MY winter wood supply just tok a nose dive.

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onesojourner

onesojourner

Member
Hearth Supporter
Oct 14, 2008
119
Springfield, MO
This is my little rant. My folks told me that they had some good dry wood I could pick up when ever. So I have been putting it off getting wood ready for next winter instead of messing with that since it was good and dry.... I get there and its whole logs and I cut it up and its as wet as can be. I know why they said they were dry though. All the bark is off and they have been laying there for who knows how many years.
 
Wow. That has to hurt. Now you will really have to start scratching for dry wood fast! Good luck.
 
You only do that once...that sucks! Hopefully you stumble on some...
 
Ahhh - you're in Springfield, MO - buck that stuff and split it up quick then stack it really loose. If August turns a little hotter/dryer, it will suck quite a bit of moisture out. It's been my experience a wet downed tree will dry a little faster than a standing live tree. Plus, we heartlanders seem to have a little advantage over the northerners / east coasters in the seasoning area.
 
Ouch!

Split fine and stack so the wind and sun are max'd out! Starting now with Ash will also work by Dec 1 or so in my experience. It got me though the first year. Bucking to about 14" also speeds things.

Swapping wood with a good friend also might help out.

Best of luck.
Mike
 
I was promised a couple of loads of apple that was cut and stacked two years ago, but I was just informed that they were going to keep the wood. I have 4 cords of maple and cherry stacked in the woodshed ready to go, but now it looks like I need to come up with another cord of seasoned wood to replace the apple.
 
well hey, at least in the meantime you have been getting other stuff ready and planning to use it next year. If you've had some stuff split and stacked since may/june/july you can probably fake it with that this year just fine.
 
onesojourner said:
This is my little rant. My folks told me that they had some good dry wood I could pick up when ever. So I have been putting it off getting wood ready for next winter instead of messing with that since it was good and dry.... I get there and its whole logs and I cut it up and its as wet as can be. I know why they said they were dry though. All the bark is off and they have been laying there for who knows how many years.
Click to expand...

I feel for you & know what you're talking about. Had the exact same offer from my Dad but got it to my place back in June. Nice looking maple logs about 14" diameter, just needed to be bucked down to 16" length and split. Bark was falling off just looking at it; you could pick up these things with one hand! I was able to split them and found them to be a bit punky on some, but after a month on the stack they are dry as ever. Now, August is finally about to do it's thing with temps expected in the mid 90's this weekend and hopefully the last few days of low humidity/full sun will put the final punch to them. I agree with the other folks that if you get these processed within the next few days they may be ok for this season. It's the wind and low humidity that will help you out. It's not fall yet! :down:
 
Get it split and stack it in crosshatch style instead of conventional tight stacks. That will allow a lot of airflow through the wood and better sunlight contact.
 
Find a source of pallets to get you through if the wood stays a little wet.

Matt
 
I found a couple really dead no bark trees today. I got them on the ground and found them to be good and dry. I got about half a trailer full. I probably have about 2/3 of a cord now of good dry wood. I really have no idea what I will go through this winter but I think this should give me a good start. I will get some pics of my piles tomorrow if I get a chance.
 
I agree with the pallets, start collecting now. Just make sure they have no chemicals in them. Don't pull the nails, get a magnet and run it through the stove once or twice a week. Most pallets where I live are either spruce or oak. Both have there uses.

Save that downed tree for next year.

Maybe you have a friend wood burner that is ahead and can trade you some dry wood for the downed tree?

Good luck.
 
onesojourner said:
This is my little rant. My folks told me that they had some good dry wood I could pick up when ever. So I have been putting it off getting wood ready for next winter instead of messing with that since it was good and dry.... I get there and its whole logs and I cut it up and its as wet as can be. I know why they said they were dry though. All the bark is off and they have been laying there for who knows how many years.
Click to expand...

A cord in the shed is worth 5 anywhere else.
 
onesojourner said:
This is my little rant. My folks told me that they had some good dry wood I could pick up when ever. So I have been putting it off getting wood ready for next winter instead of messing with that since it was good and dry.... I get there and its whole logs and I cut it up and its as wet as can be. I know why they said they were dry though. All the bark is off and they have been laying there for who knows how many years.
Click to expand...



What kind of wood is it? Some are fast drying woods that if you split it and stack it like the others have said you may be alright.
 
Should have gone over to Mom and Dad's sooner.
 
 
You have elm my friend. Those smaller pieces may already be good to go, The medium ones once split by January and the larger ones, if you split them small, may be decent by the end of the winter.
 
2 page from top is definitely hackberry with the warty bark and 3rd from top does look like elm. Get it split I am sure it would be good to go.
 
I got about 6 of the big rounds of elm split today. It is just to junkin hot to do very many. I will finish the rest a little at a time over the next week. I am stacking it crosshatch too so hopefully it will dry quick. The big rounds are the only wet stuff. The rest of that is dry as could be. So that should get me started at least. It wont get really cold here until november.
 
Your first pic of the unidentified wood appears to be maple (not sugar, but one of the softer varieties).
 
onesojourner said:
uh oh now there is a conflict some one else said it was ash.
Click to expand...

It "could" be, but I don't see spalted ash very often.

(spalted is the discoloration of the wood during the very beginning stages of going south, for those scratching their heads %-P )

Paging "whatthehellismyname Lee" - Lee to isle 3 to check out some guys wood (and identify it). :coolsmirk:
 
Also, crumple up some newspaper to simulate a couple of inches of ash and coals in the bottom of that F100 and see how well the size splits you are making are going to fit in the stove.
 
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