Post pictures of your woodpile/splitting area

[Jakers]

OK - this is probably a flaming newbie type question, but how come all the wood I leave outside to season turns dark so quickly, and all you guys have stacks of such clean, pretty wood? Maple, oak, polar, ash, box elder, lilac, etc. - does not seem to matter what species.

Mold? Mildew? Acid rain? UV rays? Diesel exhaust? Ant poop? Fluoride in the city water? . . . .

It still burns and heats the stove, but I would have trouble selling it if I was in that business.

Just curious.

Thanks.

Philbert

i never stack my wood. just throw it in a pile. the outside pieces do fade but after i move a few the inside ones are as purdy as the day theys split. all are well seasoned and burn fine for me

 

[beerbelly]

Did your Mrs stack all that? :hmm3grin2orange:

Yes she did. :msp_flapper:

 

[terryknight]

^^^^ lucky.....

 

[stihly dan]

Its the sun and rain. If you stack in a shed or 3 rows deep. The non exposed wood is very bright but dry.

 

[zogger]

Its the sun and rain. If you stack in a shed or 3 rows deep. The non exposed wood is very bright but dry.

Yep! My stacks are three rows deep, top covered. Outside chunks turn gray, inside row does not.

Eventually though, they would. I have seen and burnt 15 year old dried wood from way back in a woodshed, completely gray, clanged the most metallic, burnt like crazy. Cant tell ya, dont remember, but maybe they were six or so rows back in there to the middle. I know I climbed over the top to just get back there and snag a few pieces to try them out.

I know I would have entered them into a worlds best firewood contest, if such a contest was to be there. Not sure what species, but burnt like nothing else I ever saw that wasnt coal.

 

[ReggieT]

Hmm...that makes fer a mighty fine castle for all kinda species of critters around my way!:vampire:

Nothing wilder & more comical than chucking an arm load of wood into the fireplace...and a few minutes later you see a chunky gopher all pissed off bailing outa there!!!:waaaht:

Is that a "California Approved" method of stacking?

 

[Dalmatian90]

My wood pile from six days and six pages ago:

And...this morning:

There's still more wood to split behind the stacks and below the fresh, white dirt.

 

[stihly dan]

My wood pile from six days and six pages ago:

And...this morning:

There's still more wood to split behind the stacks and below the fresh, white dirt.

HA, looking at my piles today, I thought the same thing. Good on you for the extra effort.

 

[stihl023/5]

Yep my work area is done for the winter. Dont like digging them out of the snow.

 

[bert0168]

Yup ant poop!

Still makes an ash, BURN IT!

 

[ReggieT]

Hey...is that a "Friskars" chilling over there?:hmm3grin2orange:

HA, looking at my piles today, I thought the same thing. Good on you for the extra effort.

 

[Bagster]

First picture post

Hey guys!

Really enjoy the forums!

Heres a shot of my view from the bedroom yesterday.
24 foot long double wide rows, 5 feet high with 40 inch aluminum printing plates for keeping most wet stuff off.
The piles between the trees are only single row deep.

In reply to an earlier post about coloration, I recently had some 30 year old cherry donated to me from someones basement and it was still dark red and burned excellent.
The Cherry in my wood shed has been there for 8 months and still looks as "cherryish" as the day I put it there.
It gets pretty good sun exposure and a bit of rain when the wind blows towards it.

View attachment 270681

 

[woodsroad]

OK - this is probably a flaming newbie type question, but how come all the wood I leave outside to season turns dark so quickly, and all you guys have stacks of such clean, pretty wood?

I split only at night, under total darkness, to avoid UV damage to the splits. The wood is then stacked and stored in an underground vault, in a nitrogen environment, in total darkness, at 20% humidity until it is ready to be burned. I will, on occasion, move all of the finished splits out of doors and take a few pictures. But the wood is quickly returned to the storage vault, where each piece is inspected and any needed repairs made before undergoing gamma ray sterilization and another nitrogen flush.

A few cords are pulled from the stores, sanded and finished with a BLO/beeswax concoction. It usually takes about four coats, with intermediary hand buffing, until the wood looks "right". This wood is then left on display next to the stove, or in a neat stack that is visible from the street.

I used to be more obsessive about the whole thing, but this is the process that I've settled on.

 

[beerbelly]

I split only at night, under total darkness, to avoid UV damage to the splits. The wood is then stacked and stored in an underground vault, in a nitrogen environment, in total darkness, at 20% humidity until it is ready to be burned. I will, on occasion, move all of the finished splits out of doors and take a few pictures. But the wood is quickly returned to the storage vault, where each piece is inspected and any needed repairs made before undergoing gamma ray sterilization and another nitrogen flush.

A few cords are pulled from the stores, sanded and finished with a BLO/beeswax concoction. It usually takes about four coats, with intermediary hand buffing, until the wood looks "right". This wood is then left on display next to the stove, or in a neat stack that is visible from the street.

I used to be more obsessive about the whole thing, but this is the process that I've settled on.

Beeswax!!!!! Thats the step I missed...how could I be so careless??? I suck!

 

[Tiewire]

View attachment 270693View attachment 270694 Not very good with attaching pics so wish me luck. Picture with some green in trees is wood pile last spring. Got too hot so I started working wood about 5 weeks ago. Did not get done because of sloppy wet snow today. Work is getting real busy so will probably take rest of winter to finish.

 

[singinwoodwackr]

Beeswax!!!!! Thats the step I missed...how could I be so careless??? I suck!

and...needs to be from your own bees so you can have strict quality control.

 

[Philbert]

I split only at night, under total darkness, to avoid UV damage to the splits. The wood is then stacked and stored in an underground vault, in a nitrogen environment, in total darkness, at 20% humidity until it is ready to be burned. . . . .

Don't laugh! Remember the posts about the Minnesota guy getting something like $300 for a few splits of birch in New York City, because they were P-R-E-T-T-Y?

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

But seriously . . .

If the wood is dried in a shed, without direct sun exposure, does it keep that 'freshly split' color? Or does it have to be kiln dried?

I cut and split for my own use, so it's not a big deal. Just curious when I see all those stretch wrapped bundles at the gas station. They would not sell wood that looks like mine, due to the aesthetics.

Philbert

 

[woodsroad]

and...needs to be from your own bees so you can have strict quality control.

Actually, the beeswax needs to have been produced within 3 miles of where the trees grew. If the bees collected pollen from the actual tree that you cut down, all the better, but you had better plant a replacement tree for the little girls. They don't cotton to people screwing with their food supply.

We also grow our own flax and press the seeds for the linseed oil, but that step is not entirely necessary.

I thought that everybody knew all this stuff already.

 

[beerbelly]