Just cut some for the second time so I’m pretty green with this stuff
How long does black locust take to season??
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Usually takes a year to dry, unless it's kiln dried. If you try to burn it green, it stinks to high heaven and won't burn well.
Wow only 1 year!! So I take it oak wood drys much slower for you then??
I split a couple pieces that were about 2 foot long and I was surprised how easy they were to split. I’ve learned that with oak wood also that it splits much easier green.
I personally like 2 years to dry if cut green. The more sparks you will have if not. Usually the bark is falling off mine when I'm ready to burn it.
Bill G
ArboristSite King
Locust will split like glass if it is green and cold. Many years ago I set up 27 rounds in a row. I then had my oldest son who was probably 11-12 years old use the camera to video me. I wanted to see how fast I could hand split 27 rounds. It went well but not perfect. I knocked 4 rounds over and did not want to stop to stand them back up. I ended up splitting 23 rounds in 1 minute, 23 seconds. I used to have the video on youtube but some kids got in and messed with me so I deleted all my videos. I wish I still had that one.
Split before summer, both oak and locust will burn next yr.
Ok good to know they take about the same time. I was hoping so but concerned maybe the locust would take much longer. Figured I’d see your location and see why it’s drying so fast for you, you’re In cali!! I’m in Washington so that’s why oak takes couple years for me.
I've seasoned lots of it for over 2 years before it was down to -20%. It's very hard/dense wood.
If you have have the space and time that would be the best practice to get the most out of it.
Show us some pics.
Maybe in California, but if you don't live in the desert or very dry southern states, than most Oaks and hard, dense woods like Locust, Ironwood, Hickory, Elm, Sugar Maple, etc. take about 2+ years to properly season after splitting/stacking(-20%).
I agree on the winter ASAP splitting, but not on the burn time of your blanket statement.
To have good firewood ready and in good dry condition is a bit of an art and requires planning. It really all depends on where you live(desert, wet coasts, temperate areas, sunny or windy locations, etc,), and can depend of the size of the rounds, how you cut them and how you split and stack them.
Most harder hardwoods take at least two to three years in my Great Lakes environment to get to the best wood they can be at(-20%).
I understand that we humans do procrastinate a lot.
Best to plan ahead and have great firewood all the time.
Having never lived in your region I'll take your word for it. My experience is split and stacked hardwoods will be burnable next year here in the Sierras. Over on the coast I can see it taking longer. The original poster lives in Washington, so his experience might be different as well.
It’s for slabs actually. Milling threads don’t get as much attention as this part of the forum so I posted it here. I was actually thinking about using some for my smoker but when I was researching about it several months ago I think it has some poisonous smoke to or something along those lines, smoker cooking wood a bad idea?
Not sure about using it in a smoker but we cooked a lot of hot dogs over a BL fire in the winter when we were out cutting. I'm stihl kicking.
I do not care for splitting dead dry red oak or white oak in my hydraulic splitter for firewood.
Sometimes the wood will split/pop all at once and chunks go flying.
Splits easier green.
Old timers building fence would cut the Black locust when sap was down and install as fence posts BEFORE IT DRIED OUT. (would rot faster if the sap was up) (no T posts back then) I've seen big thickets of the Black Locust trees all about 4 inches in diameter. Cut one down and several would come up from the roots almost immediately and grow fast.
Would seem to petrifie and last for years if cut at right time for fence posts. Could not drive a fence steeple into the post easily after it dried.
I never tried burning any of the Locust.
Sometimes the wood will split/pop all at once and chunks go flying.
Splits easier green.
Old timers building fence would cut the Black locust when sap was down and install as fence posts BEFORE IT DRIED OUT. (would rot faster if the sap was up) (no T posts back then) I've seen big thickets of the Black Locust trees all about 4 inches in diameter. Cut one down and several would come up from the roots almost immediately and grow fast.
Would seem to petrifie and last for years if cut at right time for fence posts. Could not drive a fence steeple into the post easily after it dried.
I never tried burning any of the Locust.
Bill G
ArboristSite King
Years ago I was cutting 9-10' Locust corner posts. I was in the summer. My father kept telling me I was cutting them at the wrong time. I kept telling him there is zero choice. They either get cut now or the are dozed into a burn pile.
Bill G
ArboristSite King
Well I do not live in a desert and I will assure you these will be ash before this time next year. Some are Ash now
Locust and oak is pretty much all we burn around here unless it's brought in from outside the area. Locust gives off a bitter taste if you smoke with it, not very nice. Not my experience, other friends. If you chip the wood, don't use it in composting for the garden. It has a natural pesticide in the bark.
As far as how long to season? We had a hurricane one year in August, as much locust as you could ever want was blown down all over. I heated with a wood stove at the time. Cut split and burning that December. Very hot, clean burning wood.
Because it dries so fast, watch for twisting and checking in the slabs. A couple of friends decided to mill out a few posts for interior woodworking. The beams twisted like a corkscrew.
As far as how long to season? We had a hurricane one year in August, as much locust as you could ever want was blown down all over. I heated with a wood stove at the time. Cut split and burning that December. Very hot, clean burning wood.
Because it dries so fast, watch for twisting and checking in the slabs. A couple of friends decided to mill out a few posts for interior woodworking. The beams twisted like a corkscrew.
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