Best way to season firewood

[calamari]

I live in the eastern foothills of the Sacramento Valley in Calif. It gets to be over 100 degrees here for many days in the summer with very low humidity.
I had to cut up and split a big live oak and I put it in loose piles on the ground to dry over the summer and then to be stacked in the fall and covered for the rainy season. I always wanted to know how long it took to dry green oak so I took two adjacent pieces I split off the same round and weighed each one carefully on a kitchen cooking scale. I put one on the top of the stack in the sun and the other buried in the stack in the shade of the wood above it but still getting good air circulation. I weighed them every day and plotted the weight loss which could only be moisture being driven out of the wood by our high heat and low humidity.
The wood had a precipitous weight loss for the first 30+/- days that was pretty much the same for both pieces and then it pretty much leveled out but with a slight decline continuing for the two more months I weighed the pieces. I got tired doing it and thought that I'd gotten the majority of the info I was looking for.
First month is the big drop in our area. The rest of the summer is the finishing of the process.

 

[sb47]

I live in the eastern foothills of the Sacramento Valley in Calif. It gets to be over 100 degrees here for many days in the summer with very low humidity.
I had to cut up and split a big live oak and I put it in loose piles on the ground to dry over the summer and then to be stacked in the fall and covered for the rainy season. I always wanted to know how long it took to dry green oak so I took two adjacent pieces I split off the same round and weighed each one carefully on a kitchen cooking scale. I put one on the top of the stack in the sun and the other buried in the stack in the shade of the wood above it but still getting good air circulation. I weighed them every day and plotted the weight loss which could only be moisture being driven out of the wood by our high heat and low humidity.
The wood had a precipitous weight loss for the first 30+/- days that was pretty much the same for both pieces and then it pretty much leveled out but with a slight decline continuing for the two more months I weighed the pieces. I got tired doing it and thought that I'd gotten the majority of the info I was looking for.
First month is the big drop in our area. The rest of the summer is the finishing of the process.

Great job on the tedious work. That sounds like what I would expect. The bulk of the moisture is wicking out faster because it's closer to the air. The core takes longer because it has farther to go to get out. I'm in the deep east Texas south so we to have very hot and persistent summers however our humidity is much higher and I find green split and stacked to be the fastest natural way and doesn't take as long as you would think. I got hurt last year and I had rounds and logs that stayed in log form for about a year and at least 50% of it rotted or turned punky. It was inconsistent when left in logs because some of the ground contact wood rotted and some did not. Same with the logs that were on top of the pile. It also didn't seem to mater if the bark was in contact with the ground or the end grain. It was still a crap shoot as to what rotted and what didn't.
I use to pile all the junk wood and uglies in a big pile and sell it cheap for camp wood. However only the top layer stayed dry. Everything else under the top didn't dry and rotted. I use those ICB tote baskets now and I no longer have that problem.
I can split green oak that has water squirting out when I split it and then stack it in full sun and it drys in just 4 or 5 months. No way could I get away with leaving wood in log form for 1 to 2 years before splitting. It would all be just junk.

 

[muddstopper]

I always figured that IF i got in the firewood selling business, the icb totes would be the way to go. For years I split and piled my personal firewood. I would take the tractor and roll the piles every now and then, but it always resulted in lots of dirt in the piles. When it came time to burn, I would scoop the wood in the loader and hual it to the shed where it was stacked on pallets. Under the pallets was a layer of plastic to keep ground moisture down. I burnt about 4 cords a year and my shed held 8 so I always had dry wood. With the Icb totes one could split into the tote and then carry it directly under the shed. No ground contact, no rain falling on it and good air flow. Also no dirt from scooping with the loader and no time wasted stacking and restacking. I guess it would just depend on how big a firewood business one wanted to get into, but find a abandoned open building, haul the trees to be processed inside and let the wood fall into the tote as it is processed. Set up a couple of big fans to circulate the air thru the totes. Best part is you can work in the dry while its raining outside.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

I live in the eastern foothills of the Sacramento Valley in Calif. It gets to be over 100 degrees here for many days in the summer with very low humidity.
I had to cut up and split a big live oak and I put it in loose piles on the ground to dry over the summer and then to be stacked in the fall and covered for the rainy season. I always wanted to know how long it took to dry green oak so I took two adjacent pieces I split off the same round and weighed each one carefully on a kitchen cooking scale. I put one on the top of the stack in the sun and the other buried in the stack in the shade of the wood above it but still getting good air circulation. I weighed them every day and plotted the weight loss which could only be moisture being driven out of the wood by our high heat and low humidity.
The wood had a precipitous weight loss for the first 30+/- days that was pretty much the same for both pieces and then it pretty much leveled out but with a slight decline continuing for the two more months I weighed the pieces. I got tired doing it and thought that I'd gotten the majority of the info I was looking for.
First month is the big drop in our area. The rest of the summer is the finishing of the process.

Great idea you have but it is not relevant to many other areas that have a concern about this process. Your process is very similar to my process here in the mountains. When the weather is predictable drying wood is a snap. When our rainy season is upon us drying wood is a very big deal. Our problem is we never know if and when we are going to have rain or snow. The traveling that I have done around the world makes it very evident that no two places are the same. The softwood from British Columbia needs much more special attention than the soft or hardwood in and around Southern California. Australia has some similar areas to Southern California and some very different too. In many of the pictures of Australians working trees you will see green grass whereas in my neighborhood we wonder what that green stuff is. I think the bottom line here is here is to take advantage of the weather situations that present themselves. If If one lives in a moist climate then the wood needs to be stacked off the ground with a tarp over the top at least. Many areas like Teas can just pile their wood wherever and know that it will be OK. I would like to hear about any others and their solutions to their situations. I had access to a metal shipping container which I put a bunch of Pine that was quite damp as an experiment to see what would happen. Even in the winter we have some sunny days which caused the inside of the container to get quite hot in spite of cool temperatures out side. If the air was circulated the system worked well but with out a fan the process was useless. Thanks

 

[sb47]

I have and still use several places where I store and dry wood.
I built this covered storage against one of my fence lines. It's 7 feet tall and 4 feet deep and each section is 10 feet long and I can stack 2 rows in each section. There are a total of 30 4'x10'x7' sections. I can get about 1 and a half cords in each section.


On this side I have more uncovered area and it's 400 feet long and I stack 1 row against this fence line.

Then I built some racks out of scrap lumber that are 4'x4' and hold 1/4 cord per section.

I built some different wooden racks out of more scrap lumber that are 8'x4' that hold a half cord each. I have about 30 of these racks.




Then I have 6 rows of t post 4' apart that hold 10 cords in each row.



Then I also have just under 100 of the ICB totes that I use for stacking and storing wood.



Then of course there is the ol just throw it in a pile method.


All total I can stack up to 100 cords or more. I have tried many ways and I'm still experimenting with different ways to stack and store wood to see witch way works best. The number 1 rule is keep the wood off the ground and in full sun works best.

 

[calamari]

Great idea you have but it is not relevant to many other areas that have a concern about this process. Your process is very similar to my process here in the mountains. When the weather is predictable drying wood is a snap. When our rainy season is upon us drying wood is a very big deal. Our problem is we never know if and when we are going to have rain or snow. The traveling that I have done around the world makes it very evident that no two places are the same. The softwood from British Columbia needs much more special attention than the soft or hardwood in and around Southern California. Australia has some similar areas to Southern California and some very different too. In many of the pictures of Australians working trees you will see green grass whereas in my neighborhood we wonder what that green stuff is. I think the bottom line here is here is to take advantage of the weather situations that present themselves. If If one lives in a moist climate then the wood needs to be stacked off the ground with a tarp over the top at least. Many areas like Teas can just pile their wood wherever and know that it will be OK. I would like to hear about any others and their solutions to their situations. I had access to a metal shipping container which I put a bunch of Pine that was quite damp as an experiment to see what would happen. Even in the winter we have some sunny days which caused the inside of the container to get quite hot in spite of cool temperatures out side. If the air was circulated the system worked well but with out a fan the process was useless. Thanks

You're quite right but I didn't say this is what happens everywhere to all wood. Just my experience in a climate that will become more common over time that gave a specific description of how the process works here.

 

[calamari]

I have and still use several places where I store and dry wood.
I built this covered storage against one of my fence lines. It's 7 feet tall and 4 feet deep and each section is 10 feet long and I can stack 2 rows in each section. There are a total of 30 4'x10'x7' sections. I can get about 1 and a half cords in each section.
View attachment 937908

On this side I have more uncovered area and it's 400 feet long and I stack 1 row against this fence line.
View attachment 937909
Then I built some racks out of scrap lumber that are 4'x4' and hold 1/4 cord per section.
View attachment 937910
I built some different wooden racks out of more scrap lumber that are 8'x4' that hold a half cord each. I have about 30 of these racks.View attachment 937912

View attachment 937911


Then I have 6 rows of t post 4' apart that hold 10 cords in each row.

View attachment 937914

Then I also have just under 100 of the ICB totes that I use for stacking and storing wood.

View attachment 937916

Then of course there is the ol just throw it in a pile method.
View attachment 937917

All total I can stack up to 100 cords or more. I have tried many ways and I'm still experimenting with different ways to stack and store wood to see witch way works best. The number 1 rule is keep the wood off the ground and in full sun works best.

Those pictures just make my back hurt! In this part of California we have to be careful about how we deal with vegetation and firewood. In addition to limits on how much "stuff" we can have stored outside, our homeowners insurance is always looking for reasons to cancel our policies due to fire risk. If that happens insurance that would cost $800/yr one day goes to $3,000+ the next. Live here long enough and you can tell the difference in the sound of the various aerial water bombers air controller sitting on your couch. It's a skill nobody likes to have but eventually a lot do. Still, we don't have cottonmouths and tornadoes. Everything is a compromise.

 

[savageactor7]

In my experience here in CNY split wood needs morning sun or it will grow moss and deteriorate.

 

[manomet]

Off the splitter and into the lean-to. After about 9 monthsI bring it up to the house and stack in a shed out the back door. We have nice dry wood. I have cut next years wood to stove length and stacked under cover so once this is moved I will split next winters wood and be done with that by the end of February, weather providing.

 

[gggGary]

Since this has become a show and tell. ;^)

Racks are 36' long, the far end has solid firewood between the racks for 6'. Mixed hardwoods, cutting lot's of ash now.
I'll prolly be 16' beyond them on the right end before I'm done this fall. Headed towards 6 years worth (+20 cords) cut split and stacked. Only problem area is the ground on the north side, may a loose a few sticks to rot from rain snow splash off the roof. I lay down skids to stack on.
But for the OP: It's hard to beat steel fence posts with some wire and skids on the ground. sign tarp or used steel roofing panels to keep some rain/snow out. Max drying for min investment with simple clean up when the wood is gone.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

You're quite right but I didn't say this is what happens everywhere to all wood. Just my experience in a climate that will become more common over time that gave a specific description of how the process works here.

I used to live in the Pacific Northwest where for months and months it is cool rainy and foggy. I remember not seeing the sun for weeks. The only wood that had any value was the wood that was either cut or died a year before. Here in California there are always options for get wood ready for use. In many states that have a more moist climate drying their inventory out is a completely different challenge. Often they have an abundance of trees but far fewer customers. Always a challenge to make all situations benefit the OP. Thanks

 

[calamari]

I used to live in the Pacific Northwest where for months and months it is cool rainy and foggy. I remember not seeing the sun for weeks. The only wood that had any value was the wood that was either cut or died a year before. Here in California there are always options for get wood ready for use. In many states that have a more moist climate drying their inventory out is a completely different challenge. Often they have an abundance of trees but far fewer customers. Always a challenge to make all situations benefit the OP. Thanks

"Cool, rainy, and foggy" I've heard of such a climate.
For a number of years now it's stopped raining in early March and hasn't started again until late October. Just a few clouds at the beginning and the end and blue skies in the middle. I've seen it as hot as 113 here with 9% humidity and I don't live in the desert region, I'm in the middle of the state. Weather like that gives lots of good drying days for anything with too much moisture. Those wire baskets would be ideal here but I don't burn enough to warrant getting them. About 1 1/2 cords in an average year to 2 cords in a "cold" year. Wood is all we use for heat.

 

[woodchuckcanuck]

Don't know about that. Very few professional firewood operations stack wood to dry. I don't think that's because they're all amateurs. It's because the time involved doesn't justify what little extra money they might get. How long does it take you to stack a cord of wood and how much more do you charge for it than what others are getting?

$60 is what we determine to be the difference with stacking verses not stacking. We currently sell green (off the belt) for $200. Seasoned wood that's been stacked and drying for a while is $260. Delivery extra.

Stacked (if possible in full sun) with top covered and sides exposed. Preferable to have the ends of the wood facing East and West so one side can absorb morning sun and the other can get the afternoon.

That's what we do as well.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Woodchuckcanuck: That's beautiful spot, and a lot of work to make that happen. Thanks for sharing the photos.

 

[husky455rancher]

I have and still use several places where I store and dry wood.
I built this covered storage against one of my fence lines. It's 7 feet tall and 4 feet deep and each section is 10 feet long and I can stack 2 rows in each section. There are a total of 30 4'x10'x7' sections. I can get about 1 and a half cords in each section.
View attachment 937908

On this side I have more uncovered area and it's 400 feet long and I stack 1 row against this fence line.
View attachment 937909
Then I built some racks out of scrap lumber that are 4'x4' and hold 1/4 cord per section.
View attachment 937910
I built some different wooden racks out of more scrap lumber that are 8'x4' that hold a half cord each. I have about 30 of these racks.View attachment 937912

View attachment 937911


Then I have 6 rows of t post 4' apart that hold 10 cords in each row.

View attachment 937914

Then I also have just under 100 of the ICB totes that I use for stacking and storing wood.

View attachment 937916

Then of course there is the ol just throw it in a pile method.
View attachment 937917

All total I can stack up to 100 cords or more. I have tried many ways and I'm still experimenting with different ways to stack and store wood to see witch way works best. The number 1 rule is keep the wood off the ground and in full sun works best.

Your a beast man!!! That’s a lotta work right there!

 

[husky455rancher]

Where do you guys find the totes?

 

[sb47]

Your a beast man!!! That’s a lotta work right there!

It's kinda hard to sell something you don't have. So I try to keep as much inventory in stock as I can. No wood equals no sales. As for the totes, I find them on CL from company's that use a lot of them and need to get rid of them. They take up a lot of room and sending the empty's back is not very cost effective and disposal is expensive, so if you shop around you can find them pretty cheap. You do have to get rid of the plastic bladder. You can cut the bladder in a way that makes a nice cover to keep the rain off. I post a free curb alert and the bladders just magically disappear.

 

[husky455rancher]

It's kinda hard to sell something you don't have. So I try to keep as much inventory in stock as I can. No wood equals no sales. As for the totes, I find them on CL from company's that use a lot of them and need to get rid of them. They take up a lot of room and sending the empty's back is not very cost effective and disposal is expensive, so if you shop around you can find them pretty cheap. You do have to get rid of the plastic bladder. You can cut the bladder in a way that makes a nice cover to keep the rain off. I post a free curb alert and the bladders just magically disappear.

What do you use for a splitter?

 

[sb47]

What do you use for a splitter?

I have 2 Countyline 40 ton splitters from Tractor Supply. Having 2 units I can have 2 different splitting areas set up. I have a Gorillabac crain type log lift mounted on one units for the bigger stuff. I am looking hard at a electric powered hydraulic splitter for use indoors in my shop for those cold rainy days when the weather is not so nice for splitting outdoors. My whole process is an experiment of sorts as I am always looking for a faster easier way to get the work done. I'm always trying new ways to see how well it works.

 

[sb47]

What do you use for a splitter?

I have 3 saws - ms 261c/ms290/ms262
I have 4 - 4'x8' utility trailers and 1 - 8'x16' utility trailer, that I pull around with my Kabuota B5200 tractor (no FEL)
I have 4 wheelbarrows and 4 dolly's and 2 - 40 ton splitters.
My bread and butter is BBq and cooking wood and a little bit of firewood.
Between the BBq cook off teams and the back yard smokers and the pizza joints and BBq restaurants, they keep me pretty busy. Those commercial buyers depend on me having what they need always in stock and seasoned and ready to go. That is why I like to keep inventory up and ready for them when ever they need it.