How much longer does it take to dry big splits?

[SolarAndWood]

I started splitting a lot bigger last fall when I got a couple years ahead. Pictured is my new target size with the old target on top. Any thoughts on how much longer it takes to dry bigger splits? Or are they pretty similar and smaller splits are just easier to burn because of the surface area? I am thinking I should stack the big ones separately until I know for sure? Because of space constraints, my stacks are nearly 10' high, so restacking is undesirable.

The bottom split is 7x9 1/2, top is 4 1/2 x 4 1/2.

 

[gzecc]

Twice as long if twice as big.

 

[smokinj]

Twice as long if twice as big.

+1 and in a big pile 4 times as long.

 

[SolarAndWood]

You guys don't buy that the majority of drying is out the ends? So, because my new splits are 4 times the size, they will take 4 times as long to dry?

 

[smokinj]

You guys don't buy that the majority of drying is out the ends? So, because my new splits are 4 times the size, they will take 4 times as long to dry?

I run a furnace so big splits and piles is how I done it for 4 years and at the bottom of that pile and big splits where not seasoned very well and take a week to dry out...We where running big splits because its less labor and just piling and taken the time this year to split smaller and stacking...I can tell already that the bottoms of the stacks stay dry should use less than the 10-11 cords per year that I have Average for the last 4 years we will see?

 

[gzecc]

I don't know if its a direct proportion to the size. The thicker the split the longer the middle will take to loose it moisture. The middle is whats significant. The surface and ends dry easily.

 

[burntime]

My guess is half again as long. Thats just from the hip. I always split smaller about 4-6 inchs diameter tops.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

If one is 2-3 years ahead with their wood then there is no concern. I like to split some large ones along with the small and have no problem even when I'm down to a 2-3 year supply.

 

[fbelec]

You guys don't buy that the majority of drying is out the ends? So, because my new splits are 4 times the size, they will take 4 times as long to dry?

if the splits dried from the ends there would be no reason to get it split and racked way ahead of time. and if you had rounds sitting in a stack for three years without splitting when you did get around to split them you would see that they are still kind of green. unless you debark them. i just scored a couple of cord of pine in 6 to 8 foot length. it was cut a year ago. the pine with the bark still on it was heavy. the pine without bark was very light. i'm talking 8 to 12 inch in diameter.

 

[firefighterjake]

I don't really know the answer to this question . . . but I do know that I've changed things up a bit in how large I split my wood . . . partly to aid in the drying, partly to aid in how quick the wood catches on a re-load, but mostly since I found that with the smaller splits I can find the room in the firebox to fill it up more efficiently (note I didn't say pack it to the gills -- it's more of a case that using smaller splits gives me more options on filling up gaps) . . . and even with the smaller splits I'm finding that I'm still getting good to very good burn times.

 

[billb3]

I have a small stove and anytime I get into bigger splits (me splitting gets bigger at the end of the day) I have more coaling, especially with oak.
A little bit also with cherry.

Has not mattered whether fire pit, fire place, fireplace insert or modern wood stove.

I've never had a moisture meter or young vs. old identified split sizes to dispell the possibility of less dry wood in the center.


Within reason more seasoning time is generally advantageous.

If a big split fits in your big stove and yields big heat, go for it.
Worse that can happen is you find you get huge cold coals in the morning and you end up splitting them in half and burning later.

Size of your stove and temps within will make a difference your experience and someone else's, too.

 

[Battenkiller]

You guys don't buy that the majority of drying is out the ends? So, because my new splits are 4 times the size, they will take 4 times as long to dry?

We've been around this one a few times this winter. Some say rounds won't ever dry, others find no difference. I feel it depends on what length you buck it to.

Wood experts are in agreement that most wood dries 10-15 times faster from the ends than from the faces. That doesn't mean that drying rate is uniform throughout the length. You can only count on the last 5-6" to dry fast from the ends. If you leave it in log form, it will rot before it ever dries completely. If you buck to 20", only about half the round (5" at each end) will be able to avail itself of the faster drying rate. If you buck it to 2", it'll be dry in a few weeks.

Most wood experts tell you to air-dry lumber one year for each inch of thickness. So in the case of long boards, an 8" thick board would take 8 years to dry to the EMC. Since the goal with firewood isn't to get it to the EMC but to get it to the ideal moisture content (15-20% MC), your big 8" splits won't take anywhere near that long to dry.

I doubt anyone has done a controlled study of this with split firewood, but I'm pretty certain that huge splits will be wetter at the center than small splits of the same wood. How much wetter? Chuck 'em into the firebox and let the stove decide. As Dennis points out, if you season for long enough, your wood will be at the ideal MC when it comes time to burn it. But IMO if you need it to make good heat this coming season, I'd keep a bunch of it it below 6" thick.

 

[SolarAndWood]

Wood experts are in agreement that most wood dries 10-15 times faster from the ends than from the faces. That doesn't mean that drying rate is uniform throughout the length. You can only count on the last 5-6" to dry fast from the ends. If you leave it in log form, it will rot before it ever dries completely. If you buck to 20", only about half the round (5" at each end) will be able to avail itself of the faster drying rate. If you buck it to 2", it'll be dry in a few weeks.

That theory is my thinking and makes sense given what I see when I split a big round that was bucked and then sat. My ideal length is 18" but I don't buck any of the wood I get so it is all over the place. I burn all the chunks under 10" the same year as it is very dry.

But IMO if you need it to make good heat this coming season, I'd keep a bunch of it it below 6" thick.

No worries there. Wood is our only source of heat so I don't take any chances.

 

[SolarAndWood]

If a big split fits in your big stove and yields big heat, go for it.

Definitely what I am thinking. Fewer splitter cycles, fewer splits to stack, more stable stacks, fewer splits to take off stack, fewer splits to put in stove and theoretically longer burn times.

 

[SolarAndWood]

partly to aid in the drying, partly to aid in how quick the wood catches on a re-load, but mostly since I found that with the smaller splits I can find the room in the firebox to fill it up more efficiently (note I didn't say pack it to the gills --

We burn 24/7/210ish and pack to the gills every reload. 3 or 4 of the 8x8s and then maybe some little stuff will be a lot less handling than what I do with the current size splits. I definitely found that the smaller splits made fire management a lot easier when my wood wasn't dry.

 

[NH_Wood]

Well, this is funny (sort of). Just came in from breaking into my 6 cord of stacked oak and maple which is set aside for winter of 2011/2012. I just bought my first stove last month, and I've decided that burning the large splits is a PITA. I'm getting all the big splits out, resplitting to small size, and restacking. I'm not thrilled about it, but I agree with what FF Jake had to say - I found big splits take too long to catch well, and I found that with a good size coal bed, I can't fit a whole lot of splits in the firebox and a whole lot of space left empty (could'nt fit more big splits in the box). Even though I have a good size firebox, I've decided to split at 16" and keep splits moderately sized - perhaps 5" max. I wish I would have done this before! Oh well, won't do it again! Cheers!

 

[SolarAndWood]

i just scored a couple of cord of pine in 6 to 8 foot length. it was cut a year ago. the pine with the bark still on it was heavy. the pine without bark was very light. i'm talking 8 to 12 inch in diameter.

I've had the same experience with log length and always buck it as soon as possible. I don't think splitting is as critical unless you need it sooner than later.

 

[fbelec]

all in all, split wood to medium size, 4 to 5 inch. and you shouldn't have drying problems. but as far as how long to dry, it all depends on the type of wood you have. oak, poplar, pine. but have a half cord of big stuff for those bitter nights that need it for longer burn time. if you want the big stuff to dry stack it criss cross. it drys way quicker that way but takes up alot more room.

 

[SolarAndWood]

I found big splits take too long to catch well, and I found that with a good size coal bed, I can't fit a whole lot of splits in the firebox and a whole lot of space left empty (could'nt fit more big splits in the box)

Managing your burn cycles/coal bed is an interesting game when you burn 24/7. I never figured it out with the old stoves but the new one makes it pretty easy. A big load goes in every time, instantly ignites and the tstat takes it from there.

 

[SolarAndWood]

If one is 2-3 years ahead with their wood then there is no concern.

Time is everything. I burned some bigger stuff this winter that was 2+ yrs dry and the difference in the burn was amazing.

 

[SolarAndWood]

I run a furnace so big splits and piles is how I done it for 4 years and at the bottom of that pile and big splits where not seasoned very well and take a week to dry out...We where running big splits because its less labor and just piling and taken the time this year to split smaller and stacking...I can tell already that the bottoms of the stacks stay dry should use less than the 10-11 cords per year that I have Average for the last 4 years we will see?

I hear you on the heaps. I got this seasons burn out from the heap and stacked it under the roof in October. The heap has its place but I think I will always get a year stacked under the roof before it gets burned.

 

[fire_N_ice]

another way is to use the good old moisture meter and sample your pile. Split 1 of your halfs and test the ends and the middle. this was a 4 inch thick piece of ash cut in 1/2. that is the middle.

 

[bogydave]

I hear that some wood seasons faster than others. I have mostly birch & learned the hard way that you have to split
birch (anything above about 4" dia) or it will rot in the center. I stacked several cords of rounds & 3 years later split it.
the outside 2 - 3" was wood the middle was pulp. Now I split it ASAP 4 - 5" splits & anything 4" dia or more get halved.
That way I have some big one & little ones, & I can pack the stove to the gills & get long burn times.
But I am just learning, but don't want to let anymore rot to learn the same lesson twice.
My guess to the questions How much longer to season big splits? , it depends on: wood type, storage conditions & weather.

 

[SolarAndWood]

But I am just learning, but don't want to let anymore rot to learn the same lesson twice.
My guess to the questions How much longer to season big splits? , it depends on: wood type, storage conditions & weather.

Good counsel Dave. I am only doing the big splits with straight stuff at the high end of the btu scale: beech, locust, ash, hard maple, etc. Storage is at a premium so I only want to use it for the good stuff. Everything else gets processed to be burned the following year or potentially sold. The site is high wind with good Southern exposure and the wood is under a roof by October or it would be buried in snow.

 

[fire_N_ice]

watch the informative vid from blazeking (broken link removed to http://www.blazeking.com/video1.html) Blaze king maybe my future insert. they tell you 2 years at least pending wood type