Drying Firewood

[pilot-werx]

I cheated and built a kiln...

 

[tawilson]

I cheated and built a kiln...

I have a few sheets of plexiglass laying around and was thinking about putting a solar kiln together for next summer.

 

[300UGUY]

I worked with a old greek guy that scavanged pallets and plallet sticks - pieces of wood put between layers of castings - the castings went out as engine parts, so the sticks - 2x2 by 4 ft were trash otherwise. He took enough home every year to heat his house. Btw, in Michigan, our humidity is seldom below 30%. So wood doesn't get that dry here.

 

[Sutol]

I worked with a old greek guy that scavanged pallets and plallet sticks - pieces of wood put between layers of castings - the castings went out as engine parts, so the sticks - 2x2 by 4 ft were trash otherwise. He took enough home every year to heat his house. Btw, in Michigan, our humidity is seldom below 30%. So wood doesn't get that dry here.

Needs to be dry or it will soot up your chimney and you will get tar / creosote stuff as a residue.
I have swept my chimney once in four years and got less than a quarter of a bucket of soot from it and the chimney is 30+ feet high.
I do burn mostly old pallet wood though and it has no sap at all in it and it is always dry.

 

[Johnp33]

I worked for Freightliner and use to get the Oak blocking they use to transport the trucks.
I like to split my wood in the bush and leave the bark there if posible, it cuts down on the creosote load in the wood. In my area, the best wood is Larch or anouther name for it is tamarack. Fir is OK that is what I am burning this year and next. Pine is OK for a wood stove, it burns a lot faster than fir of larch.
I cut standing dead, and it is stacked for at least a year.

 

[Short Game]

I burn red alder here in the coastal hills. It is far superior when burned the second year after bucking and spitting.

 

[CRThomas]

The talk of getting cheated on green wood I sell half rank to people who got cords of green wood. They talk my dry wood and burn it to get the fire hot enough to dry and burn the green they got shafted with. Across the highway from me the saw mill drops them off 12 ton of logs $275.00 dollars a load they saw and split it throw it in the back of a Ranger p/u truck level for $35.00 it's as green as it can be. People are buying it up as fast as they can haul it. I got a ranger bed made into a trailer. I threw fire wood in it out of a measuring rack and it held just a little over a half rank. I am sorry my buddy just corrected me on the price they get $45.00 he said on Craigs list it is down to $25.00 for a big truck full. I guess if you got a line of talk you can sell what ever. I have shut my big kiln down can get the volume of wood to operate it can afford to sell for there prices and won't sell green. I just dry half ranks and bundled firewood and wait for the customers. I am down to 2 stores now. A store cut me off last week he said he has a fellow selling it to him for a $1.00 a bundle wrapped and delivered to his store. The price of firewood don't make since. I am glad I got a good pension and made good money in before to ride on. There was a 164 venders in this area I called 11 venders to buy wood and 9 of them were out of business. Later

 

[Delaware Devil]

I posted back on page 2 about firewood measures. I didn't have pics then, but transfered them to this machine. I'll try to post What is on the truck and trailer is just under a cord of wood.

 

[CRThomas]

I posted back on page 2 about firewood measures. I didn't have pics then, but transfered them to this machine. I'll try to post What is on the truck and trailer is just under a cord of wood.

You take and toss the wood in the truck and the trailer that will change the amount. You will have a lot smaller amount later

 

[turnkey4099]

You take and toss the wood in the truck and the trailer that will change the amount. You will have a lot smaller amount later

To be pedantic: Nope, he will have the same amount but in a smaller space. From the pics I would say he is close to correct on the amount. There is an accepted volume for the space a cord of wood "loose thrown" occupies - 180 cu ft IIANM.

Harry K

 

[edlegault]

In the USA, every state defines a cord (4'x4'x8') by state statue (law or regulation). My research shows only Maine appears unique among U.S. states by also defining a "loose thrown cord" or pile of cut firewood: "A cord of 12 or 16 inches in length shall mean the amount of wood, bark and air contained in a space of 180 cubic feet; and a cord of wood 24 inches in length shall mean the amount of wood, bark and air contained in a space of 195 cubic feet". :confused2:

 

[CRThomas]

In the USA, every state defines a cord (4'x4'x8') by state statue (law or regulation). My research shows only Maine appears unique among U.S. states by also defining a "loose thrown cord" or pile of cut firewood: "A cord of 12 or 16 inches in length shall mean the amount of wood, bark and air contained in a space of 180 cubic feet; and a cord of wood 24 inches in length shall mean the amount of wood, bark and air contained in a space of 195 cubic feet". :confused2:

Me and my grandson took a 1/5 ton p/u placed the wood in neatly it held 1 full rank out of a 4 x 4 x 32 inch rack. We took the wood out put it back in the rack. Tossed it in the bed we had to put 9 inch side boards to hold the rank being tossed in the bed. We have yet bought a rank of wood delivered that will fit our rack. We have room left over

 

[Short Game]

We have yet bought a rank of wood delivered that will fit our rack.

Don't you know that cordwood shrinks when you pay for it?

I guess that's why I give it away. I wouldn't want to do all that work, only to have it shrink.

 

[Combustix]

Don't you know that cordwood shrinks when you pay for it?

I guess that's why I give it away. I wouldn't want to do all that work, only to have it shrink.

Must go to the same place the potato chips go after purchasing a bag:laughing::laughing:

 

[CRThomas]

Must go to the same place the potato chips go after purchasing a bag:laughing::laughing:

I got stop by the guys in green with yellow badges. I am sticky about what I sell and how I advertise. They were not very nice I was right on all counts he told me to stay right a $2000.00 dollar fine is not funny he looked at me funny and said I forgot court cost. Later

 

[Short Game]

...the guys in green with yellow badges.

Looks like John Deere is making cops now.

 

[Combustix]

I got stop by the guys in green with yellow badges. I am sticky about what I sell and how I advertise. They were not very nice I was right on all counts he told me to stay right a $2000.00 dollar fine is not funny he looked at me funny and said I forgot court cost. Later

:confused2::confused2::confused2::confused2:

Looks like John Deere is making cops now.

:laughing::laughing::laughing:

 

[CRThomas]

:confused2::confused2::confused2::confused2:


:laughing::laughing::laughing:

They are the Illinois people that check to see if what your selling is what your full rank or a cord. I live in the middle of a state owned park that covers southern Illinois

 

[SensibleNick]

Here in Sweden I'm not sure if there's a rule on what you're allowed to sell.

Typically wood is sold by the cubic meter, with a sidenotes of whether that's stacked, dumped, dried of needs drying.

Customers get to work out for themselves who to buy from, and it's down to us as customers to work out where we get the best deal.

I buy from a guy who has the wood stood in a windy/dry place for a year before delivery, and delivers a full-to-the-brim trailer (6 cubic meters) that has been filled by front loader.... he also states that this will probably measure 3.5 cubic meters when stacked - usually it comes out at 3.8cubic meters stacked - and I stack carefully.

When it comes to drying (OP's question) I recently started adding carports onto my garage - one on each side, and they're longer than the garage itself leaving a nice area at the back. This is covered with clear plastic roofing, and will eventually get a big sliding (and transparent) door to turn it into a solar kiln... well... maybe not "kiln" ... but still warmer than the outside world. The clear roof deliberately does not reach the wall behind, allowing moist air to rise and escape.

Here is is before the carport (read: tractor-port) areas were cladded

The plan is to paint the wall at the back black to generate more heat and create a better convection current.

I don't buy wood in volumes large enough to fill this... but my best mate has just become a qualified tree surgeon, and will have to pay fees to get rid of his "industrial waste" ... So as soon as I'm ready, I get free wood!! :thumbsup:


(just another excuse to build a splitter)

 

[CRThomas]

Here in Sweden I'm not sure if there's a rule on what you're allowed to sell.

Typically wood is sold by the cubic meter, with a sidenotes of whether that's stacked, dumped, dried of needs drying.

Customers get to work out for themselves who to buy from, and it's down to us as customers to work out where we get the best deal.

I buy from a guy who has the wood stood in a windy/dry place for a year before delivery, and delivers a full-to-the-brim trailer (6 cubic meters) that has been filled by front loader.... he also states that this will probably measure 3.5 cubic meters when stacked - usually it comes out at 3.8cubic meters stacked - and I stack carefully.

When it comes to drying (OP's question) I recently started adding carports onto my garage - one on each side, and they're longer than the garage itself leaving a nice area at the back. This is covered with clear plastic roofing, and will eventually get a big sliding (and transparent) door to turn it into a solar kiln... well... maybe not "kiln" ... but still warmer than the outside world. The clear roof deliberately does not reach the wall behind, allowing moist air to rise and esc

Here is is before the carport (read: tractor-port) areas were cladded

The plan is to paint the wall at the back black to generate more heat and create a better convection current.

I don't buy wood in volumes large enough to fill this... but my best mate has just become a qualified tree surgeon, and will have to pay fees to get rid of his "industrial waste" ... So as soon as I'm ready, I get free wood!! :thumbsup:


(just another excuse to build a splitter)

That is very nice. You have to love too split I love to take a big old knotty and work it to get all the split wood out of it I can. The state I live in you have cords 4 ft x 4 ft x 8 ft ranks are 4 ft x 8 ft x 16 inchs. I love to test ideas got one send it