hardwood sinks correct? But not sure of having that scernario at my wood supplier. Anyway to tell by hitting the wood or stabbing it?

 

[blades]

Conifers= softwood= pine, spruce, cedar, ect. Deciduous= hardwoods, but in this is a wide range from quite soft like basswood to Hop Hornbean ( iron wood) as the common name implies extremely dense