Yep. I’m in Alaska. Spruce and birch! That’s pretty much it. Incidentally, you pretty much have to split birch for it to dry. The bark is waterproof, hence the birch bark canoe. It will rot before it dries if you don’t split it open.
G'day Chris...thanks for your channel! Seeing you mentioned Eucalypts and Australia I thought I'd comment. Here on our farm in South East Australia we have mainly "Yellow Box", "River Red Gum" and "Grey Box" eucalyptus trees. We only cut and split firewood to heat our own homes (we only get below freezing a dozen nights per winter...no snow here). Apparently there's quite a bit of yellow box and redgum grown in California and redgum is a beautiful firewood with very even heat all the way down to coals and leaves almost no ash. From what I can tell our eucalyptus is around 20% harder than your ash and beech so it takes a bit of splitting.
Chris i love that you are so practical and don't get bent out of shape about details or things that really make little or no difference in the grand scheme of things. I feel the same way.....whatever floats your boat......go with it ! Great video
Good educational video. My dad was a fanatic about his firewood. We had to debark all the logs prior to bucking and splitting (with a drawknife or slicker). He said that the bark insulated the wood from the sun and wind and also retained moisture 🙅Not feasible for firewood producers but kept us out of trouble 🤣
Bonus video. Great video. Just shows how enjoyable firewood is. I have always loved trees. A person learns so much about wood besides having no heating bill.
Good video Chris! As a fellow Wisconsinite its great to learn about local species. Thanks for doing this video, I’ve learned a lot from your channel. 🙏🏻
Great video I showed my grandson how to look for old hard maple about 3” to 4” diameter, and bang it together, if it sounds like two bowling pins you have good wood . I really enjoy your videos watch every morning with coffee.
I would be curious to see some American hardwoods next to some NZ grown gum and manuka wood I've seen sparks flying when sawing into manuka and dead standing gum can do the same I might chop couple limbs off my oak tree just to see what the firewood is like 🔥
You are in luck. I just did one about that a little while ago...3 things you need to start. I also have about 1400 videos on my channel showing you everything you need to know.
Haha My dad used to put his lips to the wood when I was a kid and I learnt that for him way before RUclips! Glad to see some of the same common sense before gadgets came along. Weight, sound and the lip test tells you pretty good how dry the wood is.
I'm working on a big mess of Silver Maple logs that were cut 2, maybe 3 years ago. The bark is mostly off, and its flat on the ground (much to the dismay of my chains...). I was worried that it might be punky junk- but it isn't! SPALTED, yes. Funky colors? you bet. However, it IS solid, and seasoned. wet inside, but its dry enough to burn in days. Still burns great, still has that pleasant smelling maple smoke. Ya learn something new every day, I guess. I always thought soft maple rotted fast. I will say that it splits way better when green, lol- some of these are GNARLEY. better to rip hem into slabs or big ol firepit chunks. But, its free, and good camp wood, so there is that.
Also-in yesterday's video you were talkin' about ash. The firewood of kings. When I first moved to West Virginia 5 years ago, the first year I was fortunate to get a ton of ash, it's all I burned that year and it was glorious. Second year...not so much. By the third winter, no ash at all. Just utterly destroyed.
G’morning Chris. Some of the best information and encouragement I’ve had lately. Thank you for all you do. Sweeeet saw in the background. GoodNightIrene
I think red oak takes the longest to dry, even split small. My neighbors here in the Ozarks cut and split the firewood in the fall and burn it that winter, no way its dry..Even dead or dying trees of oak are actually very wet, why i try to stay at least 2 years ahead with split firewood
I have 2 moisture meters but only use them when someone asks for it to have been used. Mostly I hand it to them to try for themself. I don't hold mush stock in them because they all seem to be a bit off from the next one.
@@InTheWoodyard I understand how to use them. I’m just stating that they are not the end all for firewood. Like you say it all burns. I say I can tell if it’s ready to burn without a moisture meter. Long before they were a thing I was taught how to tell when firewood was ready to be used.
Thanks for the video. Do you have a recommended moisture meter? I would like one for firewood but also for bowl and spindle blanks for lathe turning. Thanks.
Curious if anyone has ever paid attention to winter cut wood vs summer cut as far as moisture levels and dry time or is there no appreciable difference?
Yes! One year before i started youtube, I bought a load of soft maple right about now (early spring) and man was that wood wet! As it warmed up on sunny days it started running sap everywhere as it sat in the log pile!
As far as fire....BTUs white oak is maybe a little more, red oak splits a little easier, both dry very slow, both last a long time if kept dry in storage, red oak smells like puke when you split it, red oak will wick up moisture if it is on the ground and white oak will not. Both are good wood, but there are a lot of other kinds that are just as good and even much better for heat.
Great video Chris with easy to digest info. Is there a “shelf life” for wood that is split and off the ground on pallets ? Can some kinds of firewood go “bad” from sitting for long period of time ? Thnx…
Some wood like oak lasts for a very long time if kept dry (oak) other wood does "over dry" and burns up very fast after a few years (birch, aspen, box elder) One thing to think about it is....how long does the wood in your house last??....furniture, doors, tables, chairs, desks, dressers, molding, studs......
Got it. Not a concern if it burns “fast”. Using it just for recreational stuff. I think I have a mixture of Ash and Basswood, that I’ve split from bunch of tree service work done at my home. Thnx…🤙🏻
I have a question…do you rent the wood yard where you operate I want to get into a firewood business in a small way to start with but the biggest problem I face is not equipment or even access to wood…, it’s the storage after splitting… I figure I need to rent a site but the cost is an issue….
What I've noticed is that green wood burns very slow and smokes a lot. Dry wood burns very fast and hot with little to no smoke. My pet peeve is when I go buy wood and you can tell it's green and fresh split, but the sales guy tells you it's been on the ground for a year 🙄
How would someone start selling firewood if they didn't have access to standing lumber to cut. Would it be feasible to contract with a local logging company and have it delivered to u and then process it. Would that be crazy ¿??
just curios on what you do with cotten wood and willow i know after it dries it is light as a fart i would not want to waste the time to carry it in the house let me know if there is something i am missing out on cause there is alot of it around me thanks
Be careful that knee wall that the glass block window sits on doesn't snap unless you've excavated to see if there's a good footer with steel and the blocks are poured. Otherwise, if that's snaps that roof will be on top of that tractor before you can spit. Please be careful
I hear you say a lot that a whole lot of your customers want oak. Because it's the best and burns the hottest.. I have also heard you say that the vast majority of your customers just burn wood for the enjoyment of a fire. So I'm just wondering why that would be when other wood is much better for entertainment purposes than oak.😅 pretty much and wood other than oak😅
Ya, I have a love hate for oak. It sells great but takes forever to dry. On a few videos I have mentioned that there are a lot of BETTER kinds of wood available. To me oak is above average but not the best. Hickory, ironwood, locust, beech, apple, ossage orange, hard maple and a few other are actually better for heat and other wood like pine and softer hardwoods like soft maple, ash, box elder and aspen are better for flames and fast heat. All wood burns.
I feel this type of first-hand knowledge trumps these folks running around with electronic moisture meters. They beat their heads against the wall over what the gizmo says. I'm not saying a meter can't be handy...but "reading" the wood is much better, IMO, than the meters.
I like to employ ALL methods. I have found that meters can vary so I use several at a time to verify...but they do work...if you know what to do using them.
Oh yeah...that's what led to me processing my own firewood. These dudes around here don't know what "seasoned" actually means. "We cut the tree down in January"-ok, when did you split it? "Last month". Yeah sorry-no way it's seasoned. That's when I started ordering trailers of logs from tree services.
@@InTheWoodyard I will be dropping some and the rest will be tree service. Of all hardwood the water oak was hammered from 4 months of no rain. A lot of pine are already standing dead.
you talk against elm is not spot on....we have a lot of elm around us and i cut and split it a lot. I also have access to a lot of Ash. But because you have other woods don't make them bad.
Hey Chris, Just tested my coastal wattle firewood to see if it's dry... first thing I did was wacking it against each other... it sounded very high pitched and I knew it was dry but there was [almost] no cracks?? Is it dry or not? PS : It's not rot.🪵
Yep. I’m in Alaska. Spruce and birch! That’s pretty much it. Incidentally, you pretty much have to split birch for it to dry. The bark is waterproof, hence the birch bark canoe. It will rot before it dries if you don’t split it open.
Yup, you are correct!
G'day Chris...thanks for your channel! Seeing you mentioned Eucalypts and Australia I thought I'd comment. Here on our farm in South East Australia we have mainly "Yellow Box", "River Red Gum" and "Grey Box" eucalyptus trees. We only cut and split firewood to heat our own homes (we only get below freezing a dozen nights per winter...no snow here). Apparently there's quite a bit of yellow box and redgum grown in California and redgum is a beautiful firewood with very even heat all the way down to coals and leaves almost no ash. From what I can tell our eucalyptus is around 20% harder than your ash and beech so it takes a bit of splitting.
Thanks for the info, I would like to cut that kind of wood some day!
Chris i love that you are so practical and don't get bent out of shape about details or things that really make little or no difference in the grand scheme of things. I feel the same way.....whatever floats your boat......go with it ! Great video
Thanks!
Good educational video. My dad was a fanatic about his firewood. We had to debark all the logs prior to bucking and splitting (with a drawknife or slicker). He said that the bark insulated the wood from the sun and wind and also retained moisture 🙅Not feasible for firewood producers but kept us out of trouble 🤣
This so sounds like something my Dad would have come up with...🤣
Sounds like a real serious guy about his firewood!
Yup, mine too!
Love the 10 pm video release for us on the west coast.
Yup, I did it just for you Kevin!
Great video I appreciate you sharing your vast knowledge of firewood. Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
Bonus video. Great video. Just shows how enjoyable firewood is. I have always loved trees. A person learns so much about wood besides having no heating bill.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I hope this is bonus video and we get another one at 5:30!
Yup.
Better than any of the late shows that are out there now, keep up the great videos
Thanks Sir Stanley!
Nice video good information Chris ( ty Ron
Glad you enjoyed it
Good video Chris! As a fellow Wisconsinite its great to learn about local species. Thanks for doing this video, I’ve learned a lot from your channel. 🙏🏻
Glad it was helpful!
Great video I showed my grandson how to look for old hard maple about 3” to 4” diameter, and bang it together, if it sounds like two bowling pins you have good wood . I really enjoy your videos watch every morning with coffee.
Yup. thanks for watching!
I would be curious to see some American hardwoods next to some NZ grown gum and manuka wood
I've seen sparks flying when sawing into manuka and dead standing gum can do the same
I might chop couple limbs off my oak tree just to see what the firewood is like 🔥
Yup, red oak and a few other kinds spark here too...it's the sand in the wood usually.
I'd like to see a video on how to start up a wood processing / firewood. What all should u have that's crucially essential on a bear bone budget.
You are in luck. I just did one about that a little while ago...3 things you need to start. I also have about 1400 videos on my channel showing you everything you need to know.
@@InTheWoodyard thanks for the quick response. Love ur videos and channel mate
Love the tone of that dry wood. Thank you!
Yup, me to...thanks!
Thanks for the bonus video!! Your knowledge is vast and Thanks for sharing!! Stay Hydrated and Have a Safe Day
Thanks!!!
Haha
My dad used to put his lips to the wood when I was a kid and I learnt that for him way before RUclips! Glad to see some of the same common sense before gadgets came along.
Weight, sound and the lip test tells you pretty good how dry the wood is.
Yup, those are some good indicators of wet or dry wood.
Where i live in particular i get access to alot of locust. Doesnt feel tremndously different from breaking out concrete with a sledge hammer 😅.
Great point! good wood!
I'm working on a big mess of Silver Maple logs that were cut 2, maybe 3 years ago. The bark is mostly off, and its flat on the ground (much to the dismay of my chains...). I was worried that it might be punky junk- but it isn't! SPALTED, yes. Funky colors? you bet. However, it IS solid, and seasoned. wet inside, but its dry enough to burn in days. Still burns great, still has that pleasant smelling maple smoke.
Ya learn something new every day, I guess. I always thought soft maple rotted fast. I will say that it splits way better when green, lol- some of these are GNARLEY. better to rip hem into slabs or big ol firepit chunks. But, its free, and good camp wood, so there is that.
Yup, soft maple is great camp fire /fireplace wood.
Chris great video, most people don't realize to first judge by ears
YUP!
Great educational refresher vid. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Different species here in New Zealand Chris, but same rules apply. Great educational video, thank you. George.
Cool, thanks for the info!
Also-in yesterday's video you were talkin' about ash. The firewood of kings. When I first moved to West Virginia 5 years ago, the first year I was fortunate to get a ton of ash, it's all I burned that year and it was glorious. Second year...not so much. By the third winter, no ash at all. Just utterly destroyed.
Yup, ash is/was awesome!
G’morning Chris. Some of the best information and encouragement I’ve had lately. Thank you for all you do. Sweeeet saw in the background.
GoodNightIrene
Thanks so much!
Nice video Chris. Overall good information. Thanks for the extra edition this morning. GNI
Thanks!
Thanks for the midnight video.lol sorry Chris I hope it doesn't mess you up,but great video,I appreciate it
Yup, I made a boo boo and miss dated one!
I kinda thought Bert would've been in the comments giving you a hard time bout the double feature.lol
In our area locust is our slowest to dry it seems especially witjh bark on it. Good video again. Great info
Yup, all wood dries faster without bark....especially oak!
Nice info. When you hit dry wood together the wood kind of rings compared to the wet wood.
Great point!
I have a good bit of black cherry that needs to be cleared and it is a very nice wood for stove or fore place.
Yup!
Good Morning Chris and the woodyard very educational Chris Thank You! Great video as usual😊
Thanks!!
@@InTheWoodyard you are very welcome Thank You 🥰
Really fantastic video thank you!
Glad it was helpful!!
Great lesson on wood. 👍🏻👋
Thanks!
Fantastic info. Thank you so much!
Glad it was helpful!
Chris, you know your woid. Nice video.
Thanks!
Bonus from Chris! Thanks
Thanks for watching!
I think red oak takes the longest to dry, even split small. My neighbors here in the Ozarks cut and split the firewood in the fall and burn it that winter, no way its dry..Even dead or dying trees of oak are actually very wet, why i try to stay at least 2 years ahead with split firewood
All oak dries slow.
Great video Chris! Thanks
Glad you liked it!
I have 2 moisture meters but only use them when someone asks for it to have been used. Mostly I hand it to them to try for themself. I don't hold mush stock in them because they all seem to be a bit off from the next one.
They work great if you use them right (testing inside the wood by splitting it open) and often. Most of mine are pretty close in measurement.
@@InTheWoodyard I understand how to use them. I’m just stating that they are not the end all for firewood. Like you say it all burns. I say I can tell if it’s ready to burn without a moisture meter. Long before they were a thing I was taught how to tell when firewood was ready to be used.
Thanks for the video. Do you have a recommended moisture meter? I would like one for firewood but also for bowl and spindle blanks for lathe turning. Thanks.
Not really. I have 6-7 of them ...they all work.
Curious if anyone has ever paid attention to winter cut wood vs summer cut as far as moisture levels and dry time or is there no appreciable difference?
Yes! One year before i started youtube, I bought a load of soft maple right about now (early spring) and man was that wood wet! As it warmed up on sunny days it started running sap everywhere as it sat in the log pile!
@@InTheWoodyard I have fallen green wood during the spring but have never given any thought to the amount of moisture in the tree summer vs winter.
Whats the main difference between Red oak and White oak as far as firewood properties which is the best??? White oak
As far as fire....BTUs white oak is maybe a little more, red oak splits a little easier, both dry very slow, both last a long time if kept dry in storage, red oak smells like puke when you split it, red oak will wick up moisture if it is on the ground and white oak will not. Both are good wood, but there are a lot of other kinds that are just as good and even much better for heat.
Thanks for the info
Thank you for watching!
Great information, Chris. See you tomorrow 😉👍
Thanks!!
Great video Chris with easy to digest info.
Is there a “shelf life” for wood that is split and off the ground on pallets ?
Can some kinds of firewood go “bad” from sitting for long period of time ? Thnx…
Some wood like oak lasts for a very long time if kept dry (oak) other wood does "over dry" and burns up very fast after a few years (birch, aspen, box elder) One thing to think about it is....how long does the wood in your house last??....furniture, doors, tables, chairs, desks, dressers, molding, studs......
Got it.
Not a concern if it burns “fast”. Using it just for recreational stuff. I think I have a mixture of Ash and Basswood, that I’ve split from bunch of tree service work done at my home. Thnx…🤙🏻
I have a question…do you rent the wood yard where you operate
I want to get into a firewood business in a small way to start with but the biggest problem I face is not equipment or even access to wood…, it’s the storage after splitting… I figure I need to rent a site but the cost is an issue….
Do you have friends, if not get some, that is what I did!!!
How does elm rank in your opinion. How would you rate it compared to oak and silver maple. How long does it take to dry?
It is good average firewood dries kinda slow splits terrible!
Thanks Chris
Thanks you for watching!
What I've noticed is that green wood burns very slow and smokes a lot. Dry wood burns very fast and hot with little to no smoke. My pet peeve is when I go buy wood and you can tell it's green and fresh split, but the sales guy tells you it's been on the ground for a year 🙄
Yep! That's frustrating for sure.
Might be a dumb question, but do you burn wood to heat your home yourself?
Nope. I just burn in the fireplace and back yard stove. Good question!
Do you sell a lot of basswood? I’ve found it is almost like balsa wood when dry.
No very little, mostly for camp fire wood.
2 videos today?? Thanks for spoiling us!!
Yup, my boo boo, your gift!
i cut a bunch of Black Locus in a place here in Vermont about 20 years ago
Very nice firewood!
Is mold or lichens bad to burn in fireplace, stove or outdoor fire?
No.
How would someone start selling firewood if they didn't have access to standing lumber to cut. Would it be feasible to contract with a local logging company and have it delivered to u and then process it. Would that be crazy ¿??
Ask people if you can cut on their property, get tree service wood, Craigs list, Facebook marketplace, curb side......
@InTheWoodyard thanks again mate Chris 👍
just curios on what you do with cotten wood and willow i know after it dries it is light as a fart i would not want to waste the time to carry it in the house let me know if there is something i am missing out on cause there is alot of it around me thanks
We try hard to avoid it too.
5½ hours early? A bonus? Time will tell. Good info, as always. Thanks, Chris. - Other Chris
It was a booboo! I miss dated one! You win!
Waiting to see the Echo run
yup you are.
Hey is that the echo CS 7310p
Yup, she will be cutting any day now here!
Have u tried olive wood
Nope, we do not have it here.
@@InTheWoodyard the best aroma u will ever smell
Soo dense soo heavy
Midnight drop. 👍👍
Enjoy!
Do you have manzanita
nope
Oh ok. Its like locus
Thank you for admitting that we in the PNW that we should cover our wood, major debate and I stick by covering my wood up here. Keep cuttin' folks!
Yup, all that rain must make it hard to dry wood!
Be careful that knee wall that the glass block window sits on doesn't snap unless you've excavated to see if there's a good footer with steel and the blocks are poured. Otherwise, if that's snaps that roof will be on top of that tractor before you can spit. Please be careful
Yup.
Daylight savings time isnt here yet
😄
But its flying our way , seems like faster than ever.
Yup!
I figured it out people. He is so far ahead that he had a day that he got distracted ❤️ Valentine’s Day ❤️
Yup, I move a few videos around and miss dated one! My boo boo ...your gift!
Mr. M.B.A. strikes again: kissing a split to test for seasoning . Brilliant ! Who knew ? THX.
Try it, it does work for the most part.
@@InTheWoodyardChris--don't have the time since we're heating 99% with wood to have an affair with my splits ( no kissing ).
Clunking two pieces of wood is how Bigfoot communicates,Hello Bigfoot! 😂 Good communication! 😊
You got that right!!
Since when does a ... in the wood yard video oodt at midnight??
It happens at times. Sometimes, there are 2 uploads 😉👍
The Earth has obviously tipped off it's Axis! Get in the basement immediately and take cover!😮
I’m sure he’s slaying Beav and had it on auto load
Ahh, yes,
I’m watching at 5:45 regardless. He can post all he wants between 8pm and 5am. Sleeping 💤
I see the new echo-7310P in the background. This must be the video he filmed after his test run of the echo,
Yup, you will see it run soon!
I hear you say a lot that a whole lot of your customers want oak. Because it's the best and burns the hottest.. I have also heard you say that the vast majority of your customers just burn wood for the enjoyment of a fire. So I'm just wondering why that would be when other wood is much better for entertainment purposes than oak.😅 pretty much and wood other than oak😅
Ya, I have a love hate for oak. It sells great but takes forever to dry. On a few videos I have mentioned that there are a lot of BETTER kinds of wood available. To me oak is above average but not the best. Hickory, ironwood, locust, beech, apple, ossage orange, hard maple and a few other are actually better for heat and other wood like pine and softer hardwoods like soft maple, ash, box elder and aspen are better for flames and fast heat. All wood burns.
Honey locust slower than black locust
Slower what, to cut, split, dry, burn???? I think black locust dries a lot faster.
👍👍
thanks!!!
Hmmmmm Toobless U has struck again!!!
Good Morning Woodhounds!!
Morning!
Land of the midnight sun. 2:25
Yup!
All I know is that oak is great but it takes so long to dry I forget I even have it. 🧐
Yup!
I feel this type of first-hand knowledge trumps these folks running around with electronic moisture meters. They beat their heads against the wall over what the gizmo says. I'm not saying a meter can't be handy...but "reading" the wood is much better, IMO, than the meters.
I like to employ ALL methods. I have found that meters can vary so I use several at a time to verify...but they do work...if you know what to do using them.
Lots of great info at 74 years old. Still learning😂
Glad to help! Thanks for watching!
Oh yeah...that's what led to me processing my own firewood. These dudes around here don't know what "seasoned" actually means. "We cut the tree down in January"-ok, when did you split it? "Last month". Yeah sorry-no way it's seasoned. That's when I started ordering trailers of logs from tree services.
Yup, if you want perfect wood you ,might need to make it yourself!
🤘
Thanks!
I thought I was the only one who kissed wood! 😂
Yup, your lips can feel the moisture!
Yeah,kind of early 🤯
Yup!
👍👍
Thanks!!!
🎉
Thanks!
It's fungi, not funguses lol. Enjoy your videos
Yup! Thanks for watching!
HAHAHAHAHAH Time schedule out of Whack Chris ???
Yup, I made a boo boo on my dates!
Knock on Wood😊
It ain’t 05:30am😊
Yup, I made a boo boo!
Keep the wood off the ground and you will be all good.
Yup, that is a big part of it!
Wood yard ×2 :)
Yup!
The drought took out the water oaks so…….
So...? Are they dead? Are you cutting them down? Are they all dead? ???
@@InTheWoodyard I will be dropping some and the rest will be tree service. Of all hardwood the water oak was hammered from 4 months of no rain. A lot of pine are already standing dead.
you talk against elm is not spot on....we have a lot of elm around us and i cut and split it a lot. I also have access to a lot of Ash. But because you have other woods don't make them bad.
I is very hard to split, it mostly rips apart. And yes there is some around but nothing like before the 70s die off.
👏🪵👀
Thanks!
Hey Chris, Just tested my coastal wattle firewood to see if it's dry... first thing I did was wacking it against each other... it sounded very high pitched and I knew it was dry but there was [almost] no cracks?? Is it dry or not? PS : It's not rot.🪵
Some wood types do not crack much...get a moisture meter and test it! INSIDE!