Wood last longer as rounds vs. split?

[WarmGuy]

I was talking to a guy (with a firewood business) who said that wood will last longer if you leave it as rounds, and split it later.

I'm skeptical, since I think it's best to get it dry as soon as possible, thus thwarting the organisms who want to feed on it.

What do you think?

 

[carpniels]

Last longer? as what? wood? Who cares.

Cut, split and stack. The longer, the better.

Carpniels

 

[jtp10181]

If its left in large rounds it wont really ever dry out. Split it and stack it.

 

[wg_bent]

Split it. How long are you planning on keeping it? O.k. I have a 2 year supply on hand now, and I'd like 3, but that's about the most I can see, plus if it's dry and covered... it will last a long time.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I once had the priviledge of getting some firewood (white ash) that had been cut but not split. It had been inside an old building for about 10 years minimum. The building had some windows, or holes where windows once were. The door was also missing. Needless to say, the wood had been kept dry. We split the wood and it burned very nicely. I fully expect that could have laid there for another 10 years with no problem and also expect that because it was kept away from rain and snow and it did have some air circulation, it was able to season well. btw, it was not stacked, but just thrown into the building.

I expect split or unsplit wood would keep about the same amount of time if kept stacked and covered, but split wood will season much, much faster than unsplit wood.

 

[jpl1nh]

I would agree with the guy only if the wood was just gonna be left lying around, not stacked, not covered. To a certain extent, the bark would act as a moisture barrier preventing water from rewetting the wood. This is assuming that it is already cut to length so that internal moisture could escape. If the wood was going to be stacked, and maybe covered, then I think it would last equally well either way. If you want the best firewood within a reasonable period of time, split and stacked with as much sun and wind as possible, covered or uncovered, is the way to go.

 

[hearthtools]

Split wood burns Cleaner.

 

[jpl1nh]

round wood burns longer..

 

[Gooserider]

If one has cut a log into rounds, which are laying on the ground, not stacked, not covered, until they get split which way of setting will let them season more (to the extent that they season at all) - on end, or on their sides?

Gooserider

 

[begreen]

Off the ground is the best. If they are sitting on the ground they will stay damp. At least that's my experience with 2-3 year old maple rounds. Wood lasts longest by keeping it dry - split or in rounds.

 

[Gooserider]

Off the ground is the best. If they are sitting on the ground they will stay damp. At least that's my experience with 2-3 year old maple rounds. Wood lasts longest by keeping it dry - split or in rounds.

Agreed, but not quite what I was asking... When I get a load of log-length, I usually go out and run several tanks of gas through the saw cutting a bunch of it into rounds. I'm going to be splitting those rounds up soon, so it isn't worth trying to stack them, I pretty much leave them where they fall until I get them split over the next few weeks - they probably won't do a huge amount of seasoning, but a little bit never hurts, and I was wondering if they would do better on end or on their sides...

Gooserider

 

[jpl1nh]

Goose, I strongly believe they season better on their sides. Moisture does not escape through the bark, but through the ends of the the log. If you take a fresh cut round and stand it on a dry surface on end for 1/2 a day, then go back and move it, you'll see a lot of moisture where the face of the round was sitting. Lay them on their sides, absolutely.

 

[Hogwildz]

Good size rounds mixed with large splits are best for overnight burns. If they are dry, rounds burn longer than splits.

 

[WarmGuy]

This has come up because I have access to more free wood (fir and pine), than I can burn in 3-4 years. So it's important to keep it from decaying (oxidizing slowly). I agree with you that I should split it as soon as possible.

OTOH, I am not going to be able to get it all split before the rains come, so I'm stacking much of it in its rounds form.

I'm convinced that stacking it on its sides in single rows, as in these photos, will keep it drier than just putting it in a pile. I'm hoping that will be almost as good as splitting it first. I've found that wood can get pretty darn soggy in the middle of a pile. Any piece that gets rained on while end up will soak up more than a piece that's on its side.

One photo shows a pile and a stack.

 

[WarmGuy]

And here's one more firewood porn picture.

 

[TMonter]

This is a surface area problem.

Rounds burn longer than splits mainly because they have less available surface area than a split with equivalent volume. You will get the same heat out of it in either case, but if you're looking to bank a fire for long burns, rounds are the way to go.

Remember a circle has the most efficient shape (perimeter:area) of any 2-D geometric shape.

Ideally for the longest burn times you'd burn spheres but I'd like to see how you'd cut those.

 

[Gooserider]

This is a surface area problem.

Rounds burn longer than splits mainly because they have less available surface area than a split with equivalent volume. You will get the same heat out of it in either case, but if you're looking to bank a fire for long burns, rounds are the way to go.

Remember a circle has the most efficient shape (perimeter:area) of any 2-D geometric shape.

Ideally for the longest burn times you'd burn spheres but I'd like to see how you'd cut those.

Very carefully on a lathe... But first you need to decide if you are going to load them North - South or East - West

Gooserider

 

[BrotherBart]

This is a surface area problem.

Rounds burn longer than splits mainly because they have less available surface area than a split with equivalent volume. You will get the same heat out of it in either case, but if you're looking to bank a fire for long burns, rounds are the way to go.

Remember a circle has the most efficient shape (perimeter:area) of any 2-D geometric shape.

Ideally for the longest burn times you'd burn spheres but I'd like to see how you'd cut those.

I end up with spheres every time I screw up one side of a chain filing.