Sweet Chestnut, best winter months to coppice

[iain123]

Hello Forum

 

To make longer lasting fence post from sweet chestnut, i believe its best to coppice in the winter as the water content of the wood is at its lowest level.

Are there any months which are better to achieve this lower water/sap content in the winter?

 

Regards

iain

 

 

[Rough Hewn]

Doesn't matter what month.
What matters is debarking and dry storing for 2-4 years before using them.
Need a mc of 14% or below ideally.
Wet chestnut will rot like any other wood.
[emoji106]

[gary112]

10 hours ago, iain123 said:

Hello Forum

 

To make longer lasting fence post from sweet chestnut, i believe its best to coppice in the winter as the water content of the wood is at its lowest level.

Are there any months which are better to achieve this lower water/sap content in the winter?

 

Regards

iain

 

 

Are you going to use it for cleaving?anytime in the winter mths is suitable

[iain123]

Hello Garry112

Yes, I would cleaving rather than machining

[gary112]

3 minutes ago, iain123 said:

Hello Garry112

Yes, I would cleaving rather than machining

Nice, dont see much cleaved stuff used any more,especially round here anyway

[iain123]

Hello Rough

 

Thank you for all the very good advice,

it obviously takes time to make good quality chesnut fence poles, a bit like dying wood out for firewood.

Should i cleave the stakes before drying?

 

I have two young healthy looking sweet chestnut trees that are about 18 years old. A  Precoce Migoule and Marigoule they have produced abundant small shiny but unfortunately what looks like completely empty seed cases for years herein North Wales.

 

As fence posts are always rotting here at ground level, i though i might be able to put the chestnut trees to another use, if they are never going to produce nuts.

 

Iain

 

 

[The avantgardener]

Burn the bottoms of the posts before you put them in the ground, they will last much longer, especially in wet ground. They do it as a matter of course for the vine strainers in Italy.

[Stere]

 

 

 

Quote

Should i cleave the stakes before drying?

yes