Takes me 2-3 weeks to get a shed's worth down and out of the woods, then cut/split/stacked in one shed working at it now and then.......like days it's not raining/snowing/too cold. Each shed holds right at 4 cords. Wood dries in them for 2 or more years, then we move a shed's worth to the basement in the fall, and another every other year sometime in the winter, alternate years I usually end up like this year with a couple cords left in the basement to start off next fall. So next year, one shed gets emptied, the next year, two, then back to one. We use about 6 cords/yr. Just finished this one....about 75% hickory, rest is oak. What I over cut on the sheds (that laying in front) goes in a couple of these 1/3 cord 'baskets' to burn in the shop, along with the wood scrap from the shop.
That is fantastic. Glad you have a system of keeping track of it. I am also glad you have a tractor to help. You did not say where you are from but I assume that it is someplace quite cold. I guess I have about that much put up, mostly oak. Here in middle Georgia we do not use all that much most winters. Last year we use hadley any, this year, quite a bit, for us. It sure feels good to have something substantial put by.
I have so much wood that much of it has gone so dry it is almost worthless . So I have now maintained a practice of leaving it in logs and letting it dry even slower till the old cut up stuff is consumed.
How does wood dry so much it's worthless? I had 9% humidity the other day, my fire wood is effectively kiln dried and it burns great. All my elm burns it just turns into white dust.
It goes useless, when it gets Rot, to the point that all the cellulos breaks down... That usually happens NOT by Drying, but by staying wet...and bacteria Growth...
I'd agree. It's above 20% MC, the level which will support bacteria. "Dry Rot" is actually wet rot. Once you get below 18-20%, wood is good forever.
This is exactly why you AWAYS put your woodpile "Under Cover" to keep it dry, and Off the Ground.....
Great job getting the wood ready! That reminds me, I could use some hickory for meat smoking. I’m using oak and pecan now. I prefer to add a touch of hickory at the beginning.
@TnAndy love these post each year, you have quite a supply set aside. Thanks for sharing with us ... it took time to cram all that wood in... all the way to the top of the shed.
Yeah, I lean a 6' stepladder against that last rick since I'm on the ground at that point and can't reach it otherwise. My motto is "let no space go unfilled".....ahahahaaaaa. You'd be amazed how much a rick shrinks though....there will be 4-6" of space up there after a couple years.
Yeah, if I was going into the firewood business, a processor with a multiwedge splitter/conveyor would be the way to go. I'd imagine cord an hour or better, and all of it zero touch. The 30-50 grand it would take is justifiable as a business expense, but my little homemade splitter is all I can justify for 6 cords/yr.
