What is recommended for drying large amounts of firewood?

[CRThomas]

Info

Thanks for the info, CRThomas.

There is a lady north of me that is in it big time she told me this has been a bad winter for her she has only sold 250 cords. That would last me years. She just piles hers on a gravel parking lot about 6 acres or so she splits on one end and sells on the other end. Her and her son run it by there self. Semis come in from up north and load up every day. Her son told me at any given time they have from $60,000,00 to $90,000,00 there cost on the ground. Ready firewood out of my range.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

CRThomas... How do you take the bark off the logs?

 

[CRThomas]

Bark off

CRThomas... How do you take the bark off the logs?

I made a half circle that fits on my splitter that cuts the bark off. Starting process I have a 30 ton splitter on my tractor that I split in the yard. I split them like the ones I buy. Which are about 12 x 12 x 20 the people in my area like there pieces if two people can pick it up it's to small. My quarter circle on my indoor splitter cuts the bark off then I split into proper sizes. I have to go to the city to sell my wood. The way the people in my area buy a rank of wood you can figure it out a piece 12 x 12 x 24 you figure it out on a 4 ft by 8 ft. I think that would be a rank and a half. Yes or no

 

[CRThomas]

Drying wood

Time & patience.....you need both to dry wood!

Craig

The problem I don't under stand on here and in my area people are set on just burning Oak to the point they up set if you say you don't burn Oak. Over the last 30 years I have people so up set about Oak they will refuse to take free wood because it's not Oak. Then they tell me they need 2 years before it's dry enough to burn. Using other types of wood some I could dry in the 10 of the time not wanting to take up set any body to a argument. The next thing it all ways gets cold and you alway need firewood when it gets cold they don't have any woods. They say they need firewood and I drive down the highway firewood on both side of the highway at difference places I could if I had time of places that want to give pallets away. In a city of 35000 people proble 50 places. I go to Craigslist and look at the areas these people live at and find a half dozen free firewood ads

 

[Whitespider]

That’s because oak is just flat damn fine firewood. It has all the attributes…

• Makes a lot of heat, but not so hot it will melt-down the appliance if left unattended.
• Provides long, hot burn times.
• Coals-up nicely, and the coals last a long time.
• Just the right amount of snap, crackle, pop without a lot of sparks.
• Has a pleasing aroma when burned (to most people).
• Has a nice ambiance (flames).
• Doesn’t produce an objectionable amount of ash (especially if the bark has fallen off).
• When properly seasoned the bark tends to fall off (cleaner to carry in, and store in the house).
• Stored properly it will last near forever.
• Usually splits into nice straight pieces, making it a pleasure to stack and load the appliance.
• Normally it isn’t associated with bugs.
• Can be found in near every state (and most everyone can identify it).

That’s not to say there isn’t other fine firewood (ash and hard maple come to mind), but none I know of have all the desired attributes (especially for open fireplaces).

 

[CRThomas]

Reply

That’s because oak is just flat damn fine firewood. It has all the attributes…

• Makes a lot of heat, but not so hot it will melt-down the appliance if left unattended.
• Provides long, hot burn times.
• Coals-up nicely, and the coals last a long time.
• Just the right amount of snap, crackle, pop without a lot of sparks.
• Has a pleasing aroma when burned (to most people).
• Has a nice ambiance (flames).
• Doesn’t produce an objectionable amount of ash (especially if the bark has fallen off).
• When properly seasoned the bark tends to fall off (cleaner to carry in, and store in the house).
• Stored properly it will last near forever.
• Usually splits into nice straight pieces, making it a pleasure to stack and load the appliance.
• Normally it isn’t associated with bugs.
• Can be found in near every state (and most everyone can identify it).

That’s not to say there isn’t other fine firewood (ash and hard maple come to mind), but none I know of have all the desired attributes (especially for open fireplaces).

I am proud of you you didn't bad mouth my wood. I was really wondering why so many people go in to a fit over some body else's wood. I take it you enjoy Oak it works for you but it doesn't work for me. And I like that it please you. I had a fellow tell me on here that I was a little on the nutty side for wasting money kiln drying firewood. A fellow got up set because I have 3 splitter. I have been doing firewood for 30 years and a fellow on here told me that I have been breaking the law all these years.

 

[CRThomas]

Don't understand

That’s because oak is just flat damn fine firewood. It has all the attributes…

• Makes a lot of heat, but not so hot it will melt-down the appliance if left unattended.
• Provides long, hot burn times.
• Coals-up nicely, and the coals last a long time.
• Just the right amount of snap, crackle, pop without a lot of sparks.
• Has a pleasing aroma when burned (to most people).
• Has a nice ambiance (flames).
• Doesn’t produce an objectionable amount of ash (especially if the bark has fallen off).
• When properly seasoned the bark tends to fall off (cleaner to carry in, and store in the house).
• Stored properly it will last near forever.
• Usually splits into nice straight pieces, making it a pleasure to stack and load the appliance.
• Normally it isn’t associated with bugs.
• Can be found in near every state (and most everyone can identify it).

That’s not to say there isn’t other fine firewood (ash and hard maple come to mind), but none I know of have all the desired attributes (especially for open fireplaces).

Why would some body pass up Ash,Popular,Hard Maple,Elm, or any free wood and be cold because it's not Oak. A fellow's trailer broke down he stop by to get me to weld it. He said you don't have any Oak. I said no I give it away. He said you what I can't believe you give the best wood in the world away. He got so up set got to ranting and raving about Oak I told him get his truck and trailer out of my shop. Maybe some Oak fix his trailer for free.

 

[CRThomas]

Drying

Hi, curious what you guys do to dry your firewood? Do you buy a kiln? Make one? Do something else? Thanks!

It depends on the wood. It depends on what you call a lot. Some of my customers think a half of a rank is a lot. I cut my trees down when the sap is down save half my drying time. I only burn and sell Ash. For my personnel use I cut split and stack a rank in a basket set it in my shop 64 degrees with a 6 foot fan on low. When the basket by the garage is empty I switch out. You can dry wood that way in less than a week. Now I am talking Ash only. Oak and other woods I stack in a area if people don't come and get it I push it over the hill as fill. My wood other than Ash I get from tree trimmings other tree people use me as I dump site. The wood they drop off has to be in chunks no logs. I push over the hill more than people come and get. I pushed about 6 dump truck loads of maple over the
hill yesterday. Sorry I save Popular to. If I burn Oak that would be a different store you have to have a lot of room to store 30 cords of wood to season with the air,time,and wind. Which I don't have. I am going to go split a Ash tree today it be about a cord and a half We had tornado that went thru here yesterday morning. For you Oak burners there is proble about 10,000 cord around Harrisburg Illinois area. I just got all I can handle in my area. The cheap way to dry wood with least work is cut it split it and stack it in a pile and wait a couple years. If you dump wood at the land fill its $25.00 a ton I think now roofing shingles is $50.00 a ton. So maybe wood might have went up too.

 

[CRThomas]

I made a half circle that fits on my splitter that cuts the bark off. Starting process I have a 30 ton splitter on my tractor that I split in the yard. I split them like the ones I buy. Which are about 12 x 12 x 20 the people in my area like there pieces if two people can pick it up it's to small. My quarter circle on my indoor splitter cuts the bark off then I split into proper sizes. I have to go to the city to sell my wood. The way the people in my area buy a rank of wood you can figure it out a piece 12 x 12 x 24 you figure it out on a 4 ft by 8 ft. I think that would be a rank and a half. Yes or no

If I buy a pickup load I buy in chunks and split it my self because I get a rank and a half try it. See if it works. I get a truck load delivered some times for $20.00 to $25.00. That's cheap but I'm cheap. Later

 

[logbutcher]

Dead serious case of O.E. here ( Oak Envy ); like Old Growth Envy there isn't much Downeast.
These woodlands are old, bony, boggy, acidic, and have been cut over many times over the centuries.
The only wood we ignore for firewood, pulp or sawlogs is Poplar ( one of the Aspen species, called "popple" here ). It's a low grade firewood, splinters, soft, heavy and sappy when cut; basically useless for us.
ANY other wood except the spruces and fir is our firewood. Nearby Vermont has varied hardwoods, south of here close to Massachusetts and Connecticut gets into the "Oak/Hickory" woodlands. Further south the picking gets better ( why all the best hardwoods are where it's warm ? ).

JMNSHEO

 

[CRThomas]

Log butcher

Dead serious case of O.E. here ( Oak Envy ); like Old Growth Envy there isn't much Downeast.
These woodlands are old, bony, boggy, acidic, and have been cut over many times over the centuries.
The only wood we ignore for firewood, pulp or sawlogs is Poplar ( one of the Aspen species, called "popple" here ). It's a low grade firewood, splinters, soft, heavy and sappy when cut; basically useless for us.
ANY other wood except the spruces and fir is our firewood. Nearby Vermont has varied hardwoods, south of here close to Massachusetts and Connecticut gets into the "Oak/Hickory" woodlands. Further south the picking gets better ( why all the best hardwoods are where it's warm ? ).

JMNSHEO

Our area our Ash runs about 21.5 very good wood. Popular is close.

 

[BILLSFIREWOOD]

drying firewood

Hi We dry the wood by burning the trash wood and bark. We dry all the wraped wood in the kiln, but the firewood we sale to homes is air dryed for a year. This year we had 75 cord air dryd but by 1/15/12 we had to kiln dry for home cord wood to. Will have 125 cord drying in yard for nixd year. The kiln is 28' for nixd year we will and one more it will be 48'.

 

[CRThomas]

Dry Wood

Hi We dry the wood by burning the trash wood and bark. We dry all the wraped wood in the kiln, but the firewood we sale to homes is air dryed for a year. This year we had 75 cord air dryd but by 1/15/12 we had to kiln dry for home cord wood to. Will have 125 cord drying in yard for nixd year. The kiln is 28' for nixd year we will and one more it will be 48'.

Billsfirewood sounds like you got a neat set up. I don't have that big a customer base. I really dont want to work that hard at my firewood business. I have other business that takes up some of my time. My wife owns the business and she is always adding on new business. My kiln is just a 20 ft container and then I can do a little in my shop.

 

[reese2011]

everyone has there way. here is mine! cut split stack cover on top only! have this done by april fools day and you will be ready for the following season. split 4 to 6,8 in diameter. no bigger. just cuz a tree is standing dead does not mean it is ready to burn. wood is not ready till cut split and stacked,and allowed to dry. i run 3 stoves and burn 9 plus cords a years, been happy with this process for many years.

 

[mama]

I split it right away and let the hot summer do the rest.

 

[KiwiBro]

Depends on the wood

Some woods are better to split green, others when dry, others better to not split and just leave the trees with foliage intact on the side of the hills and let evapotranspiration do it's thing until those drying gains are exhausted. If you can handle the initial pain of all the work to get a year ahead, the sun/time/wind idea seems pretty darn good. Then it depends upon the target market - perhaps a kiln with guaranteed moisture contents in reliable time frames is the best. Heck, go the whole hog and buy a vacuum kiln and have your wood 'seasoned' in 4 hrs or something crazy like that.

 

[StinkyBunny]

I cut, split and stack mine on bricks, then cover ONLY the top of it with heavy rubber roofing, the glue down type. In the summer heat here, it's like owning a kiln.

 

[Como]

Sun, wind and a semi arid climate.

No covers.