Billets or logs

[Alycidon]

I had some horse chestnut billets go mouldy, mainly on the ends. These were kept outside with no cover over them from this time last year untill I processed them in April/may time. They dried well.

 

A

[matt99]

Horse chestnut is a horrible wood grows fungi and mold very easily I had some under a tarp it came out covered it every coloured mold you could imagine

[Bri]

Seems splitting in winter and storing them to season looks tricky to do maybe

[renewablejohn]

My processor cuts upto max 12 inch so anything less than 12 inch is processed straight away into logs and put into the solar kiln whilst oversize is split into billets and put into the solar kiln. Then when you run out of dry split logs you can carry on with dry billets.

[Johnpl315]

Interesting post, I have some birch to cut and I was thinking of cutting four foot billets I can then leave to stack and season. I have no machinery and this seemed like a good option to aid drying time and for ease of handling

[renewablejohn]

Interesting post, I have some birch to cut and I was thinking of cutting four foot billets I can then leave to stack and season. I have no machinery and this seemed like a good option to aid drying time and for ease of handling

 

Just remember it is easier to split green rather then when its dry so make the size of the billet such that it only needs cutting to length which is easy with a tungsten tip saw.

[Jim B]

The purpose of cutting into billets 1m long

Rather than just cutting into logs

Interested in people's opinion on this

 

I produce 400 metres after air of billets each year, i do this at ride side winching or extracting to the splitter, this is the same as in many euro countries. I find this saves time on extraction as the split product is coming out of the wood rather than cordwood to restack before processing. It leaves all the mess in the wood. I have no indoor storage, billets stack high and easily, I have rows 100 metres long covered on top with maximum air flow, I have no problems with mould, and the wood seasons quicker, i achieve 20% mc on hard and soft usually 15% on soft. I personally don't find the system slow, I produce and extract 10 cubic metres a day. Billets are more suited I feel to forest production than yard. I do not have problems with bent, twisted, oversize etc. I find a vertical splitter gives a more accurate uniform billet.

[Bri]

Some good feedback on this topic,I might try a cage of billets and a cage of logs in cage too, it's mostly the silver birch that starts to show signs of mould, but I appreciate trying to air dry during October through to march is a bit trickier. I don't have the kilns and need to still proceed during the winter months too to keep up stock levels.

Kind regards to everyone who gave some feedback

[Jim B]

Some good feedback on this topic,I might try a cage of billets and a cage of logs in cage too, it's mostly the silver birch that starts to show signs of mould, but I appreciate trying to air dry during October through to march is a bit trickier. I don't have the kilns and need to still proceed during the winter months too to keep up stock levels.

Kind regards to everyone who gave some feedback

 

Birch needs splitting within a couple of weeks of felling, I split down to 4 inch, cord under that I score the bark and very roughly sned to allow the bark to split open. I find dries fast but must be dry and in maximum airflow.

[briquette_seller]

Birch needs splitting within a couple of weeks of felling, I split down to 4 inch, cord under that I score the bark and very roughly sned to allow the bark to split open. I find dries fast but must be dry and in maximum airflow.

 

What's your reasoning for splitting it so quick? Out of interest.

 

I find birch can be very stringy, fresh cut or if its sat for a while.

 

As you said, I think the vertical splitter is the way to go.