Trees to lumber: questions

[plotthickens]

Just had three evergreen trees felled. All the little stuff has been chipped. The big stuff I asked to be left -- rounds, trunk sections, etc -- because our place is sloped and needs terracing, fires are nice in winter, and benches would be lovely.


Questions:
How long does firewood need to season?
Do I need to take the bark off to use the rounds/limbs as terracing material?
How long will the trunks need to season before being split for benches?
What else do I need to know about all this? Pretend I'm a total noob, please.
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[paleoeco]

I can only speak to the firewood - you can split it now and use it this upcoming winter.

[plotthickens]

Split it now, or can it wait in large round form until we're ready to use it? Will it staying in large form delay the curing?

[Synamon]

Firewood should be cut to length, split, and stacked so that it can season (dry out) for at least 6 months or a year, depending on the climate you live in.

Yes, remove the bark from wood you want to use in lengths for terracing.

Most lumber is easier to split when freshly cut and whole logs really do not season anyway so split the logs you want to use as benches now.

---------- Post added 08-09-2010 at 04:05 PM ----------

Split it now, or can it wait in large round form until we're ready to use it? Will it staying in large form delay the curing?
Split it now. Leaving it whole will delay the process, since the moisture in the wood can only escape from the two cut ends. Splitting the wood increases the ability of the moisture to escape about a hundredfold. It should season over at least one summer before you use it and will continue to be usable for 5+ years.

[reb]

here, plotsie..roy will tell you about wood and water...how to work it, when to work it....and somewhere, he may tell you exactly how to make the benches, etc.. that you want...

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works easier green-short answer. leave logs to dry 'whole', they split and 'check' (formal term). the quickest way in a moderate climate-not too dry, not too wet..maybe 40-60% normal humidity...is to 'cross stack' your splits. i find that the quarter split stuff dries best here. i don't even cover mine...if yo uget a lot of rain (think you do) you may need to cover with a tarp to get good lighting. the more moisture in this wood, the more creosote...be sure-capitalize that-you clean the chimney every so often until you know how fast yours creosotes. chimney fires are tres dangerous.

if you have termites around....get your wood up off the ground. that may not be enough to keep the suckers out.

i'm impressed, Syn...not only can you keep a sucker going for months, you know about wood, too!

by any chance, plot, these are not spruce or something other than plain old pine? a douglas fir, or loblolly..these might have some commercial value to the right person. some treated stuff would be better for a terrace, anyway...longer lasting. barter, maybe, in the local want ads?

[tp6626]

If you've got a nice glass panelled stove with air-feed from the top (Clearview, I think they're called by trademark in the UK), if needs to be dryer than reb mentioned. More like 30% humidity. That way the glass will stay clean, and your chimney won't get tarred up. I think normal stoves will burn anything though, it's just a case of avoiding the mess it makes, and getting the most efficient burn / heat output from the wood. Those clearview stoves are apparently in the 90% efficiency range (considering lost heat out the chimney, I assume).

[Silverity]

My family uses a woodstove and we split all of our wood and let it dry for at LEAST 4 months, usually 6+ (we begin chopping and stacking it in the beginning of the year to prepare for winter). We keep multiple stacks, a few rows inside which will be very dry (we keep them a couple inches off the ground by laying them across two parallel wooden beams) and then more rows along the house, also kept off the ground and covered by tarps.

I can't help you with the terracing or the benches but for wood rounds... we use a maul first to split them into smaller chunks and then have it with an axe.

[Ilara]

If you want to dry it, split it while it's still fresh. Stack it bark up so that water doesn't pool on the inside. Cover it. 'Round here, we need to dry it for about a year, although in a good year we can get away with 6-8 months. But I'm in a very different climate, I suspect.

The logs used for terracing should be stripped of bark--if people will be walking on it, one of these days the bark'll soften and come off in a big slimy hunk when stepped on. Foot will slide off with it. Depending on the conditions, the log might shift out of place in the terracing if you leave the bark on.

No real benefit in keeping the wood whole unless you want it whole later.

If you're using an indoor woodstove regularly, don't burn conifer (evergreen) wood in it. The resin leaches some stuff into the smoke that will damage the chimney. For outdoor fires it doesn't matter much, although it won't burn as well or long as a good hardwood--and doesn't make for tasty roasted foods. Watch out for sparks, too. I dunno if you have any conifers where you are, though.

<-- Canadian

... Anywho, that's what I've got for now.

If you're splitting yourself, watch your technique. It's a good way to damage the back. In general, the axe only needs a little help on the way down, and a good one can practically be dropped. Applying too much force is both ineffectual and hard on the joints.

Hope this helps a bit.

[ClydeB]

If you're using an indoor woodstove regularly, don't burn conifer (evergreen) wood in it.

I wouldn't burn any softwoods in a wood stove that hasn't seasoned for at least a year. Hopefully two. My rule of thumb is if you get bubbling / boiling resin from the cut ends of the wood when you burn it. Its still too green.

I would also recommend renting a log splitter if you are not in shape to use an axe. Got me a nice scar on my leg trying to split some wood by hand a few years ago. A reminder of things I did regularly as a teen are not quite as easy after decades of not doing it.

[hubcap]

Drying time is largely dependant on your climate. In a dry climate it typically takes an evergreen log at least 12 months to air dry sufficiently so that you don't have problems when using it for furniture or construction.

[Ilara]

I wouldn't burn any softwoods in a wood stove that hasn't seasoned for at least a year. Hopefully two. My rule of thumb is if you get bubbling / boiling resin from the cut ends of the wood when you burn it. Its still too green.

I was saying not at all, dried or otherwise. Not great even dried. Once or twice is no big deal, but regularly is not good for the chimney so far as I'm aware. Outdoors, that doesn't matter so much.

[Deus Tempestas]

Any logs you want to keep whole, peel the bark off while it is green, MUCH easier than after it dries.

[Cooper]

Firewood

No need to peel the logs.
1. Cut logs to stove length
2. Split rounds to a six to eight inch size, depending on size of stove.
3. Stack tightly, but with room for air circulation.
4. Let it 'season' for at least six months, a year is better.
5. Don't forget to cut kindling.

Before having your first fire have the chimney inspected. A chimney fire can be out of control before you even know its burning. Damn good way to fuck up your day.

Terrace Logs

Use treated wood.