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Firewood seasonoing. Red oak

Started by Kwill, January 24, 2018, 02:35:29 PM

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Kwill

I wondering your guys take on seasoning wood particularly red oak and post oak. I usually cut around this time of the year for next seasons wood burning. I have a shed I try to get filled up so I have a good start on the winters wood. It stays dry in the shed but I wondering how much it actually seasons over being stacked outside? Nice thing is it never gets wet but on the down side it doesn't get the wind and sun on it. Which do you think would be better?
Built my own hydraulic splitter
Built my own outdoor wood stove
Built my own log arch
built my own bandsaw sawmill
Built my own atv log arch.
Built my own FEL grapple

uplander

 Red/black oak makes up the bulk of my furnace fuel. I stack two rows with space in between on a line of pallets.
It is covered with old rubber roofing on top but not the sides. It takes me at least 2 years and sometimes 3 to get that down to less than 20% moisture content.
Woodmizer lt40G28.  A kubota L4600 with loader and forks.
Various Stihl saws and not enough time to use them!
Finished my house finally. Completely sawn out on by band mill. It took me 7 years but was worth it. Hardest thing I have ever done.

jaygtree

i burn mostly red oak. i use to cut and stack it outside uncovered and let it dry for three years before restacking it in a woodshed.  now i leave it sit in a pile and cover it with a large tarp that has a lot of holes in it. then i stack it in my wood shed. have not noticed any difference other than the covered wood is not as dirty, no fall leaves, and i save on handling.  jg
i thought i was wrong once but i wasn't.   atv, log arch, chainsaw and ez boardwalk jr.

gspren

  I think it dries a little quicker in my wood shed but it's just a roof, no sides, so the wind still gets through and with the dark green metal roof it gets hotter at roof height which draws air up through the stacks when the air is still, at least that's my theory. If your shed has sides you need to get some big openings for the summer.
Stihl 041, 044 & 261, Kubota 400 RTV, Kubota BX 2670, Ferris Zero turn

Kwill

I've noticed on mine in the past that was put in the shed burned really good but still had some weight to it. Not as bad as green wood but not like a couple year seasoned. I think when I get the mill done I'm going to mill out some cedars and make a wood shed with just a roof and no sides. Kinda like a carport. That way its not out directly in the rain but will still get the wind blowing through it.
Built my own hydraulic splitter
Built my own outdoor wood stove
Built my own log arch
built my own bandsaw sawmill
Built my own atv log arch.
Built my own FEL grapple

Al_Smith

Red oak while good firewood is one of them you need to be timely about .If it sits any length in the rounds heaped up in a pile it will rot .White oak is much more forgiving in that situation .
Maple,red oak and hickory don't do well if left in logs or rounds in contact with the ground for long periods of time .
One of the trimmers over about a year dropped of about 12-15 cords in the round of oaks etc .Nice guy Al let him store in my woods under the idea it was to be split,stacked for him to sell .6 years later it's still there >:( .I went through some of it and at least half the red oak oak ended up on my burn pile .What a waste

Blue Noser

My family has always followed a similar path as you have described. We cut, split, and pile our firewood starting in late November to mid December and aim to be completed by February/March. The stacked wood then seasons in the elements until mid-late Summer (August-September) at which time it is piled in the woodshed and/or sold. Our summers are often on the drier side, with significant rains only coming every week or two, or sometimes longer, so we wait for a dry spell before moving the wood into our shed. It would take a significant and prolonged rainfall to soak all the way through a pile which has been out in the wind/sun drying for several months.

We have never had any complaints from our customers, nor issues ourselves. My family has been following this method for many generations.

Edit. We are not fortunate enough to have red oak to use as firewood (while a prevalent tree in the province, it is not on our woodlot). For hardwoods we mainly use red maple, yellow birch, white birch and some sugar maple. We also burn/sell a lot of softwoods including balsam fir, white/red/black spruce, and eastern larch. The softwood is sold at a discount, say 1/3 less than the hardwood.

Wood Shed

Air circulation is key to the drying process.  Over the years I have experiences everything from using basement in house storage to monster tarp covered outside wood mountains randomly stacked with an elevator.  Now using a wood shed (pole structure) lined with 5/4 boards to keep wood away from the sides and provide plenty space for air circulation.  Just wish I had taken the time to put in a floor to allow air space on all sides, got in too big a hurry to get it filled. 

A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in." -Greek Proverb

John Mc

Most of the hardwood species I cut for firewood here in VT I can get to dry to down below 20% moisture content by the start of the heating season even if I cut it late spring/early summer IF I stack it in single rows, uncovered, out exposed to the sun and wind. (and yes, I did get really OCD about it early on and borrowed a moisture meter while I experimented with different methods of storage for seasoning. I even got to the point where I would occasionally resplit a piece to check the MC in the middle).

The key to this was the single rows and out exposed to the sun and wind. I'd put it in the lean-to off the back of my garage (open on 3 sides) just before heating season started. If I put it in that lean-to while it was green, there was no way it would be under 20% by heating season.

The only species that this does not work for seems to be Oak. I really need at least 2 summers to get that stuff dry enough. I've heard that Black Locust may be similar to Oak in this regard, but I've not burned much of it (and that stuff was 2 or 3 years old when I burned it).
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

Kwill

I've never checked the moisture content on any I've cut. Not exactly sure how to go about doing that. I cut in the winter and put in the shed. It always burns good in the outdoor wood burner. I may try leaving a rank or 2 out side uncovered stacked up and see how it does next winter.
Built my own hydraulic splitter
Built my own outdoor wood stove
Built my own log arch
built my own bandsaw sawmill
Built my own atv log arch.
Built my own FEL grapple

John Mc

Quote from: Kwill on January 27, 2018, 08:17:41 PM
I've never checked the moisture content on any I've cut. Not exactly sure how to go about doing that. I cut in the winter and put in the shed. It always burns good in the outdoor wood burner. I may try leaving a rank or 2 out side uncovered stacked up and see how it does next winter.

I borrowed a moisture meter. Tried it over the course of 2 years as I was experimenting with different methods of drying and storing. I don't use a meter anymore. I was just interested in testing out the claims that so many people make about the best way to deal with firewood.

Not sure how much difference you'll see in an OWB, but I could sure see (and feel) the difference when burning wood in my wood stove. When the wood was properly dried (I averaged around 15% moisture content), my little wood stove could keep up with my need for heat on 2 stories of my house on all but an extended spell of well below 0˚F weather. When it wasn't properly dry, it really struggled to keep up.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

Kwill

I burn a mixture of seasoned, green and dead solid wood. Has always kept up with my heating needs
Built my own hydraulic splitter
Built my own outdoor wood stove
Built my own log arch
built my own bandsaw sawmill
Built my own atv log arch.
Built my own FEL grapple

gspren

  I probably burn 90% oak in my OWB and while it will tolerate almost anything I burn less if it is seasoned. Much of the oak I cut is standing dead and it's good the next year but when I cut a live one I do aim for 2 years. The other 10% is cherry and some years a very small amount of locust, they seem OK in one year.
Stihl 041, 044 & 261, Kubota 400 RTV, Kubota BX 2670, Ferris Zero turn

Footloose64

The problem with burning wood with any amount of moisture, although impossible to avoid (down to 0%), is that you'll burn more wood, a fact of nature.  In order for wood fibers to burn, they have to first be brought to 0% moisture, then they can turn to combustible vapors.  The method of reducing to 0% occurs within your burning device by boiling to steam that moisture by the already burning wood that's been in there prior and turning to vapor.  That means heat being generated from one log is being consumed by the adjacent log, so to speak, to dry the newest to steam.  That's why John Mc's little stove has trouble keeping up on a cold day with less than dry wood.  Simple mechanics, but not so evident when you're sitting in front of a nice wood stove.
Never stop splitting!

mike_belben

Simple solution, stack the next days wood around the OUTSIDE of the stove.  

As was mentioned, fully tarping red oak will make it grow mushrooms in a hurry, it needs air to blow that swamp clear.  My advise is find some old barn tin, stack your stuff wherever you live and nail or screw tin over the stack so a few big pieces hold it down.   I prefer a slightly pitched roof shape to shed most water instead of dripping it all into the pile.


I stack ontop long pallets.  If i go double row (4 face cords) the center dont dry near as good so i leave a foot now.
Praise The Lord

John Mc

Quote from: Footloose64 on April 03, 2018, 02:24:06 PM
The problem with burning wood with any amount of moisture, although impossible to avoid (down to 0%), is that you'll burn more wood, a fact of nature.  In order for wood fibers to burn, they have to first be brought to 0% moisture, then they can turn to combustible vapors.  The method of reducing to 0% occurs within your burning device by boiling to steam that moisture by the already burning wood that's been in there prior and turning to vapor.  That means heat being generated from one log is being consumed by the adjacent log, so to speak, to dry the newest to steam.  That's why John Mc's little stove has trouble keeping up on a cold day with less than dry wood.  Simple mechanics, but not so evident when you're sitting in front of a nice wood stove.
A little known fact of wood combustion: There is such a thing as too dry. You want some moisture in the wood to help regulate the burning process. My former business partner, who is a real wood combustion guru could explain all the chemistry and thermodynamics of what is going on, but much of it goes over my head.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

Rebarb

I burn 90% Oak and cut everything this year and burn it next year.....store the split wood in metal shed with roof and no sides.
If anything, it may be a little to dry but mix a little green with it for longer burns...OWB.

John Mc

Quote from: Rebarb on April 03, 2018, 08:22:34 PM
I burn 90% Oak and cut everything this year and burn it next year.....store the split wood in metal shed with roof and no sides.
If anything, it may be a little to dry but mix a little green with it for longer burns...OWB.
Where are you located? That sure does not work in my neck of the woods. We don;t have much of a drying season here in VT... not that it stops some people from burning it anyway, and smoking up the neighborhood.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

Rebarb

Quote from: John Mc on April 03, 2018, 10:23:20 PM
Quote from: Rebarb on April 03, 2018, 08:22:34 PM
I burn 90% Oak and cut everything this year and burn it next year.....store the split wood in metal shed with roof and no sides.
If anything, it may be a little to dry but mix a little green with it for longer burns...OWB.
Where are you located? That sure does not work in my neck of the woods. We don;t have much of a drying season here in VT... not that it stops some people from burning it anyway, and smoking up the neighborhood.
I'm at altitude, dryer air.
Never heard of 3 years of seasoning round here but completely respect others preferred methods of burning clean wood.

John Mc

Quote from: Rebarb on April 03, 2018, 10:35:25 PMI'm at altitude, dryer air. Never heard of 3 years of seasoning round here but completely respect others preferred methods of burning clean wood.


It doesn't take me 3 years. Most species I can get dry to around 15% MC over one summer of drying. Oak generally takes me two.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

Al_Smith

I think some of you are missing the point .If you want a hot fire you have to burn smaller wood .You can't expect to burn 10-12" rounds of oak and get a hot fire.You'll get a long one though if that's what you want .

John Mc

Quote from: Al_Smith on April 05, 2018, 04:55:44 PM
I think some of you are missing the point .If you want a hot fire you have to burn smaller wood .You can't expect to burn 10-12" rounds of oak and get a hot fire.You'll get a long one though if that's what you want .
Some folks make fun of my wood pile as being "mostly kindling". It's not quite that bad: I tend to shoot for 3 to 4", with occasional 6" pieces for when I need a longer burn. But then I'm burning in a 60,000 BTU wood stove, not a massive outdoor wood boiler.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

thecfarm

I've had more than one tell me I can't burn that. ::)  But they don't complain when they come in the house and it's nice and warm. ;) My choice of wood has always been differant than most. Now with the OWB I can leave the good wood and burn the wood that I can't burn. ;D
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Rebarb

I've noticed this is not really an Apples to Apples comparison. 
Some of us use OWB's where we don't have to be as particular, fearing a chimney fire.

I realize the properly seasoned wood produces maximum Btu's but my findings show much faster burn times when compared to mixing in some less seasoned wood or wet wood.

The theory behind this could easily be lower flame until moisture is burned off.

thecfarm

Not that it matters,but most of mine is well seasoned. Been standing dead for years.   :)
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

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