Newbie Here With Some questions

[wampler234]

i know that these are dum questions but i am just wanting to get into burning and cutting my own wood...

I was wondering just what exactly a cord is and when woods seasoned is that just cut sits for a year till the next season or how does all that work


thanks guys

 

[atvguns]

Welcome to AS

Cord 4'x4'x8'

seasoned is wood that has had time to dry all the sap out, a year will work

 

[wampler234]

i seen some pictures of guys that have just HUGE piles that arnt in sheds or covered at all...its not going to last or be worh anything that long uncoverd would it

 

[Mikecutstrees]

i seen some pictures of guys that have just HUGE piles that arnt in sheds or covered at all...its not going to last or be worh anything that long uncoverd would it

Depends on the local climate. Here in the northeast we cover just the top to allow for air circulation. Good luck

Mike

 

[wampler234]

well im in the northeast part of kansas anyone around here have any suggestions

 

[unclemoustache]

i seen some pictures of guys that have just HUGE piles that arnt in sheds or covered at all...its not going to last or be worh anything that long uncoverd would it

Most of us leave our wood uncovered until the fall when the rain and snow begins to come down in earnest. You being in Kansas, you don't get as much rain as we do in IL, and yet I leave my wood uncovered until Fall and it seasons just fine.

There are some of us here that think three months is long enough to season most wood. Some takes a bit longer, and some needs even less. However, we're in the minority here, and we keep to ourselves and try not to rock the boat.

And by the way, Welcome to AS!!

 

[Ductape]

wampler, just spend more time here reading..... you will learn alot about heating with wood. As stated, a cord of wood = 128 cubic feet when tightly stacked. Wood should by cut and split so it dries prior to burning. How well a species of tree 'seasons' does depend on your climate as well as what type of wood it is. Ash seasons much faster than Oak, for example. Burning 'green', or unseasoned wood wastes the wood's potential heat output, and greatly raises the risk of chimney fires.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[dingeryote]

Wampler,

Cord=128cu ft. stacked pretty tight. if you're buying.
Looser if you're selling or stacking your own.

"Seasoned" is a subjective term, but in general means wood that has dried so that it ignites readily and burns with a minimum of steam.
Some guys get wrapped around moisture content bieng 20% or less.
1yr Min. if you're buying though, cuz ys don't know how it was "Seasoned" if it was at all. If the bark is loose, it's close enough normally.

As for those giant stacks going to rot, it depends on the local climate and air movement, and the species.
Oak will be fine stacked like that for 5 years uncovered around here.
Boxelder would last 2 before it's mulch.

Also don't forget that some folks with the boilers may very well burn through 20 Cord a season, or might be heating a shop, greenhouse, and thier home.

I go through about 10 Cord easy with 2-3 of it bieng lesser BTU content stuff.
Gimme all Locust or Osage/hedge and I could probably get away with 6.

Stick around and get to reading old posts. LOTS of good info here, and a heck of helpfull gang with knowledge and lore worth sharing.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[laser]

Make sure that the wood is split and stacked for a good summer before use. Some people that sell wood around here let it dry on the ground in rounds, and then split it in September, and while it may have been standing dead, and it may have sat out a year in a round, it still takes a few months after being split from a dry round to be respectfully dry (ignoring climate/weather). Especially red oak. Red oak takes forever to dry out.

Part of the problem is that rounds will soak up moisture from the ground, and they are big enough to not dry out from the elements until they are split.

If you leave the rounds on the ground, and they get wet, they will get bugs and rot, and you might get dry wood after it's all said and done, but it will be very punky, so you've lost a lot of BTUs.

I put all my wood on pallets to keep it off the ground, you can get them off Craigslist for free all day long. If the pallets aren't treated, you can burn them, too. I got some oak ones once, they burned very well. :-D

You can burn wetter wood, but you're gonna need a LOT of kindling over the course of a winter to get those fires going...or some other fire starter. Clean your chimney often if you do that...