seasoning logs

[chuckwood]

In my experience, this couldn't be further from reality. When I cut to 16" and let them sit, they are way dryer than if I leave them in log length. A 100' log only has 2 ends to lose moisture from. A 100' log cut into 1' lengths now has 200 ends to lose moisture from. Way more surface area is exposed.

I had a 50 foot long 36" base diameter red oak log hanging around for about 5 years or so. I was going to chainsaw mill it, but it just didn't happen. I bucked it up and noodled it last week, and the inside of the log was just as wet as if it had just been felled. None of it will be ready to burn until about a year from now.

 

[woodfarmer]

View attachment 528355 Bark will fall off when you do split, and may season quicker when split. Don't expect to split and burn even at a year in log form, or even rounds. That is my experience in S.W. Michigan. This is Oak, 8' log form one year, rounds in full sun three months, very wet when split.

I really can't see the sense in pilling these rounds and then splitting at a latter date. Seems like a lot of extra work.

 

[cantoo]

Woodfarmer, he's tight on space and time. I pile logs to work on later because I have to get them when the crops are off and it's not wet. I don't stack my rounds when cutting them though, I just push them into a pile with the tractor.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

I really can't see the sense in pilling these rounds and then splitting at a latter date. Seems like a lot of extra work.

You are exactly right. It was extra work. But not so bad with the racks and forklift. More time, not too much work.
Two twenty cord loads. I did it for two reasons. I needed to move the logs to make room for another load of logs. (Two years ago I got burnt ordering logs. We had a hard winter which pushed back Spring deliveries, and also created a lot more demand for logs. I ordered in Nov. for Spring and took delivery in June. Which meant not enough time to process and season Oak.) Second reason is that I ordered the Posch PackFix to eliminate stacking and that delivery took several months. I had split rounds in the past, piled with the conveyor and had a moldy mess before I got it stacked, so I did not split it right away.
I have one third cord of rounds left to split and then will be setting up the cut table, and staging table next to the splitter tomorrow.

Above the rounds is the dog. She is sitting on a small berm at the edge of the ravine, about a 30' drop to two creeks, and a flood plain/wetland.

 

[jrider]

Just discovered that whole length logs do lose water and more than many would think. Does it dry out? Of course not but here's my data. Had a good sized oak log - probably 16' long or so and about 26" diameter on big end and 18" on small end. 2 months ago tractor could not pick up whole log so I picked up one end at a time and put a block of wood under each end to get it off the ground. I had intentions of cutting it to a smaller length to store for later but didn't get to it. I got impatient 2 days ago and gave it a try with the same tractor and guess what? It picked it up- barely. Had to put it in 4wd but I could now move it. Do I know how much water it lost? Nope, but enough that the same tractor could now move it.

 

[dwasifar]

My experience is that splits season faster than rounds. Makes sense if you think of it in terms of surface to volume. A split will always have more surface compared to volume than a round.

 

[benp]

My experience is that for the most part....the only way wood really dries out is split.

I went after some 100" hardwood this past weekend that has been piled and off the ground for a few years. Ends are nice and cracked.....inside is wet.

A 20" diameter Norway pine the was not touching the ground, partially debarked and sticking up in the air was wet.

When I hit it with the axe it went pfffft with water/sap.

Bald standing dead red oak logs I cut today. Wet inside.

Now, I have a feeling that the wet standing dead may dry quicker than regular wood but it's still wet.

I have found very little that could go from being cut to stove for the average person.

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

No question to it, bucked, fully split and properly stacked dries the fastest. The surface to volume ratio is best, and you can get the most air flow around the wood.

Next fastest is to get the rounds bucked and stacked. This is how I do it - buck to length and stack in windrows. Give them some time (months to a year) to dry out and get lighter, and then split. I can put my splitter parallel to the windrow, and just work my way along it, splitting and tossing into the truck. Usually, I don't have to move the truck, as it gets full before I go far enough to need to move it.

Third fastest is to buck and pile. I've done this in the past, and it's a mess to try to split, and the middle doesn't really dry all that much.

Everyone has something that works for them. If you're ahead with your wood, it might not be necessary to dry wood as fast as possible.

 

[bartman23]

How long do you find it takes to be ready to burn once it's split after being bucked and stacked for a year or so

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

How long do you find it takes to be ready to burn once it's split after being bucked and stacked for a year or so

I don't know. Another year? Depends on the wood. Ash is ready to go within a couple months, some maple as well. I don't have an EPA furnace, so sometimes I have burned stuff that isn't 100%, but it was good enough for the time.

For example, I am working now on bucking a load of logs that will be split next fall, for burning late next winter, and some into the winter after. I will soon be splitting some windrows that are 1 year old, as well as some that are 2 years old. The 2 year old stuff looks like it's good to go now, even in the round, but we had a really hot/dry summer, so that probably helped.

 

[bartman23]

Well I'll be burning some choicy wood come mid January I guess once my well seasoned stuff runs out. Just having moved in last fall to my first house with a wood stove and not getting a saw till July and having a wedding in august didn't leave much time for getting ready for this winter. But cut about a cord of ash and got a cord and a bit of aspen that sat in rounds for a year and a half split and stacked end of august hoping they'll be alright to finish the year