Red oak - cut to length a year ago but not split

[etc]

Just scored some "free firewood" from CL, just shy of a cord.

Very old red oak, cut to about 18" but not split. I split it today.

question, exactly how bad will it burn this winter? I split it into the smallest chunks possible and want to dry it out for 2-3 months until it gets really cold (presumably January).

It has that slight wood smell but not as strong as freshly cut oak.

Does wood dry at all when cut but not split?

 

[buzz sawyer]

How long ago was it cut? If it's been on the ground and in weather it may be starting to get punky - I just cut some today like that.
If it's not punky, try burning some.

 

[etc]

Cut a year ago, last fall. It was stacked so no rot.

 

[buzz sawyer]

Yeah, shouldn't be any rot in a year. I doubt it will be as dry as it should be but may still burn OK. Wait a month and try some. I'd have some drier wood ready just in case to start a good bed of coals.

 

[Herd8497]

If you can afford to wait I wood (). I have split some standing dead or fallen oak smaller and kept it stacked inside and near the stove to speed it up too. Great score regardless, congrats.

 

[CWME]

I doubt your going to be happy with that wood until next year at best. I cut a pile of red oak 5 years ago. It sat under cover for three years all stacked up. Tried burning some but was peeing water out the ends something fierce at year three. Waited until year 4 and burned most of it but it was still hissing and peeing water. I have a bit left this year and it is still hissing on the fire after five years.

 

[esshup]

If it still had the bark on it, I'll bet that even up off the ground the moisture content was over 20%. You can burn it this year, but you probably won't be as happy as you'd be if you waited until fall of 2015 to burn it. Put something over the top of it so it won't get rained/snowed on, leave the sides open to the wind.

 

[unclemoustache]

This is the one I have (along with a much smaller one). Works great! VERY handy.

http://www.amazon.com/General-Tools...qid=1414583982&sr=8-1&keywords=moisture+meter

 

[mainewoods]

I have some red oak left behind by a logging outfit that has been down 4 years, tree length. I c/s/s it in Aug. in full sun and wind. By the end of Sept. it was cracked on the ends and more than dry enough to burn well. The quicker you get it split (small) and stacked, the better chance you have for it to be dry enough to burn. Covering just the top and running your stack east to west, for maximum sun exposure, will help a lot. When the dew points get down into the 20's and 30's this fall/early winter, you will be surprised how much moisture is pulled out of that wood.

 

[sunfish]

Red Oak is the slowest drying wood of all the hard wood I cut. I season it at least two years after splitting and stacking in the dry. Burns better in my stoves after 3 years...

 

[Fred Wright]

You can try burning it later in winter. It will burn but the heat output probably won't be satisfactory. Save it for next year. It will burn hot when it's cured.

 

[woodbooga]

Red oak's pretty miserly is surrendering moisture. Bigger rounds closer to the rootball will be sopping likely. Top and limbs might be better.

If you can, wait for next season. Or else be prepared to whittle them down into burnable matchsticks

I hauled home 3 trees (true from a swampbottom) - down in tree length 5 years. Stovelength 20" wide was a groin girder to hoist onto the truck. Gottem home, went right into next year's supply

 

[Marine5068]

I burn lots of Red Oak, but as others stated, it needs time to season and a good place to dry out. I have it stacked just like Mainwoods said and it did very well seasoning. I stacked it bark down and by the end of two years the bark just fell away, then it went on my sheltered racks to dry more again until the Fall. Nice wood if you get it dry.

 

[c5rulz]

You can burn it, but it certainly is not going to be "seasoned".

 

[Coldfront]

Sometimes it is not so bad, add it to a good hot bed of coals, or mix it in with some good dry wood after your house is up to temp. makes for a good long burn when max heat is not needed. And after it does burn itself dry also leaves a good bed of coals. Good for a long overnight burn.
Really dry seasoned wood certainly does put out more btu's per cord of wood but also burns up twice as fast, if you don't have some way to store the heat.

 

[woodchuck357]

Red oak just doesn't dry in rounds that long if they are over 4 inches in diameter. Consider them the same as fresh cut green, split them now and wait until next winter to use them. Better if let dry two to three years.

 

[brenndatomu]

Even if you whittled it down into kinlin size pieces it won't burn great this year, heck, maybe not next either...oak needs to sit in the sun n wind to dry...for a while!

 

[ponyexpress976]

Just as a point of reference...and I don't want to pee in your cherios in any way....I have some red oak for my smoker. That was cut to 4" disks and then whittled down to 1" diameter sticks. That wood was cut 4 months ago and has been stored in direct sun/wind in a plastic crate. Used some yesterday and it all hissed.

 

[CRThomas]

What you need to do is spend a little money make you a small kiln after splitting take the mess that's left burn it to dry your good wood. I have a kiln that will hold a cord but I only dry a rank at a time I really don't dry the wood I cook the water out. I can dry a cord in 48 hours or a rank in 24 hours. It cost me $4.00 a rank with gas and electricity. A friend of mine with propane dry 32 cord in a 3 month with with $240.00 dollars worth of propane. His wood is on his farm they were downed trees labor don't no the cost but he said about $7.00 a cord he has that wood in his dad barn the whole family has dry wood for three years I told him I was impressed. Live and learn. (later)

 

[Guswhit]

Helped the FIL 2 years ago split some Red Oak that had been standing dead for 3 years and he had blocked into rounds about 5 months before we split it. It sat in direct sunlight for those 5 months on top of a windy knob. When we split it in November it still tested over 25% moisture. Good luck!