This firewood obsession we all "suffer" from is interesting. Last fall, my girlfriend asked me why, for the third time that day, I went out and inspected my cord plus of wood I had recently moved to the house. I explained that I was admiring the wood rather than inspecting it. I went on to explain to her that "making firewood" is not an event, but a process that takes upwards of three years and that a stack of recently cut and stacked wood was just that, wood, and that it only becomes firewood when the process was complete. I was fortunate to have a "firewood mentor" that explained to me how the process worked. Mr. Floyd Lee always had the most beautiful, deep grey colored red oak firewood stacked in perfect rows you ever saw. He never burned a piece in his stove that was not "ready" and by ready, it had to be at least 2.5 years "old. He insisted that unless the "bark was slipping" on over half the wood in your burn stack, then "it needs another year". Mr. Floyd Lee passed away two years ago at the age of 80 and never used anything other than his "busting mail" to split. Birds of a feather, flock together.
When I get tired of working on my cars and need a quick break I walk outside to my wood stash and stand around just long enough to smell the black cherry. I cut 3 nice size cherry blow downs a few months ago and they make great air fresheners, I kind of hate to burn it. Probably have 3/4 of a cord.
Oh yeah, those whiffs of whatever species you freshly ranked... You should all have the opportunity to smell 16ish cords of fresh split apple!!
Let me tell ya I smell my stacks and for good reason it smells good! All that work my sniffer can tell me a lot about the piles state of dry or rot too.
Sounds like you were trained by a Master Dolphus Raymond I regularly "shepard" my stacks.... as we move into the warmer months, I'll keep an eye on how splits are shrinking/moving relative to the heat of the summer. Of course, our stacks are only 30-40' from the back porch, so I don't have to go far
I wish that were true. At least I can say anyone who does this sorta thing would be welcome at my place to discuss wood and what they cut and etc... I have kinda kept someone interested but that wanes. There's time yet. Perfect my craft and then they will come. Anyways sounds like you had someone who learned how to be patient with wood. Sometimes you can't or you do the best you can but at the same rate you figure out what goes best for later and plan ahead. For those who are just starting the 3 year plan, its finding the wood to fill in the space between all that that doesn't require the same time and still burns gooder as your 3 year plan wood. That can be a tall task. But if its free its us picking up the bill. Definitely an odd group for sure but we're all odd together. Chit...while the rest of the world rolls their eyes, we're laughing in the winter...
I thought it was normal to Daily walk around the stack to determine the wind direction by the pleasant odor. :stacke:
I was just out inspecting my partial Holz Hausen of Cherry, Mulberry, Black Walnut, and Hackberry, and noticed that what was once a beautiful contrast of orange, purple, white, and yellow, is all now starting to assume a common grey hue as the sun and wind do their thing. Man, I love firewood! #whatabunchofweirdos
This made me laugh Eric, as I pictured you commanding your dog to nip at the end of that ash split that was threatening to collapse a prised stack. Wood shepherd. May add that to my email signature
