sugar maple seasoning time?

[Archer39]

I cut and split a large (just about 3/4 of a cord i would guess) sugar maple last week and was wondering if this would be ready to burn by next December or so. I split it fairly small. It currently is sitting in a pile with about a foot of snow on top of it. I should have it stacked and covered by the end of the week.

just because everyone likes pictures here is the pile

 

[Hogwildz]

[quote author="Archer39" date="1265785078"]I cut and split a large (just about 3/4 of a cord i would guess) sugar maple last week and was wondering if this would be ready to burn by next December or so. I split it fairly small. It currently is sitting in a pile with about a foot of snow on top of it. I should have it stacked and covered by the end of the week.



Yeap, that will be ready.
Take the cover off when spring rolls around and leave it off till next fall.
Stack in direct sunlight if possible.
Hows that stove burning? That chase done yet?

 

[Archer39]

i am all but out of wood that is dry so it is getting frustrating. i got it down with dry wood but no i am fighting the wet wood. the chase is framed with temp drywall around it. I am going to redo the room in the spring so i just threw up some drywall to stop things from falling into it.

 

[Hogwildz]

i am all but out of wood that is dry so it is getting frustrating. i got it down with dry wood but no i am fighting the wet wood. the chase is framed with temp drywall around it. I am going to redo the room in the spring so i just threw up some drywall to stop things from falling into it.

Mix the less than dry in with some dry, get it up to a good high temp, and level it off, after it levels, you will prolly have to open the air up some to retain a good temp(trial & error).
Not the optimal way, but it will get ya through the winter. Keep an eye on the stack where it is outside the roof line.

 

[JerseyWreckDiver]

Sugar Maple dries pretty fast. Next December, no problem.

If your hurtin for dry wood that bad bring some in a stand it on end around the stove for a few days.

I knew I was running short for this year right from the start. So straight off all the stuff I split late fall got stacked on my deck and has been going under the Vermont Casting Vigilant 5 splits at a time for 24 - 36 hours then into the stove or the indoor pile. Usually another 5 or six splits or small5-6" rounds standing around the stove also. I've force dried almost a cord so far. No issues.

 

[gyrfalcon]

i am all but out of wood that is dry so it is getting frustrating. i got it down with dry wood but no i am fighting the wet wood. the chase is framed with temp drywall around it. I am going to redo the room in the spring so i just threw up some drywall to stop things from falling into it.

Mix the less than dry in with some dry, get it up to a good high temp, and level it off, after it levels, you will prolly have to open the air up some to retain a good temp(trial & error).
Not the optimal way, but it will get ya through the winter. Keep an eye on the stack where it is outside the roof line.

What Hogwildz saiid, both posts. The farther down you split it, the faster it will season. (Duh!) But Sugar Maple does season pretty quickly, and there's no reason it shouldn't be totally burnable by next winter-- if you leave it exposed until late fall and it's in good sun and wind.

These things make wood season fastest:

Smaller splits
Loose stacking, preferably criss-cross
Uncovered
Full sun and wind

If there's any of those things that aren't possible in your situation, it makes the others even more important.

I've had Rock Maple get from unburnable to burnable stacked outside over the course of a winter. It was better a year later, but definitely burnable after 6 months exposed to the elements outside.

 

[Archer39]

Sugar Maple dries pretty fast. Next December, no problem.

If your hurtin for dry wood that bad bring some in a stand it on end around the stove for a few days.

I knew I was running short for this year right from the start. So straight off all the stuff I split late fall got stacked on my deck and has been going under the Vermont Casting Vigilant 5 splits at a time for 24 - 36 hours then into the stove or the indoor pile. Usually another 5 or six splits or small5-6" rounds standing around the stove also. I've force dried almost a cord so far. No issues.

yep that is what i have been doing along with mixing it in the the little bit to dry cherry i have left.