How neccessary is sun to dry firewood?

[zogger]

You guys sure put lots of time and thought into your firewood.......

I would guess 98% of the people on AS are not pro tree climbers/hotsaw racers or loggers. Some big number like that, high 90s. I would think most people here are personal firewood cutters/farm or yard cleanup duties/move a few cord on the side, do some ebay and CL sales. So..that is what interests us the most as regards the main purpose, trees into usable burnable wood,, tree ID, howto do this or that firewood chore, gear, furnaces/stoves/boilers burning in general, etc. Stacking is in there.. Various collectors completely mixed into the demographics, along with dealers/sponsors, some slop over here and there.

Here is my example, personal firewood burner, but I am employed on a farm and am the designated saw guy for most duties, he has hired the bucket truck guys for I think 4 different jobs now, twice in my yard on big overhanging trees, once at his house and once over at the farm after a tornado where the bucket was used to clear like porch debris and sheetmetal from out of trees way up...I do all the other cutting/cleaning/clearing, etc. So I guess really stretching it I am semi pro with a side of liking saws and having a bunch now.

This would actually be an interesting poll, see how many full time pros compared to weekenders and part time pros (of any kind).

 

[stihl023/5]

I dropped and bucked a couple of locust today.
And no I will not label it in the stacks.:msp_w00t:

 

[Mastermind]

I would guess 98% of the people on AS are not pro tree climbers/hotsaw racers or loggers. Some big number like that, high 90s. I would think most people here are personal firewood cutters/farm or yard cleanup duties/move a few cord on the side, do some ebay and CL sales. So..that is what interests us the most as regards the main purpose, trees into usable burnable wood,, tree ID, howto do this or that firewood chore, gear, furnaces/stoves/boilers burning in general, etc. Stacking is in there.. Various collectors completely mixed into the demographics, along with dealers/sponsors, some slop over here and there.

Here is my example, personal firewood burner, but I am employed on a farm and am the designated saw guy for most duties, he has hired the bucket truck guys for I think 4 different jobs now, twice in my yard on big overhanging trees, once at his house and once over at the farm after a tornado where the bucket was used to clear like porch debris and sheetmetal from out of trees way up...I do all the other cutting/cleaning/clearing, etc. So I guess really stretching it I am semi pro with a side of liking saws and having a bunch now.

This would actually be an interesting poll, see how many full time pros compared to weekenders and part time pros (of any kind).

I've been heating with wood for about 30 years now.....reading on here just makes me realize how badly I've been doing it.

:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[MrWhoopee]

So I guess really stretching it I am semi pro with a side of liking saws and having a bunch now.

A professional (pro) is a person engaged in a profession. If you get paid to do it, you're a pro. That's why they call hookers "pros".:msp_tongue: It really has nothing to do with how good you are.

 

[stihl023/5]

A professional (pro) is a person engaged in a profession. If you get paid to do it, you're a pro. That's why they call hookers "pros".:msp_tongue: It really has nothing to do with how good you are.

You can say that again.:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Fifelaker]

I cut for money back in the early 80's. Now for the last 20 years or so I just cut for heat, can I still call myself a pro??

 

[stihl023/5]

I cut for money back in the early 80's. Now for the last 20 years or so I just cut for heat, can I still call myself a pro??

At wood cutting, or is there something else?:msp_w00t:

 

[VW Splitter]

This would actually be an interesting poll, see how many full time pros compared to weekenders and part time pros (of any kind).

Do it.

 

[Fifelaker]

If the sun blinked out tomorrow nothing would dry and we would all be dead. So I would say very necessary .

 

[NDtreehugger]

Here is my personal theory. The softer woods that season fast like silver maple, box elder, and the like. The have a less dense grain allowing easier moisture flow out, than the denser oak's and such. The denser woods over winter freeze, which creates split's in the wood, and fiber burst's. Allowing for the moisture to escape easier the next summer. Lastly, the warmer the air the more moisture it can hold. So if it's hotter with some sort of breeze, that's when the most moisture escapes. I could be way wrong, but that's what it seems to me.

P.S I have no idea about the dry heat out west. Can't really fathom 110* feeling cooler than our 90*!!

When I was out west we wood cut Scrub Oak, we would do 40 50 trees per day, then haul them back to the yard, trailer would get tossed in a pile, the truck would dump in a pile and thats where they stayed, never wood we store anything in the shade. Back up North everything gets stacked off the ground and top covered.

In the winter we get 0 to 40 below give or take on both sides, covered, inside or outside it dont matter drying time is the same, I thing we get better drying in the winter then the summer.

The sun really is not needed, but if you got it use it.

 

[zogger]

Do it.

I have had *extremely* bad luck starting threads around this site....replying seems to be OK, starting them....err

 

[johndeereg]

Thanks for all the replies! I didn't think my question would get this much response! I've been keeping a tally and I believe votes saying that the sun is a great help is winning but not by a great amount.

 

[zogger]

Thanks for all the replies! I didn't think my question would get this much response! I've been keeping a tally and I believe votes saying that the sun is a great help is winning but not by a great amount.

It certainly helps, everyone here would agree on that.

And if it isn't possible to get much sun...you can still get the wood dry.

 

[DTB]

I think it is a combination of sun and wind that works the best. If you can clear a spot, it would help a lot. We are having a lot of rain in Maryland. Most of my seasoned wood has been covered. The seasoning uncovered wood is wet in spots. Today was a nice cool, breezy day for drying. I usually cover my wood at the end of Sept but this year should have done it earlier when I knew it was dry.

 

[Tazfreak]

If the sun blinked out tomorrow nothing would dry and we would all be dead. So I would say very necessary .

Agreed.Here we pile splits,rounds in the open where the timber can get full sun,plenty of wind.No covers, wood seasons quicker in the open even if it gets rained on.No snow here to worry about :biggrin:If u can make ur pile to season on a ridge exposed to the elements it will dry heaps quicker.In summer humidity gets down to under 10 percent some days and u can hear the wood cracking :msp_tongue: Wind is ur friend,hot northerlies and high temps ,up to 110 f make for best curing over summer of firewood here.hardwood cut,split in spring, then summer, autumn to season,then sold over winter,spring mostly under 18 pc moisture content.:chainsawguy:

 

[Typhke]

I think the sun helps quite a bit, at least in our wet country Belgium. The side which gets the most sun seems to shrink faster. I try to stack in the open where sun and wind can get to the wood. But I did stack some wood right in the shed after splitting and also under some trees. It dries ok, but the parts in the sun seem to have more cracks and dry faster. I've got some unsplit oak lying around in the wind, sun on it all day long except the early mornings, it is seriously cracking and loosing bark. So far the "it does not dry unsplit" theory. If I go there in the evening, when the sun is down, you can hear the wood cracking.

I think you wouldn't have a problem with stacking the wood in the shade, as long as you keep it off the ground and cover the top. But don't stack too many rows against each other. You don't want middle rows that are still wet or are keeping moisture.

 

[Cheesecutter]

It seems like if I have a stack tip over its always to the side that gets the most sun. I always figured that was because the stack dried faster on the sun soaked side so it shrunk and settled faster.

 

[Whitespider]

It seems like if I have a stack tip over its always to the side that gets the most sun...

LOL

My stacks run more or less northwest-southeast, about 5 foot apart... so the east face gets morning sun, west face afternoon sun, and the prevailing NW wind blows right down between them. Some of those stacks are gettin' close to 3 years old. They were startin' to lean to the west last year... like you, I figured the stronger afternoon sun, coupled with the warmer afternoon temps were drying/shrinking the west side faster. Anyway, I'd go out with a 3-pound hammer for a couple minutes once or twice a day and straighten them up a bit... I didn't make a "job" out'a it, just a couple minutes when I stepped out for a smoke after supper, or drank a beer after work and didn't feel like goin' in the house right-a-way, etc. Heck, by the end of last summer they were all standing straight and true again.

LOL

Guess what?? This year the damn things are leanin' to the east... and leanin' a lot harder too. Heck, some of them are leanin' hard enough that a split will occasionally slide off the top. I guess the east side has caught-up with the west side... I should'a left 'em be last year and they would'a straightened themselves this year. Now some are leanin' hard enough I'm afraid they really will tip over... so now I'm gonna' haf'ta pound 'em up straight again

LOL

 

[slowp]

Since it is obvious that my wood pile will never ever dry because it doesn't get constant sun, I've decided to run a long extension cord out and put some Happy Lights on it. They should be on sale soon at Costco. The dark season starts next month. I'll uncover it too. After all, rain helps dry it out, right? We had some rain last night. I'll go see if the uncovered stuff is drier than the poor stuff that is in the shed. I bet the shed stuff is a lot more wet. :msp_wink:

 

[Whitespider]

:msp_biggrin: Well heck slowp, I've got some sun lamps left over from back-in-the-day... I used them for growing... ummm... ahhh... shall we say, "questionable" :msp_wink: indoor crops back then. Anyway, your more than welcome to them... after all, they're just gathering dust.