Seasoning oak

[heffergm]

So I'm currently in the midst of splitting what will end up being roughly 10 cords of red oak. I expect to burn about two cords per season.

Next winter I'm going to need to burn at least a cord of what I'm currently splitting to make it through the winter. Is one season of drying going to be enough? I'm hoping summer isn't going to be as wet this year... I'll have about half a cord of it on my porch to dry without any danger of getting wet. The rest is all stacked uncovered around my property.

If a year for the oak isn't going to do the trick I'm going to need to drop a couple pines and get them split...

 

[smokinj]

split one cord very small and stack loose

 

[gzecc]

Burning in a stove? If so, IMO it won't be ready for at least 2 yrs. Look for some ash or locust for next year, and hope your oak will be ready for the following year. split it small and stack it loosely in the sun and wind.

 

[iceman]

Burning in a stove? If so, IMO it won't be ready for at least 2 yrs. Look for some ash or locust for next year, and hope your oak will be ready for the following year. split it small and stack it loosely in the sun and wind.

and single rows or at least 18" in between rows if it is small enough it will be ready by next winter...

 

[Ducati996]

So I'm currently in the midst of splitting what will end up being roughly 10 cords of red oak. I expect to burn about two cords per season.

Next winter I'm going to need to burn at least a cord of what I'm currently splitting to make it through the winter. Is one season of drying going to be enough? I'm hoping summer isn't going to be as wet this year... I'll have about half a cord of it on my porch to dry without any danger of getting wet. The rest is all stacked uncovered around my property.

If a year for the oak isn't going to do the trick I'm going to need to drop a couple pines and get them split...

Split it stack it off the ground (pallets, etc) in a sunny area and leave it exposed...dont drive yourself nuts and your going to get 1,000 different answers. Get yourself a mositure meter (amazon $20-30 range), and test it around the fall early winter.....each location will vary.... I have Oak at and over a year at 7% moisture and lower now, im based on Long island.....I have 2 year reading the same, freshly split 35-40%. Your burn target is 20% or lower.

Wet wood isnt a big deal only takes about a week or less (if heat involved) to dry out.....by wet I mean snow/rain....seasoning takes the longest time...

 

[DBoon]

split one cord very small and stack loose

And leave it in an open area exposed to lots of wind. And make sure it is covered on the top only.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Burning in a stove? If so, IMO it won't be ready for at least 2 yrs. Look for some ash or locust for next year, and hope your oak will be ready for the following year. split it small and stack it loosely in the sun and wind.

and single rows or at least 18" in between rows if it is small enough it will be ready by next winter...

And sing it lullabies and tuck it in every night. . .

 

[gyrfalcon]

So I'm currently in the midst of splitting what will end up being roughly 10 cords of red oak. I expect to burn about two cords per season.

Next winter I'm going to need to burn at least a cord of what I'm currently splitting to make it through the winter. Is one season of drying going to be enough? I'm hoping summer isn't going to be as wet this year... I'll have about half a cord of it on my porch to dry without any danger of getting wet. The rest is all stacked uncovered around my property.

If a year for the oak isn't going to do the trick I'm going to need to drop a couple pines and get them split...

Totally depends on how small you split it and where and how you stack it. Anything will season in a year if it's split small -- ie 3 or 4 inches -- stacked loosely in crosswise open stacks and out in the sun and wind, is my experience. If you've got 6-plus inch splits stacked one way close together in the shade in a protected spot, count on at least a couple of years for oak.

Lucky for you, red oak is a pure joy to split, so you should have no trouble splitting it down small.

 

[iceman]

Burning in a stove? If so, IMO it won't be ready for at least 2 yrs. Look for some ash or locust for next year, and hope your oak will be ready for the following year. split it small and stack it loosely in the sun and wind.

and single rows or at least 18" in between rows if it is small enough it will be ready by next winter...

And sing it lullabies and tuck it in every night. . .

i dont know how i coulda forgot that one!

 

[albertj03]

Last winter I burned almost a cord of red oak that was seasoned for a year with no problems. Like others have said the key is to split it small, stack it loose and make sure it's in a sunny area with good air flow. I didn't have much creosote build up at all in my chimney either

 

[Wallyworld]

I've burned tons of red oak that was only seasoned one year, never had a problem. Never heard of anyone seasoning it several years until reading it on here. My property is covered with it so I have some experience with it

 

[PapaDave]

If stacked in the sun and wind, it may not be fully DRY, but should burn pretty well.
I'm into the stuff I got c/s/s a year ago Aug., and it's doing real well. Get a little sizzle out of a few, but most are in real good shape. I checked. Split a few splits, they're in the 12-18% range, depending on the size of the split.
Don't get me wrong, I plan to have even dryer wood in the future (mostly oak), but this is where I am now, and loving the driest wood since I started burning.

 

[xman23]

I burned oak 10 months after clearing my lot. It burned ok, but we blacken glass a lot. Just stack it loosely in the sun and I think it will be fine. Now I'm burning the same oak seasoned 2 or more years and the glass stays clean. Either it burns cleaner or I'm better at running the stove. I think it may be a bit of both.

Tom

 

[ISeeDeadBTUs]

So you're saying you have 5 years of wood :gulp: ? Sounds like you are burning in a stove?

I'm no stove burning expert by any means (I last burned in an Ashley and a RoundOak 25 years ago) but I'd almost think you should sell (or trade) two cord of Oak for some other seasoned hardwood. And by all means get ALL the Oak you plan to burn down to the size splits you need ASAP and get them out in the dry air.

 

[CrawfordCentury]

And sing it lullabies and tuck it in every night. . .

Good one.

I've burned tons of red oak that was only seasoned one year, never had a problem. Never heard of anyone seasoning it several years until reading it on here. My property is covered with it so I have some experience with it

If you split on the small side, you'll be good to go in a year. I've burnt some back years ago with 6months. Not ideal by any stretch.

As a hedge against a wet summer, I'd be looking to get my hands on some deadfall, ash or birch. Having some seasoned pine's an ok hedge, but I'd prefer more energy intensive wood as my backup.

 

[Wood Duck]

If I were you, I think I'd split a cord of oak small and stack it in my best seasoning location, and also prepare some of that pine, too. The pine should be fine for next year, the oak might still be a little unseasoned. Even if the oak is good for next year, the pine will make for some variety, and starts faster than oak. If you're burning two cords a year that means lots of starting fires, and pine is nice for that. Even if you have to let some of the oak wait a little while in order to get the pine cut and split, I'd still do it. The last of the oak won't be burned for five years, so you have a little time to wait.