# Will This Wood Dry In Time



## fdegree

I recently got 6 cords of wood...3 in each bay.  This is oak and it is freshly split.  The bay opening faces south, if that means anything.  I'm wondering if the wood will dry enough by October/November to be used in a new Blaze King?


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## twitch

With my limited experience, only my second year of burning, I'd say that if you split it small enough it will burn pretty well in a year.  This past spring I split fresh cut oak so the end is about the size of a playing card, and It is burning pretty good.  A lot better than the wood I had last year.  If you can give it 2 years, it will be better.

Awesome woodshed by the way!


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## Stevebass4

not too sure BUT that's an awesome wood shed!


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## fdegree

Most of the logs seem to be about 12" in diameter.  Some split in half, others split in quarters.  I rushed the building of the wood shed, and the delivery of the wood, as quickly as I could...hoping it will dry in time.  I guess time will tell.

Thanks for the compliment on the shed.  I designed it so I would have enough wood in any 1 bay for one years worth of burning...capable of holding 4 cords per bay if necessary.  Makes it easier to keep track of how much I'm burning and how much wood is being delivered.

Thanks for responding...


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## Tony H

If you want oak to be good and dry by then take it out when it warms up and cross stack it outside so you can get max air flow and sun then put it back in the shed when it gets close to winter. Most other woods would be fine drying in the shed but oak would normally take more like 18 months to get dry enough to use.
 Nice looking shed


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## ecocavalier02

i agree with tony on that one. i just tested my oak that has been drying for two years different pieces are reading between 15 to 20 % moisture content. the maple on the other hand is like 12 to 15 and its only been split a year. with the cat stove your going to need to be careful with that oak being so fresh. i to have my BK Coming on monday and am anxious to see how it goes.


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## Pagey

Now that's a wood shed!  :bug:


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## ChillyGator

Tony H said:
			
		

> If you want oak to be good and dry by then take it out when it warms up and cross stack it outside so you can get max air flow and sun then put it back in the shed when it gets close to winter. Most other woods would be fine drying in the shed but oak would normally take more like 18 months to get dry enough to use.
> Nice looking shed



+2  Very nice!

I think the outside rows might dry enough but those behind it not so much.

take what you think you need for next year and get it in the sun/wind as much as possible! 

 my stack from April 2009 that got all the sun dried to 20 -22% by late Novmber, the stack next to it that did not get direct sun was still 27%, same wood from my fathers stack that was getting no direct sun/wind was still 31+% when I checked it last week!

my dry wood is staying under a shed with no sides but my new wood I'm stacking out in the open,crisscross and covering the top with clear plastic enough to keep it from getting soaked but just stapling down every foot or so around the perimeter.    Hoping it will dry better than just using the shed.  Good luck.


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## LLigetfa

Either that's one big mother of a shed or you got ripped off.  Sure doesn't look like 6 cord to me.  Are you talking face cords?


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## fdegree

LLigetfa said:
			
		

> Either that's one big mother of a shed or you got ripped off.  Sure doesn't look like 6 cord to me.  Are you talking face cords?



Perhaps the picture is deceiving...or my math is way off.  :-S 

There is 3 full cords in each bay.  Each bay measures 8' wide by 12' deep and the stacks are about 6' tall.  So, each bay has a stack that is 8 x 8 x 6 with enough room in front of the stacks for another cord, at least.

Next year I will fill the center bay (couldn't afford to do it this year).  That will allow me 2 years of drying time for each bay before I burn it (after the first 2 seasons).  Hopefully, my estimate of 3 cords per year is close...if not, I have enough room to add more wood to each bay.

Thanks for all the opinions...perhaps I'll wait another year before taking the plunge into buying the wood stove.  I want to be sure I have dry wood so I can avoid a lot of the problems that I read about.  I'm too lazy to unstack and restack  :red:


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## Archie

As a fellow mid-atlantic"er" I would suggest your oak may not be optimal by next fall/winter (I'm assuming it is fresh cut).  Oak just takes a long time and the humidity in our region doesn't help the drying process.  Wouldn't hurt to throw a split on a hot fire next year to check for hiss, though, or get a moisture meter.  I would think you'd be good the following winter (11/12) with the wood under a shed.  Nice shed by the way.


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## ChillyGator

[quote Thanks for all the opinions...perhaps I'll wait another year before taking the plunge into buying the wood stove.  I want to be sure I have dry wood so I can avoid a lot of the problems that I read about.  I'm too lazy to unstack and restack  :red:[/quote]

I'm getting a lot more 'sweats/split' than I thought possible before I started burning :lol:


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## Jfk4th

Like others have said, get that wood into the sunlight, then around late Sept put it back in the wood shed.  Leaving it uncovered in the sun and wind all day will enhance its chances of being ready for a Fall burn.  Don't even cover the top, leave the whole thing uncovered and just make sure the wood is off the ground.  With oak you need every little bit of sun and wind you can get


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## Stihl Country

I Love your wood shed,,, But I would,nt even think of burning oak unless it,s at least 18 months old. Even better at 24 months. Even though it will burn good before then you have the creosote problem with unseasoned wood.


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## PapaDave

I've got to comment on the shed. That is nice!
Been thinking of doing one this year, and that's just about EXACTLY how I envisioned my will look. Thanks for the pics.
As for the wood,...if you split it smaller than normal (whatever that is to you), it may burn well enough. Keep going when this batch is done, for your 2011 supply, and THAT firewood will put a smile on your face.

What are the dimensions on that shed. Hard to tell from here. :lol:
Edit: N/M, didn't read the whole post first.


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## iskiatomic

Holy crap Batman! that has to be the most killer woodshed I have seen. Great job.

That woodshed make me look like Ghetto haven.

Let that oak sit as long as you can, at least 24 months. When dry, it's solid gold for heat!

KC


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## bogydave

fdegree said:
			
		

> I recently got 6 cords of wood...3 in each bay.  This is oak and it is freshly split.  The bay opening faces south, if that means anything.  I'm wondering if the wood will dry enough by October/November to be used in a new Blaze King?



Don't know about Oak, but if  it could dry by then, you have the perfect wood shed for that to happen 
If you see on similar on one of my post in the future, It's because Thats A Perfect Woodshed!
OK if I use the picture as part of my plans?  To late

My wood shed plans: ;-P


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## VCBurner

Beauty of a shed, real pro like stuf!! The bays look like stables.  Anyway, I thought a cord was 4x4x8 or 128 cubic feet?  Right?


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## DBoon

If it were mine and it was all I had to burn next season, I would take half of the wood from each bin and split it in half again, and stack it loosely and cross-wise in the middle bin.   Then, try to find a cord of cherry or maple you could also use for next year.


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## iceman

great shed!... even if you plan on burning tht wood next year or the year after you need to leave it the way it is or move it... sounds weird i know but since you put the wood in 2 different sides that means you cant put anything in front of it or your "seasoned" wood will be in the "back" and it looks like you cant get to it from the back  so you will be limiting yourself .. because all future wood is gonna have to go in the middle... so i would at least empty 1 side let it sit out in the sun for the summer, which would give me 2 full sides to work on for the 11-12 season and so on


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## JBinKC

Another definite no by November if your looking for decent heat output and minimal fussing. I would save it for 2011-2012. However, you probably could burn the smaller 3 inch largest cross sectional pieces with success by the end of March of 2011 (15 months) but would you want to use your better wood for a shoulder season?


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## Backwoods Savage

I certainly would not go to the extreme of re-stacking the wood out into the sun nor would I re-split it. It looks as if you split it pretty small to start with and wind is more important than sun. 

But will it be ready? I doubt it, but it might be possible the outside rows that get wind may be ready...but barely.

Good luck and congratulations on your new shed and all the work you have done. Looks good.


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## smokinj

Oak Is the hard one to season but it looks like your in a windy spot but I doubt it will be ready if that blaze king has the 2nd burn tubes.


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## drdoct

So you buy all your wood?  I wouldn't hold of on buying a stove.  What I'd do is look around for 1-2 cords of pine or soft hardwood that you should be able to get much cheaper than oak.  You could talk to your tree services who probably double as firewood people (down here they do anyway) and let them know that you're interested in some junk firewood that's green.  Should be half the price of oak and then you can stack it criss crossed in the middle bin and have some good dry wood to burn to keep a hot fire and use 1 or 2 pieces of the driest oak with each load to sustain the fire.  You'll be fine.  Shoot, I'm burning 1 yr old oak right now.  It's not optimum, but I can maintain 600* and long burns with it.  Just got to keep an eye on the chimney.  Don't give up on the stove!!


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## fdegree

Thanks for all of the compliments on the shed.  :coolsmile:   I did design it, but I am not the building type...had to get my brother to build it for me.

For anyone that is interested, the dimensions are as follows...starting from the left most bay:
Left Bay = 12 x12
Left Center Bay = 12 x 8
Right Center Bay = 12 x 8
Right Bay = 12 x 8
Overall Dimensions = 12 x 36

The left most bay I am using for storage, hence no stone floor.  The other 3 bays are sized large enough for 5 cords each, if they are stacked 7' high...for a total of 15 cords.  I'm hoping to keep enough wood, in any one bay, for one season of burning, allowing the other 2 bays to dry.

I lined the bottom of the bays with 3/4" stone about 5" - 6" deep...expecting it to settle to about 4" deep.

Having it divided into sections makes it easier to monitor how much I'm burning, how much I'm receiving from a supplier, and, if I burn from 1 bay at a time, I'm ensuring I don't stack new wood in front of "old" dry wood, which would make it impossible to get to the dry stuff.

We do have a lot of wind that comes across the field behind the shed...almost all of the time.  Been considering a wind generator...maybe some day.

While the shed was being built, I was telling my neighbors we were going to raise free-range pigs, so they might see some pigs roaming around their yards one day. :lol:

Anyone that wants to use that design, feel free...unless you are next door to me, I'll never know anyway. ;-)

Maybe I'll call around to see if any wood suppliers have anything that has been split and drying for a while.  If I can swing the cost, I can stack that in the center bay for next season.  I don't have high expectations, but it can't hurt to call around.


Again, thanks for the input and compliments


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## fdegree

VCBurner said:
			
		

> Anyway, I thought a cord was 4x4x8 or 128 cubic feet?  Right?



Correct

What I have stacked in each bay is 8 x 8 x 6 = 384 cubic feet...384 / 3 = 128.  So, at the moment I do have 3 cords in each bay with room enough for more if I find out I burn more than 3 cords per year.


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## Wood Duck

Oak may need another year to season, but there are plenty of woods that don't. Why not buy some ash, soft maple, pine, or whatever is cheap near you and fill a bay with wood that will be ready for next year. You already have the best woodshed I've ever seen, might as well have a nice stove to go with it.


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## maplewood

That's a beautiful shed. We've got shed-envy.

I'd burn the wood this fall. With your wind, excellent breath-ability walls and such an open field, I think you'll be ready to go in 9 more months.
Yes, having some softer wood that would dry faster would be great to mix in. Having a variety of wood is always handy, anyway. 
Invest in the moisture meter - you'll appreciate the numbers. But the simple test is the hissing / boiling of wet wood in the stove. It's a disgusting sound.

I'd be interested to see if your wood touching the gravel will be dry enough, though. I use pallets, keeping it 5" off the ground, and letting more air flow through the ranks of wood. Did you leave some space between the ranks for air flow? Or did I miss that comment in the earlier discussions?

Happy burning!


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## billb3

Buy the stove and burn the shed.


Are the bays numbered for an Excel spreadsheet ?


I give oak  2 years from the day it is split.
If that was cut green , it probably will  not burn efficiently at year 1.
Dead standing sometimes isn't ready in 12 months.

The problem really will be 'will it burn good enough' ?

If you told me no, I'd try to prove you wrong.  
You may find the splits around the perimeters season a bit faster than in the center.


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## firefighterjake

Very nice woodshed.


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## VCBurner

fdegree said:
			
		

> VCBurner said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Anyway, I thought a cord was 4x4x8 or 128 cubic feet?  Right?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Correct
> 
> What I have stacked in each bay is 8 x 8 x 6 = 384 cubic feet...384 / 3 = 128.  So, at the moment I do have 3 cords in each bay with room enough for more if I find out I burn more than 3 cords per year.
Click to expand...


"Gotcha! Great planning skills man.  I wish I was that organized.  Anyway, around here you can find all the pine you want for free.  Get yourself some free pine and throw it in a stove with that oak and you'll get those outer splits burning in no time.  Depending on the stove.  Just make sure you check your connectors and chimney frequently for build up and clean it as needed!!  Good luck and burn on!"


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## fdegree

maplewood said:
			
		

> Did you leave some space between the ranks for air flow?
> 
> Happy burning!



No, but that is something to consider in the future


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## fdegree

billb3 said:
			
		

> Are the bays numbered for an Excel spreadsheet ?



Actually, the bays are numbers.  Although, I hadn't thought about the idea of a spread sheet.  I don't know if I need to go that deep...do I?


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## ansehnlich1

fdegree said:
			
		

> I recently got 6 cords of wood...3 in each bay.  This is oak and it is freshly split.  The bay opening faces south, if that means anything.  I'm wondering if the wood will dry enough by October/November to be used in a new Blaze King?



I just tonight threw some oak in my Oslo, the stuff was split and stacked in March 2 years ago. It'll burn ok, but I'm waiting til next year to burn it, that'll make 3 Pennsylvania summers drying time....just right IMHO.


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## polaris

Great shed. I agree with previous posters about oak(especially red). It takes a min. of 2 years stacked and split for red oak to burn the way I'd like it to. I have burned after one but it was a bit of a struggle.
    Joe


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## jjh3d

What's an "Excel spreadsheet" ?  

;-)


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## BadBurner

As others have mentioned, that is a very nice wood shed.

It is well known that wood will season faster at higher temperatures, and since your shed opens toward the south here is an idea you could try:
Place some 4x8 sheets of foil faced insulation board flat on the ground in front of your stacks, and on the undersides of the rafters inside the shed. On those bright, hot sunny days of spring and summer, the foil will reflect more sunlight into your stacks and season them quicker.


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## Adios Pantalones

Holy crap what a shed.  A pile that deep won't have much air around most of the splits.  Break it up int single rows along the sides of each bay and you may have some reasonable wood- but oak does take extra long.  In one year- make sure you burn it a bit hotter (more air), and watch your chimney for buildup- but I operated like that for years.


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## cptoneleg

My shed is built like yours and no Oak will not dry in there in 2 yrs,  when I built mine I just had to put some wood in it so I stacked the whole back wall all the way to the top, and after 2 yrs is still not dry enough to burn.  So now I let Oak sit out in single rows for 2 yrs then bring it into the shed.

My shed is 8' x 16' and I had thought with all the air it would dry faster.


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## ohlongarm

By far one of the nicest I've ever seen,I will probably have to have one,beautiful.


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## oldspark

Part of the problem is the wood is packed in the shed so you have both the shed and the way it is stacked working against ya. I plan on building a shed but I guess the only wood going in to the shed will be dry.


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## mecreature

I bet that wood is dry by now.


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## fdegree

cptoneleg said:
			
		

> My shed is built like yours and no Oak will not dry in there in 2 yrs...



The wood that was stacked in the far right section is white oak that was cut - split - stacked in that section 2 years ago.  I am burning from this section this winter, and I have gotten about half way through the stacks.  So, this has allowed me to pull 3 splits from about the center of the original stack, today.  I just came in from splitting these 3 splits and measured the moisture content on the freshly split side...all 3 measured exactly 15%.

Everyone's situation is different...I am fortunate that my shed is open to the south, allowing for some sun exposure...plus, there is an open field behind the shed where I get a significant amount of wind throughout the entire year.


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## cptoneleg

fdegree said:
			
		

> cptoneleg said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My shed is built like yours and no Oak will not dry in there in 2 yrs...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The wood that was stacked in the far right section is white oak that was cut - split - stacked in that section 2 years ago.  I am burning from this section this winter, and I have gotten about half way through the stacks.  So, this has allowed me to pull 3 splits from about the center of the original stack, today.  I just came in from splitting these 3 splits and measured the moisture content on the freshly split side...all 3 measured exactly 15%.
> 
> Everyone's situation is different...I am fortunate that my shed is open to the south, allowing for some sun exposure...plus, there is an open field behind the shed where I get a significant amount of wind throughout the entire year.
Click to expand...







   Your original question is I got 6 cords of Oak in this shed will it dry in 10 months.  Where did the 2 yr old White Oak come from.???


Have Fun


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## fdegree

cptoneleg said:
			
		

> Your original question is I got 6 cords of Oak in this shed will it dry in 10 months.  Where did the 2 yr old White Oak come from.???



You are correct.  Some of the confusion might be coming from the fact that this thread was started in January of 2010.  It became revived due to a link from another thread that I started yesterday.

Sorry if that created some confusion...

The pictures showed 2 years of wood inside that shed...1 year in the left most section and the other year in the right most section.  Last winter I burned the wood that was in the left most section.  It was cut - split - stacked in January of 2010...only about 10 months worth of drying.  This winter I am burning the wood that is in the right most section.  It was also cut - split - stacked in January of 2010...as of today, this years wood is just a bit over 2 years worth of drying.


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