Choices what should I do?

[iceman]

At 180 a cord i can get a mix of hickory, maple, and ash .... no oak...... the guy thought I was crazy!
heres the catch ( not really) but this wood will be cut custom length and de-barked!
the guy claims tht if i got oak it wood be ready because he de-barks it so tht is huge when holding on to moisture... swears if i stack it now it will be ready by nov... because most of the firewood is already debarked.. (they are still pole length but debarked now as we speak) so onnce it gets c/s will dry even faster..
he knows tht wood will not truly season until c/s... but his already debarked pole is getting some season as well.. no bark to retain moisture...


Sooooo, I have about 2 cords of oak that will be 2yrs old this fall.. (and the bark is still tight thanks to all the rain last summer) Almost a cord of pine for the fall nights...... and about 3 cords of oak tht was split fall 09 (which maybe will be ready 11-12).... i burn close to 4 cds a year or more if its colder longer....
so should I :

1) buy this from this guy at 180
2) buy from my regular guy cut but not split 75- 125 cord depending on demand.. but will be all oak
3) buy 2 cord @ 180 pray its good for this year AND buy from my guy to have more for next year (oak)

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I'd go with #2 personally.

Split them small and keep them in the sun.

Even if I had to burn slightly less than ideal wood next spring I'd do it for the chance to get a year or two worth of oak for 75-125/cord. If I could get it at that price I probably wouldn't scrounge.


Matt

 

[JustWood]

Eye dohnt buy debarked = quiker seasoning .

 

[Wood Duck]

Sounds like you have about three cords of wood for this year, right (two cords, oak, almost one of pine)? So all you need is about one more cord, but you already have several cords of oak that will be a year old in the fall, more than a year by the time you need it. I'd buy the cheaper wood, which I think is option #2. You are in OK shape for next year, plus I don't think bark or no bark makes a big difference if the wood is split. All splits have at least one side bark free anyway.

 

[Battenkiller]

Eye dohnt buy debarked = quiker seasoning .

Me neither. Even rounds season just fine in my experience. As long as the wood is bucked and stored on its side so rain won't soak in, bark doesn't make too much difference. Firewood dries primarily from the ends.

 

[Bubbavh]

Eye dohnt buy debarked = quiker seasoning .

+1
Sounds like that guy is tring to blow smoke up your chimney!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Eye dohnt buy debarked = quiker seasoning .

Me neither. Even rounds season just fine in my experience. As long as the wood is bucked and stored on its side so rain won't soak in, bark doesn't make too much difference. Firewood dries primarily from the ends.

Wood does indeed dry from the ends. It also dries even faster once it is split as then it also dries from the middle.

One thing you do know is what you will get from your previous source of wood. You do not know for sure about the new fellow.

 

[Todd]

Ask the new guy if he can give you 2 cords of that super fast drying Ash.

 

[iceman]

Ask the new guy if he can give you 2 cords of that super fast drying Ash.

the new guy will give me ash, hickory, maple, n birch either mixed or all of whatever i ask he is the super big tree/excav/wood pellet selling company...



my fear is this winter will be cold and i wont have enough to get me through ... but heck who knows... if i get 1 cord of ash from him and 1 mixed or 2 cord ash I know i will be ok.... but then again i can split really small and pray if i have to use it it will be ready..

 

[billb3]

I like choice number 2, but like stocks, prefer to diversify and would buy some from each. A liittle safer bet ?

I don't see any benefit to debarking except he ends up with bark to sell elsewhere as mulch maybe ?

 

[daveswoodhauler]

# 2 cause its a great deal and its oak (I am kinda cheap)
You have 2 cords of oak 2 years seasoned ready to rock for next year, and 1 cord of pine. Split 1 cord of the oak you were planning for the following year about half the size.
If I were you, I'd be buying 3 cords of #2 now and just split is a little smaller....$120 a cord is pretty schweet.
Edit - just noticed the oak is not splt, but I also noticed you don't have your new splitter in your sig.....so, again, get the oak
Good luck.

 

[ihookem]

I don't like neither, cause it's not free. I do buy the idea that it dries faster if the bark is off. I see dry wood and the bark falls off to find the a lot of moisture under the bark, the split side is dry.

 

[iceman]

# 2 cause its a great deal and its oak (I am kinda cheap)
You have 2 cords of oak 2 years seasoned ready to rock for next year, and 1 cord of pine. Split 1 cord of the oak you were planning for the following year about half the size.
If I were you, I'd be buying 3 cords of #2 now and just split is a little smaller....$120 a cord is pretty schweet.
Edit - just noticed the oak is not splt, but I also noticed you don't have your new splitter in your sig.....so, again, get the oak
Good luck.

hey thanks for reminding me.... i am actually gonna get the 4-way wedge from here to http://www.freewebs.com/logsplitter/

I think de barked dries faster as the bark is what holds the moisture in ... as the wood dries most bark comes off and usually the last part to dry is where the bark is because normally thats the largest piece of the wood ..... others think that you actually get more wood when debarked...as by taking off bark means your cord would be smaller in height so to say....

i take my bark off the wood, and i had 3 pickup loads full of bark to get rid of (from about 4 cords) ... can you believe that? i was shocked, myself... when there is no bark you are less likely to have as many bugs.. so they say... if it were cheaper i would def go for it, no doubt...

 

[Battenkiller]

... as the wood dries most bark comes off

Not necessarily. Winter-cut hardwood retains its bark much better than summer-cut wood. I have some winter-cut wood that's been stored in my shop for years, and I can't remove the bark without using a big timber slick or an adze, or turning it off on the lathe. No chance it will ever fall off by itself. I also have mucho ash, hickory, oak and cherry that was cut in late fall. I dried some of it down to below 18% in my arid basement, and the bark on every last piece is still as tight as a tick on a dog. Bowl turners who turn natural-edged (bark left on the edge) bowls are well aware of the need to use winter-cut wood to keep the bark from falling off.

And winter-cut wood dries just fine with the bark in place. I recently did a measurement of moisture content for hickory that was cut from live trees this December. I measured a 1" thick slice from the very center of a hickory round and a slice from the center of a split half, taken from what appeared to be the same limb. I used the completely accurate and reliable "oven-dry" method to determine moisture content. The split half had already dropped to 41% MC in just two months outside in the winter air. The round was right behind it in drying at 42% MC. Hickory usually starts at about 60% MC when green. So the split half dropped 19% water and the round dropped 18%... pretty much the same amount for burning purposes.

Experience is real nice to have, but sometimes the cold light of analysis illuminates better than light filtered by conviction.

 

[Tony H]

I don't know if the bark made any diff but I got a bunch of standing dead elm with no bark cut last summer into 8' logs and up to 12" diameter and when I cut and split some in December it was dry and burned well ,measured it at 20 % with a 25.00 meter.

 

[iceman]

... as the wood dries most bark comes off

Not necessarily. Winter-cut hardwood retains its bark much better than summer-cut wood. I have some winter-cut wood that's been stored in my shop for years, and I can't remove the bark without using a big timber slick or an adze, or turning it off on the lathe. No chance it will ever fall off by itself. I also have mucho ash, hickory, oak and cherry that was cut in late fall. I dried some of it down to below 18% in my arid basement, and the bark on every last piece is still as tight as a tick on a dog. Bowl turners who turn natural-edged (bark left on the edge) bowls are well aware of the need to use winter-cut wood to keep the bark from falling off.

And winter-cut wood dries just fine with the bark in place. I recently did a measurement of moisture content for hickory that was cut from live trees this December. I measured a 1" thick slice from the very center of a hickory round and a slice from the center of a split half, taken from what appeared to be the same limb. I used the completely accurate and reliable "oven-dry" method to determine moisture content. The split half had already dropped to 41% MC in just two months outside in the winter air. The round was right behind it in drying at 42% MC. Hickory usually starts at about 60% MC when green. So the split half dropped 19% water and the round dropped 18%... pretty much the same amount for burning purposes.

Experience is real nice to have, but sometimes the cold light of analysis illuminates better than light filtered by conviction.

ok tht works for you... In my scenario, My bark falls off when the wood is close to being almost where i need it... after sitting outside for almost 2 years 90% of my bark can easily be pulled off with one hand or light swing of the axe, if it doesnt fall off when i pick it up.... this is wood that was cut in the spring, summer, and fall. I don't know any other thing they have in common beside being outside for at least 18 months....
How do you do your experiments in the oven? 2 pieces next to each other or 1 at a time for the same time?
and remember on your experiments you have different species.. I deal almost exclusively with red oak.... so it can be different, all of the things here have to be classified as "generally speaking" because no tree is the exact same... now does the idea of debarking make sense to me? yes, based on bark protects wood, and if it is gone tht is more of an area of wood tht I burn exposed to the sun wind and so forth,. Now, is it true ? Dunno some will swear by it others wont... I dont like to burn wood with bark on it because, I swear it gives me a ton more ash in the stove which means i gotta clean it out more often... I swear when i burn without bark there is at least a weeks difference in the ash bucket....
I dont know why the bark doesnt fall off when you oven bake it... I am lost, maybe because the ovens humidity is high? (sounds crazy i know) but i tell you, one of the ways i know my wood is ready MOST of the time is simply the bark falls right off.... If i go check this years wood, and the bark is loose I know more than likely it will be ready to go this winter. (along with how much it weighs)

 

[NH_Wood]

hey thanks for reminding me.... i am actually gonna get the 4-way wedge from here to http://www.freewebs.com/logsplitter/

I think de barked dries faster as the bark is what holds the moisture in ... as the wood dries most bark comes off and usually the last part to dry is where the bark is because normally thats the largest piece of the wood ..... others think that you actually get more wood when debarked...as by taking off bark means your cord would be smaller in height so to say....

i take my bark off the wood, and i had 3 pickup loads full of bark to get rid of (from about 4 cords) ... can you believe that? i was shocked, myself... when there is no bark you are less likely to have as many bugs.. so they say... if it were cheaper i would def go for it, no doubt...[/quote]

Why not dry all that bark for kindling? I keep all my bark, let is get bone dry in the Sun, and store up big bunches of it - awesome kindling. Cheers!

 

[iceman]

hey thanks for reminding me.... i am actually gonna get the 4-way wedge from here to http://www.freewebs.com/logsplitter/

I think de barked dries faster as the bark is what holds the moisture in ... as the wood dries most bark comes off and usually the last part to dry is where the bark is because normally thats the largest piece of the wood ..... others think that you actually get more wood when debarked...as by taking off bark means your cord would be smaller in height so to say....

i take my bark off the wood, and i had 3 pickup loads full of bark to get rid of (from about 4 cords) ... can you believe that? i was shocked, myself... when there is no bark you are less likely to have as many bugs.. so they say... if it were cheaper i would def go for it, no doubt...

Why not dry all that bark for kindling? I keep all my bark, let is get bone dry in the Sun, and store up big bunches of it - awesome kindling. Cheers![/quote]

I used too, but ever since the super cedar found their way into my house I dont anymore, i give it away if possible or burn it in my outdoor pit... but for some reason i get so much more ash

 

[zzr7ky]

Hi -

Veering off topic: I remove any bark that is loose. I let it mulcj the processing area in Sping or Fall wet seasons. I burn a lot of it as well, some in the stove, most in a bonfire.

ATB,
Mike

 

[Backwoods Savage]

It is enough work putting up firewood and getting the bark off is the last thing I would do. If it falls off, okay. Otherwise it stays on. I somehow also question that it would dry faster unless the grain of the wood was open to the air.

 

[firefighterjake]

It is enough work putting up firewood and getting the bark off is the last thing I would do. If it falls off, okay. Otherwise it stays on. I somehow also question that it would dry faster unless the grain of the wood was open to the air.

I agree . . . no "naked" wood here unless the bark falls off naturally . . . a) I really don't believe it would make that much of a difference in drying vs. me leaving my wood to season for a year + and b) as BS mentioned I have plenty of stuff to do besides stripping the bark off wood.

 

[iceman]

It is enough work putting up firewood and getting the bark off is the last thing I would do. If it falls off, okay. Otherwise it stays on. I somehow also question that it would dry faster unless the grain of the wood was open to the air.

I agree . . . no "naked" wood here unless the bark falls off naturally . . . a) I really don't believe it would make that much of a difference in drying vs. me leaving my wood to season for a year + and b) as BS mentioned I have plenty of stuff to do besides stripping the bark off wood.

there is really no effort to it .. if its ready to come off... its really much more p.i.t.a to keep cleaning out the stove... ...... this year try a couple loads without bark and see if you can see the diff.. but like i said, when i am putting in the wheelbarrow to bring up to the house i just take the bark off... it might take an extra minute but really when its ready to come off it does... if its not i throw it in another pile to burn later

 

[gyrfalcon]

[
Not necessarily. Winter-cut hardwood retains its bark much better than summer-cut wood.

Why? I believe you. But why does it?

 

[woodsmaster]

I'd go with option 2. Bark makes more ash but is not worth the extra money to have it removed in my opinion. I'm sure it helps drying some but not like spliting.

 

[JustWood]

[
Not necessarily. Winter-cut hardwood retains its bark much better than summer-cut wood.

Why? I believe you. But why does it?

Basically a winter cut tree has not started the growth process due to dormancy.
In the spring when the growth process starts, a new layer of wood is formed between existing wood and bark ( growth ring) which causes a separation/expansion in a sense between the wood and bark. This makes it loose as well as the sap makes the layer very slippery and condusive to peeling. In the logging biz April to July is usually considered "peeling season". A time when most growth occurs and bark is easily separated from the wood.