Sawmill and Timber

General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: bandmiller2 on December 18, 2018, 07:16:40 PM

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Title: Drying firewood
Post by: bandmiller2 on December 18, 2018, 07:16:40 PM
Have any of you fellas compared firewood curing in a loose pile compared to the stacked row.?? It would sure be easier to just throw the cut to length and split wood in a pile on top of pallets or cement blocks to keep it off the ground. Frank C.
Title: Re: Drying firewood
Post by: joasis on December 18, 2018, 07:57:47 PM
I don't think it matters whether the stack is tight or piled, the key obviously is covered.

I had a friend who found a great use for a grain bin....around here, very common. Anyway...he stacked all the wood he cut in the bin....and about 3 months in the sun, it was "kiln" dried. Insect free too.
Title: Re: Drying firewood
Post by: Ox on December 19, 2018, 09:07:20 AM
I never noticed any difference back when I was doing it either.
Title: Re: Drying firewood
Post by: Stevem on December 19, 2018, 09:23:02 PM
I see it done both ways at local firewood sellers.  Stacked would be sort of pre-measured if you're selling it. Air flow is the key to drying.
Title: Re: Drying firewood
Post by: kbeitz on January 11, 2019, 04:24:18 PM
I hate stacking and moving fire wood. I do it one time.
I made 4x4x4ft boxes and stack it once. I made a trailer
to fit the boxes to pick them up and move them. This summer
I'm going to make lift off roofs for each box. I can load a box
at the mill or right out in the woods and it's ready to go.

Title: Re: Drying firewood
Post by: Ox on January 12, 2019, 09:30:22 AM
I hated doing firewood too.  Handled each piece at least 5 times, the last of which is taking out the ashes.  How many boxes do you need to get through the winter down there in balmy PA?
Title: Re: Drying firewood
Post by: kbeitz on January 12, 2019, 10:12:22 AM
How many boxes do I need?  I don't know yet. This year is the first time in around 40 years that I burned fire wood. I was burning coal. The boiler give up the ghost last year and I had put in a new LP gas on demand unit. I was selling all my scrap wood from the saw mill. I found that it's less hassle to burn the wood than to sell it. So I made my own wood stove and so far I'm real happy with it. It also keeps my LP tank full.
Title: Re: Drying firewood
Post by: bandmiller2 on January 12, 2019, 07:05:32 PM
The secret to burning wood is a vicious hot fire, you can burn damp poor wood with little creosote. A good portion of the fire box should be fire brick as it reflects the heat back into the fire. Fire surrounded by steel and water has a hard time burning hot enough for efficient burn. Frank C.