Logs or billets?

[Marko]

The upside to billets is it gives flexibility for log length at the end of the season.

 

That's No.3 for us.

 

Number 1 is that billets always fully season as it is much easier for the wind to whistle through the pile.

 

Number 2 You get another go at quality control as you get to see exactly what the customer is getting. It is surprising how much ends up in 'my pile' even though we had been rigorous at the billeting stage.

[Woodworks]

That's No.3 for us.

 

Number 1 is that billets always fully season as it is much easier for the wind to whistle through the pile.

 

Number 2 You get another go at quality control as you get to see exactly what the customer is getting. It is surprising how much ends up in 'my pile' even though we had been rigorous at the billeting stage.

 

1. My billets have not dried as fast as logs in crates.

 

2. I had to be quite picky about what would make a good billet. Too many knots and the billet tapers away to nothing at one end and that is not going to make a nice log. I am sure with more practice I would get better at avoiding this.

 

I am not anti billets just saying that it is a slow way to process wood but can be done with one not particularly expensive piece of kit compared with a processor. But in my experience this year still leaves a fair amount of wood to be processed another way.

[difflock]

I figure billets, especially stacked in bundles, 3 or 4m high, should allow better air flow and drying than logs in boxes or vented bags?

I set the bottom row on two spindly straight lengths of round timber, on top of old carpet from the skips, so no grass growing up through, and good air flow below forby.

I cut and split out of a "face" taking each full length log as it comes, cutting large knots or branch unions out as they come and splitting in short lengths straight into a box to the left of the splitter, the same box I use for the splinters from the billet splitting process.

I do not concern myself with tapering billets as when I cut to length, the "oddball" bits go into a box for kindling, being small and light they are easy to toss aside into a suitable container.

My Lodgepole timber is simply too misshapen and knotty to deal with any other way, it certainly would be reasonably unsuitable for a processor, especially with the extra capital costs involved.

cheers

marcus

Edited August 25, 2013 by difflock

[Marko]

We tried logging and splitting straight into vented bags and had problems with mould in the centre of the bag. Also mixed woods drying (or not) at different rates meant storage became an issue at the yard. We never ever do this anymore.

 

We then tried logging and splitting into spud crates. This worked far better for seasoning the wood uniformly but the additional handling was noteable. (we still do some this way if it happens to be more convenient when a load comes in). Down side is the cost of the boxes.

 

We found that setting to and billeting the wood in batches meant that we could at least 3 years worth of stock on hand and that, even though it was mixed wood in the pile, when we eventually saw it up it is all thoroughly seasoned.

 

Works for us but I am sure it is very much dependent on the tools you have around you to handle the wood in its various forms.

[Yorkshire Brummie]

We tried logging and splitting straight into vented bags and had problems with mould in the centre of the bag. Also mixed woods drying (or not) at different rates meant storage became an issue at the yard. We never ever do this anymore.

 

We then tried logging and splitting into spud crates. This worked far better for seasoning the wood uniformly but the additional handling was noteable. (we still do some this way if it happens to be more convenient when a load comes in). Down side is the cost of the boxes.

 

We found that setting to and billeting the wood in batches meant that we could at least 3 years worth of stock on hand and that, even though it was mixed wood in the pile, when we eventually saw it up it is all thoroughly seasoned.

 

Works for us but I am sure it is very much dependent on the tools you have around you to handle the wood in its various forms.

 

Great thread. I have just started doing a bit of firewood to run alongside tree surgery. Have a small amount of seasoned wood split and ready to go sat on pallets in airy concrete garage. As I only have said airy garage as dry store and fairly large outdoor areas the idea of billets sounds good. I have the use of a small tractor mounted splitter with supplies of various timber not all straight. Do you recommend billets of 1 metre in length to be then cut with circular saw to approx 240 mm logs.? If I stacked them 9 or 10 each way approx how long to season billets? Cheers in advance, Ian

[difflock]

Yes, I opted for 1.0m lengths (cos thats the way the German's do it), it makes for easy counting of volume I surmise.

Should be ready in 1 year, or if split in the spring and covered, ready to burn in the following Autumn, assuming a reasonable summer and a breezy location.

I imagine, especially if split to a not greater than 100mm diminsion.

I could be over-optimistic though, but since I am running a gasifying boiler my logs need to be properly dry.

Therefore I try and be a couple of years ahead of myself, bringing them into an airy shed, after a season outside.

[Marko]

1m length seems to work well for us. Easy to estimate stock, easy enough to grab a load on the forks (pallet forks or muck fork) and easy enough to manhandle on a saw bench All stacked same way and left for 2-3 years which ensures that whatever the wood is in the pile it is well seasoned before it gets sawed to length.

[sjs5060]

I've done quite a bit of reading on this site about billets and I'm still undecided weather it's any good or not. My timber is coming out of my own wood so was wondering if it's best to take a splitter in the woods and process down to billets to haul out. What's people's opinion?

 

Cheers, ste

[codlasher]

I think that if I had to buy big butts similar to those that mendiplogs likes I'd probable go the billet way. I'd need a different set up ahead of the firewood processor to split them but having seen the huge stacks that the French make the idea is always there.

Cutting big pieces into 1.0 metre lengths, splitting and stacking seems to be an ok way. You haven't got the issue of bags yet as they do suffer with UV break-down so you make a big pile 100metres long and bag what you need when you need them then these are stored vertically ready for use.

codlasher

[Woodworks]

I've done quite a bit of reading on this site about billets and I'm still undecided weather it's any good or not. My timber is coming out of my own wood so was wondering if it's best to take a splitter in the woods and process down to billets to haul out. What's people's opinion?

 

Cheers, ste

 

If you don't want to stretch to a processor billets are good but if the wood is of the right sort of size and you have the choice it's logs every time from me.