Hi newbie to firewood processing

[Gensetsteve]

I have just started to cut logs for firewood in England. I fell into this idea by buying logs for my own use about 6 months ago. In the end I bought about 200 tons of logs for about $2000 including transport.

The wood is Ash, sycamore, Popular, Beech and some willow

One question I have is about 20 tonnes of it is Willow in trunks about a metre wide ( alot of work to cut ). Willow is very wet and grows by rivers so needs alot of drying out. should I put the work into it what does it burn like when ready.

I have a Hakki pilke finnish wood processor. A German Sheppach upright 12 ton splitter. Just bought a 3 phase kindling machine.

Any advice gratefully received

Steve

 

[turnkey4099]

I have just started to cut logs for firewood in England. I fell into this idea by buying logs for my own use about 6 months ago. In the end I bought about 200 tons of logs for about $2000 including transport.

The wood is Ash, sycamore, Popular, Beech and some willow

One question I have is about 20 tonnes of it is Willow in trunks about a metre wide ( alot of work to cut ). Willow is very wet and grows by rivers so needs alot of drying out. should I put the work into it what does it burn like when ready.

I have a Hakki pilke finnish wood processor. A German Sheppach upright 12 ton splitter. Just bought a 3 phase kindling machine.

Any advice gratefully received

Steve

The general rule is that if you have wood that you need to get rid of anyhow it is worth working up into firewood.

Willow is a light weight wood well down on the list of preferred firewoods. It does work for firewood but you burn a lot of it. I heat my house almost totally with Willow as it is free for the cutting near my house.

Curing of Willow. If cut/split/stacked so the air can work easily through the pile, it will cure in one long season. I process mine one year and burn it the the next year so it has one full and at least part of another summer and fall to dry.

One nice thing about Willow is that it is very easy to split. It will split cleanly any direction you want. The knots will shear when run through a hydraulic splitter.

Harry K

 

[Butch(OH)]

I suppose it depends on your local market. Around here we have an abundance of good hardwoods to burn and softwoods like Willow rot where it falls. The only exception to that is if it must be moved and then it rots where it is dumped, LOL Kidding aside Willow will burn and burn hot, it just doesnt last very long, when we had one in the yard and it dropped sticks by the wheel barrow load it was my favorite kindling.