That was me before i joined the forum. Great wood education ive received on here. When do i get my FHC PHD?
FWIW, All of my wood sells out every year. Virtually all is Red & White Oak plus a little Hickory and Cherry. - I split in Jan - March - I try to split most in board like splits rather than wedges because thinner pieces dry faster due to more surface area - The wood is in an ideal location, full sun, good access to wind, on pallets off the ground - Moisture content on fresh split going into late October is generally 20-21% Sure it would be better seasoned two years but that is not real practical. Early in the season, say May I won't tell anyone it is good to burn for campfires, by July it is OK in an open campfire with unlimited air. For campfire folks I will CSS ash as it dries down much faster. BTW, this year was nuts for backyard campfire wood, people couldn't buy it fast enough. These pics were in early Spring, plus Beau the new dog.
You do have a perfect drying location. My campfire wood sales were better as well...mostly in the Spring. Lots of folks at home due to covid.
Here I'll give you guys a big tip. Selling small amounts yields way more $$$. I made a rack up that is 2' x 3' and splits are 16 -18" so it holds 8 cubic feet, weight is about 300#s. Bundles at convenience store are .75 - 1 cubic foot. I sold these for $25 bucks and people could buy them fast enough.
I would describe 25% oak moisture as "the easy part is done". Getting down to 25% is typical of one year in an uncovered row, early spring to late fall. Better drying conditions (sun, wind, cover, low humidity) can get drier than 25% in a season but 25% is not an unusual moisture level for one season. Another year to get to 20-21% and then another year to reach 15-16% given average conditions. Lower moisture with better drying conditions or more for poor drying conditions. Oak is more difficult to dry. Blending 25% with drier wood and putting 25% on a GOOD bed of coals will work in older less fussy wood burning appliances. Trying to start a fire with 25% on small coals and a cool chimney is messy (creosote) and difficult. My OLD books about heating with wood actually defined "dry" as 25% or lower moisture.
Do you offer delivery or pick up of the small rack fulls? Ive tried retaining small amounts with little success. I do better wholesaling bundles. Lots of small roadside wood stands around here.
Spend that same dough you’d use to buy the questionable Craigslist wood on pressed sawdust bricks - available at Tractor Supply and similar stores.
It's just too humid here year round to get oak seasoned in under three years. I've cut green oak ( usually dead standing though) and it has measured 40-70 % on my mm which may not be terribly accurate at/above 40. In one year it will be at or around 24-29% At two years it will be at 19-25% ( very low % at 19% ) At three years 14-19% (mostly depending on the size of the split - fat ones will be closer to 20%) I've had the same trend weighing the wood instead of using a MM. The last two years just take forever. I've burned rad oak at a little over 20% but once you've burned red oak closer to 14/15 you feel like you're wasting it by not waiting. So much so that I'll burn red maple or even pine because it really is worth waiting for. 4 years here is some nice burning oak. You really notice the difference with a smaller stove. The stove top will be noticeably warmer in the morning with the gooder stuff.
I've found that green and alive Oak, fresh off the stump, is about 75-80% Figured out with a scale and time. Yep, its down to where it takes forever to finish drying.
Pick up only. I almost NEVER deliver, there is not money in it and way too time consuming. The wood here is well on the way to becoming seasoned, This pic was Aug 17. By the end of October this wood will burn. Sure not as dry as 2 year old but not bad.
I think that is one goal you have already achieved. Congrats on your PHD Brad. There are a lot of good professors on here to learn from.
That stack on the right is mostly red and white oak with a little maple. First of my roadside scrounges. Beatle kill oaks. Cut split and stacked in June 2019. Except for the fresh stuff at the rear where I refilled the stack. Well I needed that stack gone. First there’s a big dead red oak just to the right of that picture that needs to come down and the only place to drop it is right on that stack. Plus I want to make that area my new processing spot. Brought two dump truck loads of that stack in my basement. Cracked open 2 white and two red. Hovering between 18-19%. Not bad, not bad. Better than I expected. Now if they were in the 24-25% range they’d still burn but I wouldn’t expect to get them much lower unless you stack them near the stove for awhile. IMO drying season is from June - September. Everything else is just waiting for summer to roll around again LOL I also think that rubber roofing is the cats meow. At least the wood directly underneath it is kiln dried in the heat of summer.
