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Firewood

Started by Ed_K, January 26, 2004, 08:13:52 AM

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Ed_K

 Is anyone kiln drying cordwood? I'd like to move the wood faster, quicker turnaround. How do you dry yours?
 Ed
Ed K

Jeff

Seems like kiln drying cord wood would be impossible to recoup costs. There is not that big a difference in firewood country between the price of dry-green to possibly try to dry it.
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Den Socling

Jeff is right unless you're selling those packaged bundles like Lowes. Then you have to be bug-free and that means kiln dried.

Ed_K

In western Ma. we get $125. to $135. for a dry cord. The operators that do kiln drying are Starting at $180.
 It should make a difference, even if its just to turn the product faster.
Ed K

OneWithWood

Ed, you can always market the safety factor.  Kiln dried wood is less likely to build up as much creosote thus reducing the threat of a chimney fire.  It will not prevent a fire but it will reduce the potential.
One With Wood
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Frickman

I read somewhere that guys are selling kiln-dried firewood for a premium to the "upscale" consumer based on some clever marketing and the bright color of the wood. Myself, I don't care if it is bright, grey, or orange, as long as it keeps me warm at night.
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I'm not a hillbilly. I'm an "Appalachian American"

Retired  Conventional hand-felling logging operation with cable skidder and forwarder, Frick 01 handset sawmill

Pretend farmer when I have the time

rebocardo

I thought kiln dried firewood was more likely to be smokey?  

If I was going to kiln dry firewood, I would move it in and out on a pallet.

What I have seen people do is construct metal sheds, stick their firewood in that cut and split and it dries fairly quickly. Not the same as kiln dry though.

J_T

Some folks get excited I hear when a few bugs warm up and start to crawel across their floor thus the kiln drying. ;D
Jim Holloway

Wes

There a fiew people doing it successfuly.If I can find the info I'll post it.

 Wes

Neil_B

There are more and more guys going to kiln drying firewood. I've tossed around the idea myself. Here, I sell green at $150 and many guys sell seasoned at 200+  :o. So that tells me you can make some money at it especially since you wouldn't have to have it sit in the yard for a year or more. Get an order, throw it in the kiln. Couple days later, deliver.
Grocery stores are selling bags at $6- 7 Canadian for 2 cuft.That's $384 - $448 per cord  8).
High temp and good air flow will dry the wood in a couple days as you don't need to worry about degrade.
Outdoor woodfurnace burning your scraps pumped into a shed with either direct venting or a darn good dehumidifier cranked up to the max.

Two benefits for marketing aspect.
1) NO bugs
2) The dryer the wood the more efficient it is. More BTU per cord = better heat for the dollar.
Timberwolf / TimberPro sawmill, Woodmizer edger, both with Kubota diesels. '92 Massey Ferguson 50H backhoe, '92 Ford F450 with 14' dump/ flatbed and of course an '88 GMC 3500 pickup.

karl

Lynn Gardner at Gifford lumber does- he seems like a sharing sort- you can read his responses and directions for building a kiln at Firewood center .com.
Most processors I have seen use metal cages for loading/drying.
The going price for drying firewood on the rich side of Vermont is $40.cord.
Been thinking of sticking a load in my dh kiln to see how it works.
"I ask for wisdom and strength, Not to be superior to my brothers, but to be able to fight my greatest enemy, myself"  - from Ojibwa Prayer.

WV_hillbilly

  Ed there was an article in Idependent Sawmill and Woodlot magazine about this a few  years ago . I will try and find the issue so you might be able to find a copy to read .
Hillbilly

SwampDonkey

HI all:

Kiln drying wood seems expensive too me. Unless you are exporting the wood or supplying Lowes with the wood I don't see a big market. I get my wood 8 foot, and delivered from woods contractors I contact when needed. I buck the wood myself in 2 days to season through the summer and early fall. Sometimes I get it in fall and season it over winter up until the following september. I share a tractor trailor load with my brother, roughly 13 cord on a load. One seasoned cord of firewood (sugar maple or beech) is roughly the same as 660 litres of stove oil. I have an oil tank which is for backup which holds 900 litres and cost me $432 to fill this season (2003), $100 more than in 2002. My wood purchase is around $660 for an entire year. By the time I toss it into the cellar its well dried by air and sun, takes two days to split and pile in the cellar. It dries further after a month of furnace fire, and by December the wood is so dry the bark falls off it. I know my wood is good since there is hardly any smoke when the fire gets going. Quite clean burning indead. My fire lasts up to 7 hours, usually, and coals last several hours after that so I never need to use newspaper or kindling to start it back up. When the temperature is above 0 F its so darn hot in here I have to open the windows. I don't need anyone to argue with me about drafty old houses. I like whatever cool air gets in some days :)  We've had a few -20 mornings here this season and the temp guage never drops below 75 F by mornin when the fire burns out :)

The neighbor cuts and burns green wood and has smoke like fog and has had several flu fires over the years. Been very lucky, but too dense to figure how lucky he's been. I regularly clean my pipes and I sweep my flu once a year. I clean out the ashes every 3 or 4 days. I also use an additive to loosen the soot and tar from the flu. Never been a flu fire here in my lifetime.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

beenthere

Ed
Here is a site selling kilns for drying firewood. Might be of interest to you.

http://www.firewoodkiln.com/

Have to read between the sales pitch, but it is apparently a business with a plan.

Also, this article tells about a firewood processor/kiln drying operation in the NE.  

http://www.timberlinemag.com/articledatabase/view.asp?ArticleID=1062

south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Oregon_Rob

Seems like a guy should build a wood shead like a solar kiln, for personal use. Not have to worry about all the details, but a roof at a good angle and glazing, maybe a little insulation and your gona have some pretty dry wood come fall.
Chainsaw Nerd

Ron Scott

It's always a good idea to keep one's firewood as dry as possible, thus why it's recommended to always be 2 years ahead in your firewood supply.

Irregardless the species, the drier the wood, the higher the BTU's with faster burning of course.
~Ron

Furby

I know a guy who likes to have just a little moisture in his firewood. He stores his out in the open to keep it a little damp. He claims he will get a longer burn, and he would rather have that and lose a few BTU's. Does it make any sense to do this?

beenthere

A bit puzzling what some people want, but I suspect it is a longer 'smoulder' than a 'burn'.  But, the bottom line is it takes energy to convert the moisture to steam, and that is energy lost from the total that is in the wood. So, in my opinion, if one simply wants to consume the wood, then it makes no difference. I want all the energy I can get from the wood so I (like Ron Scott) keep my wood under cover for at least two and hopefully three years before I burn it. The white oak and hickory that I am burning now has been under cover for 5 years, and it is simply great. But each to their own, and hope all are happy. Next year I may have to burn some wood that has only been under cover for two years. We will see how it goes, but the last time that happened, it was very noticeable that there wasn't the same amount of heat coming from that wood.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Ron Scott

I have people tell me that they mix green wood with dry wood so their fire will burn longer. I do that sometimes also, mainly because I have some damp or green wood which didn't dry long enough. My own fault though, as I would much rather burn wood that has dried for 2+ years for its most heat output and a cleaner chimney.

~Ron

SwampDonkey

Yup I agree with Ron too

But most people here that keep wood 2 years or more ahead have large woodsheds and burn it in kitchen stoves, like my uncle. His furnace wood though, is seasoned only 1 year as is mine and knowing the way folks handle their wood around here , I'de say most everyone does it this way. But, you'll definately get more btu from the dryer wood. I thought that should be common sense, but from some posts on here I see otherwise. One winter here father had mostly yellow birch and said he had hardly any ashes. His wood was cut in July the same year he started burning it. With my beech and rock maple I can start my fire fast with a little kindling or a small amount of coals in the firebox with limb-wood. I'm talking no more than 15 minutes and that fan is on with tons of heat. With green wood, your gonna be an hour from initial startup till heat enough to start the automatic blower. You have to leave the damper wide open and its just smouldering and sizzling. Don't here any sizzling from my burning wood. I know of some people years ago having to go out with a hand sled in the snow and cut their wood for that day. They'd place it on the oven door of the kitchen stove and it be sizzling and the snow be melting all over the oven door and after awhile it would rust the door hinged. Didn't seem to know to go cut it ahead and have it handy for winter.  Oh there has to be someone in the neighborhood to make us laugh :D
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Corley5

Wood can be too dry.  My grandma burns wood that grandpa stacked in the hay barn 25+ years ago.  It's mostly hard maple and elm.  It won't last in a stove any length of time and she burns it in an air tight Ashley.  She needs kindling to get the fire burning the next morning as there aren't enough coals to get anything big going but it doesn't take much to get this powder dry stuff to take off.  I split about 4 cords a year for her and hate the dusty crap.  Grandpa was just concerned with getting the wood inside and didn't split any ;D.   25+ year seasoned elm makes a 25 ton wood splitter work ;) and the maple makes a nice snapping sound 8).
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

WV_hillbilly

  Ed  

  I finally found that issue of Independent Sawmill and Woodlot mag . It is in the Oct/Nov 2000 issue . I hope this helps you out .
Hillbilly

Ed_K

 W.V. thanks I'll look up their site, and see if it there.
Ed K

etat

Once filled one of them ashley wood stoves slam full of hickory, locus, and white oak mix, mostly split, and all dried.  Well, after a bit she got to bellering and the pipe turned red, and the firebox started turning red and swelling in and out.  Good healthy roar coming out the top of he stack along with quite a bit of flame. I couldn't figgure out a way to slow er down.  So I just watched tight, and rode er out.  I NEVER filler er up again with that combination all at one time, scared me to death, seriously!!!!!
Old Age and Treachery will outperform Youth and Inexperence. The thing is, getting older is starting to be painful.

SwampDonkey

cktate:

I a recall alot of stories about red hot stove pipes. Most those folks never had flues, just tin stovepipes out the side of the house or out through the roof. Some were very lucky, most weren't.  :-/
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

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