jbdillon222
ArboristSite Lurker
Last weekend I cut and split 2 cords of shagbark hickory and cherry. The wood was felled in January 2011. Is there a chance that I can use the wood this winter?
Seasoning question
- Thread starter jbdillon222
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logbutcher
Addicted to ArboristSite
Message me for the price for the advice 
.
Yes....and no for burning unseasoned wood. Log length wood on the ground stays wet. Next year plan ahead.
1. Burn smaller splits mixed with construction cutoffs.
2. IF you have a nice straight SS flue, a quality chimney brush with extensions, and an easy method to get to the top of the flue, burn what you have. Are you prepped for climbing in snow ? A permanent roof ladder may be helpful.
3. Burn very hot fires ( see righteous instructions for no creosote burns ).
4. Scrounge plenty of tinder and kindling to get the near green wood to ignite ( or, use Avalancher's diesel :cool2: ).
5. Buy well seasoned wood to mix. ( See righteous instructions on how to know the wood is dry and ready as firewood; no moisture meter please. )
P.S. Price has risen.
.Yes....and no for burning unseasoned wood. Log length wood on the ground stays wet. Next year plan ahead.
1. Burn smaller splits mixed with construction cutoffs.
2. IF you have a nice straight SS flue, a quality chimney brush with extensions, and an easy method to get to the top of the flue, burn what you have. Are you prepped for climbing in snow ? A permanent roof ladder may be helpful.
3. Burn very hot fires ( see righteous instructions for no creosote burns ).
4. Scrounge plenty of tinder and kindling to get the near green wood to ignite ( or, use Avalancher's diesel :cool2: ).
5. Buy well seasoned wood to mix. ( See righteous instructions on how to know the wood is dry and ready as firewood; no moisture meter please. )
P.S. Price has risen.
jbdillon222
ArboristSite Lurker
Oh. That's not what I wanted to hear, but thanks!
It has been my experience that hickory does not seem to start drying until it is blocked, split and stacked. After all of that is done it takes a good summer to season. The wait is worth it. If you need wood for this year you should start looking for dead and down ash trees. They season fairly fast and will burn even when they are not properly seasoned.
Wife'nHubby
Addicted to ArboristSite
Good advice from all the above.
I'm sitting here, drooling at my hickory which was cut/split/stacked 2+ yrs. ago that will go in the stove this winter.
Shari
I'm sitting here, drooling at my hickory which was cut/split/stacked 2+ yrs. ago that will go in the stove this winter.
Shari
Coldfront
Addicted to ArboristSite
Yes its true, wood does not dry good until it is cut up and split. I had some oak stacked even with the bark off for 3 years and it was still green in the middle. I'm talking 8 footers.
Try to use whatever wood you have first and then burn a hot fire. I'm a bit behind the 8 ball this year for wood as well.
The smaller it is split the faster it will dry. I hate to say this, but you may consider resplitting it so that it's smaller depending on how small it is now.
The smaller it is split the faster it will dry. I hate to say this, but you may consider resplitting it so that it's smaller depending on how small it is now.
logbutcher
Addicted to ArboristSite
Message me for the price for the advice
Yes....and no for burning unseasoned wood. Log length wood on the ground stays wet. Next year plan ahead.
1. Burn smaller splits mixed with construction cutoffs.
2. IF you have a nice straight SS flue, a quality chimney brush with extensions, and an easy method to get to the top of the flue, burn what you have. Are you prepped for climbing in snow ? A permanent roof ladder may be helpful.
3. Burn very hot fires ( see righteous instructions for no creosote burns ).
4. Scrounge plenty of tinder and kindling to get the near green wood to ignite ( or, use Avalancher's diesel :cool2: ).
5. Buy well seasoned wood to mix. ( See righteous instructions on how to know the wood is dry and ready as firewood; no moisture meter please. )
P.S. Price has risen.
I'm going crazy: the repetition here is insane.:eek2:
Does anyone actually read replies (see # 3155115 )? Credit please. Credit please. Credit......:bang:
Damn, I'm hearing those banjos again....................:bang::bang:
Must not have been repetitious enough for ya', 'cause you felt the need to quote all four posts so we could read them again.
jbdillon222
ArboristSite Lurker
Yea I split approximately 4x4x16". I guess my plan is to loosely stack it until the first of the year then move it into my heated garage. Thoughts?
Burn the cherry first and split it small would help. Cover the very top from rain/snow. Then, everything Logbutcher said.
I was agreeing with what you said. Sorry, I didn't mean to step on toes or ignore what you said. :msp_smile:
4x4 will take awhile, but it's up to you.
Hedgerow
HACK
Bring as much as you can manage indoors once you start burning, and stack it near the stove. (Do watch the temps.) It'll lose a lot of moisture as a result; a good thing if the house is leaky, otherwise not.
southpaw
I react 2 B Venom
What about insect infestations from doing something like this , do you actually do this yourself in your house? I would never consider doing that myself, all my wood stays ouside until it's ready to go in the stove.
Have a guy down the road that puts all his wood in his basement and " Claims " he never has a insect problem but then again I have never been in his house and really question that method also.
I bring a few days' worth of wood in at a time and set it on the hearth..saves me trips with a wheelbarrow. So far no insect problems.
I am curious if anyone has actually had a wood-destroying insect infestation as a direct result of bringing wood inside and leaving it on the hearth...or if it is just a fear of the possibility which drives some away from the practice. All of the data I have come across, combined with my own experience leads me to believe that (at least where I live) it is practically impossible to get a carpenter ant or termite infestation from bringing firewood inside, if your woodpile is far from your house. My woodpile is about 60' away.
I understand that termites live in the ground, and without a queen to lay eggs, they cannot survive on my hearth (or in my stove
). Carpenter ant workers are also unable to start nests.So, has anyone gotten an infestation from some form of insect by bringing wood from the woodpile inside before it is ready to burn?
logbutcher
Addicted to ArboristSite
No need for apology, but well taken.
There's a lot of bad mouthing, unusually sensitive people online here, the "don't tell me, I know it all" species, and the sandbox girls who have their own tiny incestuous virtual world ( other forum here) . Thick skin, even in this virtual existence is a must.
So, no toes stepped on. ( One is gone from frostbite anyhow.) Ignore away, it works here..... often.
Take all advice with a big grain of %#@&*, and enjoy it all. Burn well and often. Besides, no one has all the answers; you'll discover doing it yourself anyhow.
southpaw
I react 2 B Venom
I see what your saying and have read your post , thank you.
Yeah I am insect Paranoid and going to stay that way too, sure it can be a lot of work to do things my way but I can live with that...........what about cockroaches ,earwigs and other things that can crawl around and out from that wood?
Yeah I am insect Paranoid and going to stay that way too, sure it can be a lot of work to do things my way but I can live with that...........what about cockroaches ,earwigs and other things that can crawl around and out from that wood?
Jmaffei
ArboristSite Operative
Ok obviously different areas of the country may be different, the main bug I have heard that can be a problem inside is the powder post beetle but I think you may have to have natural wood exposed as in no painting or staining it. I would obviously not worry about termites or ants. Last winter I brought in a lot of wood to sit by the stove, I can't imagine bringing in each load to feed the stove unless the stove was literally right next to the door and the stack right next to the door. I did notice a fair amount of dead reddish looking beetles, one even managed to make it upstairs and in my bed and freaked me out for a minute thinking I had bed bugs. They all died really quick and no problems, I think inside house is too dry in winter and no food and they just croak. My next house I plan on building a custom hearth with recessed brick or stone around 4 feet deep by 4 feet wide and 4 feet high and stack a bunch of wood in there.
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