Splitting and Seasoning Oak

[Vedhoggar]

On 09/05/2023 at 17:22, Logdaft said:

I came across this chart with various drying times etc, don`t know how accurate it is though. Agree with what`s been said by everyone about splitting when fresh/green!

Would agree with most of what is listed but in my experience on seasoning firewood (<20% mc) if winter felled, cut to 25 cm and split to <15cm seasoning times if it includes main drying season have been: birch 6 months, cherry >4 months (more like 6 months), larch 3-6 months, pine 3 months, spruce <6 months, alder <6 months, poplar >6months, sycamore 9 months, lime <6 months. Larch and pine if split down to <15cm and in 50cm -1m billets stacked and top covered often just 3 months.

[neiln]

I get a lot of oak.  I split it all by hand and I am very pleased it is the most reliably easy splitting wood I've come across (except false acacia) Split it green,  it's easy.

[Gabriel82]

Hello everyone. Gabriel is my name ,I'm from Romania ,been burning various wood species for some years now.But I want to try some quality oak wood this year and if someone with more experience can answer my dilemas here,please do so.

So far I've burned only birch, hornbeam and some tilia wood for starting the fire. I buy wood by bulk in cubic meters m3 logs, cut them myself in 30-35cm long slices, split them myself the coming week or if weather is bad(too cold or rainy) in the coming 2 weeks. 

I dry/season them for at least 1 year in a airy metal shed painted dark brown ,but would like to paint fully black for an even higher temperature inside(should help with drying). Haven't measured temperature inside it in summer sun/heat but around here ,Buzau county ,plain area summers are hot ,35-40 celcius in shade(wouldn't want to be wearing black and stay in sun all day...).  Anyway, how long do you folks that have burned oak ,recommend to season oak? It will be freshly cut(green) will be split in small pieces 35 cm long 7x7 cm wide(aproximately) in the coming 2 weeks. Problem is ,my metal shed is still full to the brim because I also bought and burned out of curiosity about 2 tons of wood briquettes ,so I barely burned half of a 2 year "leftover" wood(birch and hornbeam) wich was in the shed ,I took it out of the shed to make room for the next load of wood. Stored it outside around the metal shed, covered it very good with plastic foil, been outside like this in full sun until last fall when I began burning it along with those wood briquettes. Due to too warm winter ,I will have no room place to store this fresh oak but outside covered with plastic foil(with some room for water vapours to go their own way ,not to mould the wood. 

My question is: will 18 months(more or less 2-3 months) be enough to dry fresh oak in summer heat 35-40 celcius weather low humidity in air(maybe 60-70% or less when drought hits these places). Of course split small and no water/rain will ever get to that oak. As a note ,that tillia tormentosa was a 70 year old tree wich a neighbour wanted me to cut it and since it grew so well that damaged his concrete fence and almost his freshly bought house, he never wanted to ever see it around his yard again. So he even load it in his truck and took it to my home(1-2 km away). I burned it after about 1 year of seasoning split small and besides leaving about twice as much ash (burned in ceramic tile stove ) it was surprisingly good ,so good I still have about 1 cubic meter more or less from that tree. Combined with wood briquettes really left me with a lot of unburned wood (the whole shed full of birch and hornbeam ,now seasoning for the second year,ready for the next 2024-2025 winter...) .

Not complaining but I ran out of space to store split wood now...

This is my chainsaw, think I have some photos from when I finnished cutting the tillia made by the guy who asked me to help him. As for my wood in logs, I have no pictures... Don't have time for that... Maybe I'll go make some with those stored split in the shed...

Thank you everyone!

[sime42]

Hello Gabriel. I believe that 18 months should be enough to season that oak in the conditions you described. We'd normally say at least 2 years, but that's based on our rubbish wet, cloudy, very humid British climate, jealous of yours!

[Stere]

I agreee 18 months should be ok especially  if the oak is split into thinner logs to increase surface to volume ratio, but out of interest you could also get a moisture meter to check the logs % moisture to know for sure.

 

Makita ea6100 ?

 

Shame they are  not making them anymore.

 

How much does firewood cost  per 1m3?

 

 I use a polytunnel as a wood shed so if you do  have the space   ideal  for an extra  wood shed.....

Edited January 14 by Stere

[scbk]

We're all nosey gits on here, show us some photos of your firewood set up, logs sheds, stacks of timber etc in Romania 👍

[Gabriel82]

@sime42  I would tend to  agree with you. Only been in Uk once in Bristol and one evening went to some local store 5 minutes away walking distance. On the way back it suddenly started raining  good, soaked me well and stopped just about when I was trying to unlock the door where I was staying... What was that all about?! Here it either rains for some time or doesn't for weeks or months... Plus it's 30-40 Celcius and sunny from 7:00AM to 21:00PM. Will never visit Uk again. 🙄 Some british dude told me once it rained for weeks non-stop when it heard me complaining about the short shower I took in those 5 minutes... 

Anyway. I like it hot and sunny for sure now! Here's some photos of "pure Romania" 

 

[Gabriel82]

@sime42 I've talked with the guy who works in forest and is responsable/decides things in a big forest area up in the "hilly"/mountain area. Will have those oak logs in february,if weather is good of course. No more soaking wet for me . The offer is around 500 euros(2500 RON) for a 4 cubic meter truck. Small load. Usually the wealthier people buy a trailer truck 30-40 cubic meters. But those ones also have big 500-600 square meters villas. So heating for them means either quality hard wood logs or bituminous coal,maybe with some wood briquettes too... Never understood the "attraction" of big houses or expensive cars! But I wouldn't say NO to a 7-10 days vacation at Vama Veche Black Sea or even Greece islands! Man has to relax too ,not just work like a slave from dusk till dawn until we die off at 70-80 years old. Although I know people that stood on their feet and worked from 4 AM to nightfall untill they the day they died at 85 years old... 

I burn this wood in ceramic tile stoves, traditional around here in Romania. Cheap to build too if you ever should need one. About 400-500 euros the cost of work if you find a good experienced builder(they are hard to find lately, too old or allready died...) plus the materials cost(another 500 euros or at most 1000 euros if the stove is big and with fancy with granit parts). I like them hot and working, don't care  much about fancy rocks 🙄😁 

As for Makita EA6100P ,I think I bought the last one in the country... It was that hard to find... Makita no longer makes gasoline chainsaws for about 2 years now... Was so mad about it that I was almost about to get a XP395... But same guy that sells me the wood logs told me to calm down ,that chainsaw is for forestry professional experienced men. Not hobby. I might hurt myself or cut my legs off. I agree with him now 😁 I did butchered some trees anyway with this Makita  anyway. In summer hot weather it exhausted me but I was a bit too dark dressed for 38 degrees celcius...  And I cut all day in direct sunlight... was helping a friend with his firewood, he is working too much all the time and didn't had the time for this,not even saturday or sunday... this is how things are around here: work nonstop just to stay alive  🙄 

[Gabriel82]

@Stere I never had or used a moisture meter, but maybe is usefull...

Polytunnel?! Never heard of it. Upload a picture please if you have. Around here people stack their wood close to the house ,the generally sunny sides. Many don't even cover the wood with plastique foil... I'm the exception, don't go by chance, wood must be dry well or I'm not using it. Better off burning wood briquettes that surely are dried with at most 15% humidity in them... Or so they say. I keep a load of dry wood in house and quite a lot of wood briquettes. Winters around here are unpredictable. In some years blizzards from Russia plus a lot of snow can trap you in the house over night. So, if power goes out at least you don't freeze to death in your house and have enough bottled water and food to survive a week ,while trying to dig yourself out of the snow as big as your house. Or your neighbour digs you out. It depends. Better to be prepared 😁

Around here wood is about 500 euros for a 4 cubic meter truck ,logs freshly cut. Could go up in future... Or that's what I pay for the logs I get from the same man for many years now. For him doesn't matter if I want oak, birch or hornbeam. Same price. He just asks me what type of wood I want. Never screwd me on quantity! Nice man!

[Gabriel82]

@scbk no worries , it's sunday 😁 free day. 

For splitting I use this "thing" after many many wood handles axes broken and even a fiber glass idiocy of an axe... Got late that year with splitting and stacking wood...

So ,extreme measures had to be taken. 

A forged axe head plus 16 or 18 mm rebar were used plus a very powerfull 3 phase 380AC industrial welder used by an experienced welder who works in a big company,on a saturday. The result is amazing since rebar is flexible and the weld is quality. Nothing stands in this axe's way. This is how it looked when "new" freshly built. Now has some "bruises" 😁

And a photo  in the end with what grows naturally in my garden 

😎

Am curios how hard will oak be to split. So far hornbeam was the hardest,even wet/freshly cut. 

Will post more when I can. I'll be more carefull and show you the oak logs when they are unloaded!  I usually don't take pictures of this. Don't see the reason or have time to.