Drying Firewood

[CRThomas]

Need info

Stack on pallets in single rows, let the sun and wind do its job, cover before the snow flies.

My shop is 20 by 20 I am going to use half of it to dry firewood in. I keep it about 64 degrees have large fan 6 feet tall. I was wondering what time it wood take to dry hard wood I know all woods are different but just a ball park. My kiln drier will do 3 rank in 2 to 3 days but that is with 120 degrees. I have evaporate also that stand 4 feet tall thanks for info

 

[STLfirewood]

Where is Southern IL do you live? Do you have a wood stove in your container? I heat mine to 190 degress or so.

Scott

 

[CRThomas]

Info

How long does it take for you to dry your wood. I live across the river from Cape Girardeau Mo. I am wanting to use part of my shop as quick drier. I am going to run out of dry wood and I will not sell green wood. My partner he likes to sell bulk. Bulk eats up your stockpile quick. Wrapped firewood is more money and less work. My storage areas small maybe a acre. We already half way thru it and it's not even January yet.

 

[CRThomas]

Reply

Build a Holz Hausen like the one in my avatar, wood seasons in half the time,and on top you leave the splits bark side up, being the bark is water proof you don't need a tarp.

I took your Holz Hausen system and played with it. It works great in the Kiln but it cuts down on volume of wood but the out come is the same amount of wood because at the end your HH system the drying time is shorter but the set up takes longer. The regular way is faster loading but longer drying time. Later some thing you might want to try and it works I heat my shop with a wood stove I put two half ranks in front of my stove I fire my stove up put a fan between the stacks. One fan pulls the hot air thru one stack and pushs it thru the other stack. I can dry one rank of ash every day. The first half rank is two feet from stove two feet the fan a five foot fan two feet from first half rank then two feet and the second half rank that pulls it down to under under 25 percent. I learned this by accident. I can dry 4 to 5 rank a week depend on how lazy I get that week.

 

[zogger]

I got my moisture meter out the other day and checked some split and stacked pecan that has been drying for about two months. It measured around 20% and seems to be about ready to burn. I've been trimming and sorting large limbs all summer that constantly break any time we have just the slightest wind event, and I'd guess I started out with about six cords. The fresh wood measures nearly 40% moisture, and it'll take some time to dry out this time of year. Back when I cut the first wood, it was over 100 degrees with low humidity. It doesn't take long in those conditions:msp_thumbup:View attachment 203827View attachment 203828View attachment 203829View attachment 203833View attachment 203834

Man, you have a *nice* place to work. And dual income woodlot! That's the way to do it!


Around here, what I see is most of the woodlots look like huge weeded out gardens, just trashed out filled with criopled trees and less desirable spcies and brush and weeds. Years of taking the best timber plus just the best oak and hickory, leaving random slash piles and people got some rank hard to work in lots.

 

[CRThomas]

Drying

The type wood you are drying makes a differents. Lot of folks think there wood is dry but take a meter and cut the wood into check it there you will find the end 10 to 15 percent and the middle still 25 to 30 percent. I dry mine till the ends are 8 to 10 percent then the middle will be 14 to 15 percent later

 

[ShaneLogs]

I thought it would be great to use some plastic pallets I was given...nope. Found that moving them around is a problem, too slippery, the wood slides off with the slightest chance. Would be good if never moved perhaps...
Just food for thought. I also found the ones I got are "leased" and have an RFID tag in them...wonder how far away they can read those things:msp_blushing:

Have you ever tried pressure treated pallets ? That is what I have my wood stacked on now.

 

[haveawoody]

A real quick way to dry firewood is to lay down a sheet of black poly on the ground and put a bunch of nail holes in it to allow moisture to depart the floor, stack you split firewood on skids then build a clear plastic leantoo over it all 2"x2" lumber as frame and make sure is does not touch the wood.
Face the stacks south for best results and 0 airflo will make for near cooking temps inside.

1 month in summer of mainly sunny days for fully cured wood of any type.
2-3 months in fall or spring.
A great way to dry rounds of those wet woods that take ages to cure like hard elm, fruit woods, locust etc.
Make sure the clear layer touches no firewood, if it does it will rot at light speed.