I love it when the old timers tell me a moisture meter doesnt work, and i need to just "know" when it's dry using out dated techniques. Cracks me up. That's their long way of telling me that they have no idea how a moisture meter works haha
My buddy and I team up to do our wood that we primarily use for heating in woodstoves. We're located in Maine. For us, fire pit wood is the lowest grade, it's the stuff that's half rotten or has a lot of knots or weird shapes that won't fit in the stoves. We each burn about 3 full cords (nobody talks in face cords in Maine) a year in large Jotul stoves, capable of 24" pieces, though we usually cut to 20-22" to allow for some wiggle room. I very much enjoy cutting and splitting wood, but I also very much enjoy being done with it for the year! On my woodlot we have a fair amount of softwood, primarily hemlock and lots of soft hardwood, mostly poplar (aspen). My forester recommends removing the poplar, birch and thinning the hemlock. Though it's a much lower quality wood, I prefer to use poplar on the shoulder seasons, or in the mornings when I'm home, because I don't need it to burn for long, I just need it to perk the fire up quickly. It's hard to beat a good dry piece of oak to keep the fire going over night, though. If i hear the furnace kick on, I feel that I have personally failed as a man. Not sure why I'm sharing all this, or why people who cut and burn wood are always so eager to share what they do and why they do it, but I enjoy your videos!
Always enjoy your videos! I’ve learned a bunch and nothing like taking a break with a good cup of coffee and In The Woodyard. Thank you for all the work you put in to your channel. God Bless🙂
As a cat person, there's zero chance that cat could be ignored, lol. I spent the video zoning in and out of your discussion watching that rascal. And literally as I type this, my 16 yr old cat hops on my lap and starts purring. So it's time to give him all the attention. GNI
Great video! I always thought seasoned wood had to be drying out for one year to be called seasoned, but from now on, I'll call wood seasoned, if it's ready to burn. Most of the wood I burn is salvaged from old blow downs on the properly. Some have been sitting several years and as wet as can be when I process them. I Separate it in two kinds. Beautiful bark free heartwood for use indoors and everything else is boiler wood for the outdoor unit. I stack it on runners (just learned the name here), cover the top, and let it dry. I believe in a moisture meter, so I split and check a few samples before I use it. In. Doing so, I noticed the red oak takes a very long time to dry. I can actually see the moisture inside. After a year, still not ready. I also use a sharpie and date a few pieces so I don't lose track of how long they have been sitting. I still have some from 2020. Its dry!
So cool that as you talk bout all the myths I’m nodding my head or even finishing your sentences in my head; cause I’ve learned it from yours and other firewood sites. Much thnx from a homeowner with a fireplace, and have become an amateur splitter of tree service type wood for recreational use in my home 🤛🏻…
Chris , I burn what I get for free , mixed wood no problem as long as it’s seasoned, I do my own chopping and splitting so know the age of seasoning 👍enjoying the videos but miss the greenery of the old Woodyard.
Good morning Chris, I agree with almost everything you said about wood with one exception, yellow pine. Years ago I was burning barn beams from a barn built in 1837. It was PA. yellow pine. The stove pipe plugged up every two weeks. When I split them there was still sticky sap in them.
Good morning Chris , it was so nice to meet you this past weekend at the Hoosier Firewood Hysteria . When I was a kid we heated with wood . We used what ever we could get . Like my dad told people , if you are cold , you will burn it !!!! Have a great day . Del
Great video Chris. Up in New England, EAB is rampant and ash is plentiful. Split and stacked, it's ready in a few months. The red Oak I processed in 2021 should be ready for this year, but only verified with my meter. Keeping it off the ground is absolutely essential! Take care!
I have a restaurant/bar that I burn a fire pit everyday it’s not raining or blowing. The absolute best wood, I don’t care who you are, is free wood. If it’s free, it’s for me…I can’t get enough.. lol. Especially when customers pile wood in the fire, like it’s free. Let’s see how big I can make this fire.. ahh, good times…… Great video Chris.. thanks
Same at my local bar except the owner doesn’t supply the wood, the regulars bring wood, pallets, construction scraps, everything burns but the smoke is terrible because most of it is pretty wet, good times!
Great video Chris! You're a true professional. I was taught seasoned is ready to burn. My father grew up poor in northern Mexico in the 40's. They would burn dry cow patties, if it's dry anything will burn. My part of Canada has every species, oak (manitoba oak, super dense and hard), ash, maple, poplar, pine, spruce etc. Identifying them is my problem.
Hey chris is allen again. Would like to thank you again!I actually got my wood business going better got a dump truck and I got an account through a place that I work for. they will bring me all the wood cut for thirty percent. It's mainly hardwood and fruit wood they give me about forty chords to go through. My gole was a 100 cords I'm at 60 . And I sold thirty for my first year. But thanks for the video.
Amen! I agree 100% with everything you said in this video and I don't think you missed a thing, My family had a firewood processing/ delivery operation in Northern New Hampshire back in the early eighties; I worked in the wood yard there as a teenager, I still have an old Jonsereds saw from there from before we switched to all Husqvarna saws. I used to chase a crew of three to four "cutters" with a rather large LaFont splitter modified with a four cylinder Wisconsin Robin gas engine that I devised a four and then eight way splitting head for, We made some of the first bundled firewood that I know of . I can confirm the "wood-snob" thing as we had a lot of poplar come down from the landings on log trucks (Straight -jobs with a Prentice grapple on the back and a trailer load hooked onto the back of that.) and nobody in the area wanted the stuff. We tried to separate it out for them but it wasn't easy so a lot got through. Though poplar is (iirc) the softest of the hardwood species, I have never had any issue with it other than a lot of "snap-crackle -pop" noises. As for pine, I heated my house on Cape Cod for two years on the wood from a single white pine I cut down in my front yard, it was about 70 feet tall and had long wind blown limbs going out twenty-five feet over the garage. That thing must have been dead for Twenty years as I cut it down from the ground with a Shindaiwa 500(50cc) w/20'"bar all I got out of the saw was dust for chips. It was totally dry, hard to cut up but burned just fine; Hot and fast and almost free and almost no creosote buildup. Thanks for fixing the world.
I agree with your seasoned definition. I just tell people its ready to go by month x...if properly stacked and then covered before the rains.. or if its dead of winter abd im selling it, its good to go. Yes this wood is ready to burn. It has been seasoned and at xx.x moisture level
All good points, Chris. Here where I am at Douglas Fir is everywhere and is the wood to burn.. when I have Locust, it's hard to push as most don't know about it..
Great and informative video. I burn a lot of balsam fir, very soft wood but burns very well. Pops in the fireplace but is safe as long as you keep the doors shut and are careful when adding wood. Everything boils down to using COMMON SENSE AND DONT GET CARELESS. Hey it was great to meet you and Tony at the Hoosier Hysteria. Thanks for the videos and don’t change anything on how you come up with content. We need another video with Kenny. He makes me laugh. See at 5:30 am.
Seasoned has been split, stack (piled) off the ground, and dried until it's below 20% moisture. I check the outside of my stacked splits then resplit some pieces and check the inside also. That's my take anyway. All good points Chris.
I’m really glad you made this video I like the part when you said about people sell it by the truckload that happens by me a lot and I try to sell increments like 1/3 of a face cord or face Cord or 2/3 of a cord or a cord and then they’re like wow that’s expensive but when I show up with the wood they’re like that’s a lot where am I going to put it all. I will say people do like coming to me because they are getting the same amount every single time. My favorite wood I like to mix in my fireplace is a little bit of ash a little bit of cherry and a stick of oak.
Right on Chris! I heat my house with a wood stove and here in the west I live in a pine forest. I burn pine almost exclusively. I do not have any creosote issues whatsoever.
Cool, and your house does not exploded every time you put a piece of pine in your stove!!! How is that possible!!! Many people think that it can and will happen!!!! Thanks for the input!
I am deploying to the breeders kennels to help out for a few days while they attend the LOD funerals for their neice. Private ceremony today. Public ceremony tomorrow near St. Paul. Where i am staying does not have internet or cell service. The breeders had friends who jump at the opportunity to be wirh the dogs. I will be tending to four "problem children." Basically four versions of Peri, without on and off switches. Two are his litter mates, one is Macys brither and an interloper from another kennel. To describe this group as knuckleheads would be accurate. Mini Me is trained in the handling of my dogs. She will be playing with them after school. I have neighbors and friends that will be stopping over to check on Bill. Everyone stay in your lanes and be Good Samaratians. I should be back lste Saturday. Ann Marie
@In The Woodyard HI Chris. Got back home this afternoon. Their was some blood letting from happy jumping Goldens. Lots of walking and training. There were no dust ups and no one was hurt. Mini Me did a phenomenal job at home. Bill gave her her own cellphone so she could call if she needed help. She was thrilled to help out. The ceremonies were overwhelming. The formal ceremony was six hours long and the procession was 20 miles long. Every 50 minutes for the past week the honor guard stood at the officers side. On the home front, Peri and Bill got stung by a hornet. All of the people who said they would help did. Lots of phone call check ins from friends for Bill and checks from Neighbors. I will catch up on videos tomorrow. I was so far off the grid sunshine gad to be pumped in.
Chris how do you feel about piled wood that is on pavement as far as drying? I have a 4 cord pile that was dumped on my driveway. It is on a slope so no water pools there. I think the bottom will be fine for this coming winter but won't know for sure until I dig into it.
Good morning Chris and friends good info . I heat with wood 🪵 mostly oak ,maple ,elm I’ve been doing this for 43 years. If you can maintain 500 degrees in the chimney your chimney will stay clean. If you smolder the fire and create smoke expect buildup. Then beware of chimney fires 🔥 they will crack the chimney. Keep on cutting
You're correct. Hotter fires help keep a chimney clean. I was always taught, when ya get up in the morning, stoke the fire and get it going as hot as you can, to help burn out any creosote flakes that may have accumulated from the overnight slow burn, and let it burn as hot as you can (what's safe for the stove and pipe mind you) for an hour. Good point Brian.
I agree that seasoned wood should be ready to burn now. I've gotten away from using the word "seasoned" in my business. I instead tell my customers when it was processed and stacked and let them decide if that is what they want. I've had my woodstove for 25 years and never had to clean my chimney. I must be burning dry wood. Thanks for another informative video my friend.
Chris, I agree with you about seasoned wood. Ready to burn, no matter how long the wait. Seasoned wood is NOT wood that has been liberally sprinkled with salt and pepper!😊
Half poplar (or cottonwood, or whatever mystery lightweight hardwoods), and half pine "Fire Pit Mix" was a pretty good seller for me last year, and it lets me sell pine in an area that no one would usually buy it.
My seadoned firewood is dredged in salt, pepper and dog hair. Actually mine is split and stacked in a grid pattern in a sunny area. I use a moisture meter to check mousture. Then i bake it on low for two hours in an old oven. This is to kill any bugs. ants and larva. I do this on cold, rainy or snowy days. This helps hest the house.
Question what is the best way to get low cost splitter I am thinking of getting started in this as a side job for extra money also think will help me burn off extra fat from winter lol.
We have a lot of Sweet Gum and Black Gum trees in my area of Central Arkansas. It is great to burn and dries very quickly. It is virtually impossible to split with an are so that makes it very unpopular. It also splinters badly so handling the split wood is also tricky. It's the only wood that I sell cheaper. Great fire pit wood! Wood, even Oak dries down to the teens on the moisture meter within 6 months, if you split it smaller. In 3 years of selling wood I have not had one complaint about wood not burning well.
Here in south Louisiana pecan is my favorite, it surely doesn't get the credit it deserves, it is excellent for heating, cooking campfire with less smoke, plus makes great kindling even though it is very dense wood.
Season wood is when its dry enough to burn, below 20% . I find I can get wood down to 6% in summer but in a wet winter in Scotland that same wood will absorb moisture and go back to 18% plus. It's fine put buy the fire for a night soon drops.(difficult for customers to under, I do warn them.)Climate makes a difference. Love soft wood for cooking, like harder wood for winter. Great vid agree with all of it thanks.
Seasoned wood to me, means it is dry. I focus mostly on bundles and the wood is split small. If stacked in the open and North to South, oak will dry out. Our summers are oppressively hot, and this one is supposed to be a dozy. Down here everyone burns oak and that is all they want. That is fine with me. Personally dry sweetgum burns great has lots of flames and burns up quick like pine. You have to have a log splitter to split it. The grain is as if it was woven and the splitter really just rips it apart creating a lot of built in kindling. That is my favorite for fire pits.
Chris in the old woodyard you would stack your wood three rows wide and I understand this was very labor-intensive. In your opinion do you think that the bins will dry as well in the middle as stacking it three rows wide? Thanks in advance Greg from Minocqua
Hello Greg fro the island town! Yes in my set up (in the wide open with constant wind and sun, it will speed up the drying a lot...also do you think wood stacked tight in rows next to more rows get more wind flow than loose wood) ?? I vote for loose every time. Off of the ground and loose in the open is a winning combo!!
I think it means the wood has lost at least 80% of its moisture. In the summer in the South, that may take 3-6 months. Longer in the North. Depending on species.
Do not cover it until it is dry. Also, make sure it is not in contact with the ground. Rain is no big deal IF you wood is in the open not in the shade and wind can get to it.
I had a guy work for me and he was just a pain so one day he was just standing around I gave him a bucket of saw dust and made him sprinkle on all the wood piles that we needed the wood to be seasoned 😅 it only took him about 45 min to realize
For the most part all the wood around here will dry in a year. Dead standing pine burns great right after being cut. That’s one nice thing. I never heard of a moisture meter till I watched you tube. It definitely a nice tool to have.
Hi Chris. I think the biggest indicator you missed was "the ends are black or grey so it's ready to burn". It's caused by rain and doesn't necessarily mean the wood is ready. I've had a stack in my house for 4 years and no black ends but it's definitely ready to go
its not ready to burn until its 20 % water content or less ; I think that was well covered in the video, indicators are just indicators, You need to make your own choice from there, and you have a storage area without weather; of course it will never change much. Most people do not have that option and must stack and store out of doors.
Yup, I had a guy write to me the other day that pine is the only wood he has burned for heat now for 30 years, it is all he has and has had no problems... EVER!
Good morning Chris, I grew up around cutting, splitting and stacking wood to burn for heat. But I struggle with wood identification. (Is there an online photo app) that you would recommend for ways to identify the wide variety we have here in the states. Thanks in advance 🤠 sincerely Ron Doyle.
I have several videos on it but getting a tree identification book is a good start and try to ID as many trees as you can all the time and you will learn, it take a long time, as in years. And yes there is a an app, I do not have it or know what it is called.
Many many moons ago ran out of heating wood with a late spring, Green standing White Birch is better than no wood so it was cut, split and seasoned as it went into the stove. Lessons learned having extra wood at the end of the season is better than coming up a month short and that being an extra season ahead is even better. I enjoy cutting firewood more now that I no longer use it for heating.
You are the wood moisture expert. How long it takes firewood to season once it is split and stacked off the ground has a lot to do with the relative humidity during the period it is stacked. The severe drouth conditions in my area for the last couple of years have changed a lot of things. Good for drying wood, not so good for raising crops or keeping your lawn alive. GNI
I don’t see as many old timers burning wood anymore. Every once in a while, we will find somebody who wants their wood 18 inches long. Many of them prefer green wood. To a lot of those folks “seasoned” firewood is wood that is cut right now and used next fall. A lot of the folks when I was growing up thought that seasoned wood burned to hot and to fast. Old habits die hard. I always tried to explain to them that if they used seasoned wood they could close their stoves down and it would burn slower and it wouldn’t take as much wood to heat their home. I’m in Arkansas and recently saw a man in Mississippi selling green firewood exactly they same way as I see the old timers wanting theirs. It must be a southern thing.
Your first myth about seasoning is absolutely true! It's the same thing with lightnin' or home brew. You can't drink the stuff fresh from the cooker until it's settled and aged. I make sure it settles and ages for at least 15 minutes! Well, sometimes 10. Gotta do firewood at least that much too!! Can't get anywhere 'til you get the basics right! - Dry wood won't make creosote. Maybe...I got some old telephone poles, boys, they were DRY! Still got creosote!! - In Ohio, it''s illegal to sell wood by any measure other than cords or fractions thereof. Politicians did that because there are so many wood burners that vote!! Prob some even elected to the House! Pols are so sneaky!! Manana! GNI
@@InTheWoodyard Oh I know! Nothing wrong with the way you do it, because you know through loading measured amounts and experience that you are giving the customer the correct amount. But the guys who just sell by the "truckload" or "scoop" are a different story!
Seasoning wood for pool cues takes years to get it perfect. In cue making seasoned wood means “it stops moving” and stays within the tolerances it’s machined to. Takes years. “Old wood” cues play better is the general accepted thought. 10-20-30 years. Like old violins tend to sound better. Cue collectors are wood geeks, we burn the wood we don’t use for cues😉 Back to fire wood.
I just advertise on craigs list but face book marketplace is great and you could also make a web site too. I also hand out business cards to every firewood customer and ask them to tell others about my firewood.
On the seasoning front, wait till you get that beech split, it'll still be there in 2025! Only wood i've seen that is significantly slower to season than oak
In Arkansas firewood is supposed to be sold by cord or fraction of cord. I have noticed in a lot of ads they do not mention how much of a cord they are selling
Here in Finland the main firewood is birch, but almost every household has some pine and spruce as well. Everything burns just well! And we know how to heat our homes every cold and dark winter 🙏
I try to "season" my wood until its below 20%. Thanks for the insight on myths about firewood!! Stay Hydrated and Have a Safe Day
That is good!
I love it when the old timers tell me a moisture meter doesnt work, and i need to just "know" when it's dry using out dated techniques. Cracks me up. That's their long way of telling me that they have no idea how a moisture meter works haha
Yup, I agree!
@@InTheWoodyard Which moisture meter is a good one to buy?
Coming from a 12 year experience selling Firewood here in New Zealand, i agree with everything you have just covered. Well done
Thanks so much, I appreciate that!
My buddy and I team up to do our wood that we primarily use for heating in woodstoves. We're located in Maine. For us, fire pit wood is the lowest grade, it's the stuff that's half rotten or has a lot of knots or weird shapes that won't fit in the stoves. We each burn about 3 full cords (nobody talks in face cords in Maine) a year in large Jotul stoves, capable of 24" pieces, though we usually cut to 20-22" to allow for some wiggle room. I very much enjoy cutting and splitting wood, but I also very much enjoy being done with it for the year!
On my woodlot we have a fair amount of softwood, primarily hemlock and lots of soft hardwood, mostly poplar (aspen). My forester recommends removing the poplar, birch and thinning the hemlock. Though it's a much lower quality wood, I prefer to use poplar on the shoulder seasons, or in the mornings when I'm home, because I don't need it to burn for long, I just need it to perk the fire up quickly. It's hard to beat a good dry piece of oak to keep the fire going over night, though. If i hear the furnace kick on, I feel that I have personally failed as a man.
Not sure why I'm sharing all this, or why people who cut and burn wood are always so eager to share what they do and why they do it, but I enjoy your videos!
Thanks for the info Ed, us firewood people like to talk wood!
Always enjoy your videos! I’ve learned a bunch and nothing like taking a break with a good cup of coffee and In The Woodyard. Thank you for all the work you put in to your channel. God Bless🙂
Thanks so much for the time you spend watching, it means a lot to me!
Woodyard time..
Good morning all!
Hello!
Chris, those are very good points and explanations. You are always spot on with your many years of experience. Thanks for sharing your wisdom!
Thank you for watching!!
As a cat person, there's zero chance that cat could be ignored, lol. I spent the video zoning in and out of your discussion watching that rascal. And literally as I type this, my 16 yr old cat hops on my lap and starts purring. So it's time to give him all the attention. GNI
Yup, they do like to be rubbed!
Great video! I always thought seasoned wood had to be drying out for one year to be called seasoned, but from now on, I'll call wood seasoned, if it's ready to burn. Most of the wood I burn is salvaged from old blow downs on the properly. Some have been sitting several years and as wet as can be when I process them. I Separate it in two kinds. Beautiful bark free heartwood for use indoors and everything else is boiler wood for the outdoor unit. I stack it on runners (just learned the name here), cover the top, and let it dry. I believe in a moisture meter, so I split and check a few samples before I use it. In. Doing so, I noticed the red oak takes a very long time to dry. I can actually see the moisture inside. After a year, still not ready. I also use a sharpie and date a few pieces so I don't lose track of how long they have been sitting. I still have some from 2020. Its dry!
Yup, yopu are doing it right! All oak takes longer to dry!
So cool that as you talk bout all the myths I’m nodding my head or even finishing your sentences in my head; cause I’ve learned it from yours and other firewood sites.
Much thnx from a homeowner with a fireplace, and have become an amateur splitter of tree service type wood for recreational use in my home 🤛🏻…
Thanks so much for the time you spend watching my channel Mike!
All good info Chris!!..... Enjoyed it!
Thanks Greg!
I agree with your interpretation wood is seasoned if it is ready to burn NOW....
yup!
Chris , I burn what I get for free , mixed wood no problem as long as it’s seasoned, I do my own chopping and splitting so know the age of seasoning 👍enjoying the videos but miss the greenery of the old Woodyard.
It will green up there soon!
Chris you make a lot of sense, even to an old guy from England 🇬🇧
Thanks for watching Mike!
1) seasoned wood 00:50, 2) stacking wood 2:05, 3) Creosote and chimney cleaning 3:50, 4) Truck load of wood 5:50, 5) Dry wood?, moisture meter 8:05, 6) Soft wood? 13:20, 7) Wood preferences (snobs) 15:00
yup
Good morning Chris, I agree with almost everything you said about wood with one exception, yellow pine. Years ago I was burning barn beams from a barn built in 1837. It was PA. yellow pine. The stove pipe plugged up every two weeks. When I split them there was still sticky sap in them.
Wow, that is interesting, we do not have any yellow pine here!
Good morning Chris , it was so nice to meet you this past weekend at the Hoosier Firewood Hysteria . When I was a kid we heated with wood . We used what ever we could get . Like my dad told people , if you are cold , you will burn it !!!! Have a great day . Del
Report Cards burned nicely.
Yup, the hysteria was a great time with fantastic people, we sure did put a whoopin' on the wood!
ha!!!
Yes sir , now that I’m retired , I need to get into better shape other than round . You are like a machine when it comes to working sir !!!!
Ash wood wet, or ash wood dry, a King will warm his slippers by.
Yup, it will burn!
I like the way you check moisture. Good info on creosote. I’ve burnt wood for 30 years. The drier the wood the better.
Yup, dry is good! Thanks
Great video Chris. Up in New England, EAB is rampant and ash is plentiful. Split and stacked, it's ready in a few months. The red Oak I processed in 2021 should be ready for this year, but only verified with my meter. Keeping it off the ground is absolutely essential! Take care!
Yup, you got it right!
The best wood to burn is the one I get for "Free" great video Chris!
Yup, free is good!
I have a restaurant/bar that I burn a fire pit everyday it’s not raining or blowing. The absolute best wood, I don’t care who you are, is free wood. If it’s free, it’s for me…I can’t get enough.. lol. Especially when customers pile wood in the fire, like it’s free. Let’s see how big I can make this fire.. ahh, good times……
Great video Chris.. thanks
Yup, free wood is good wood!!
Same at my local bar except the owner doesn’t supply the wood, the regulars bring wood, pallets, construction scraps, everything burns but the smoke is terrible because most of it is pretty wet, good times!
Great video Chris! You're a true professional.
I was taught seasoned is ready to burn.
My father grew up poor in northern Mexico in the 40's. They would burn dry cow patties, if it's dry anything will burn.
My part of Canada has every species, oak (manitoba oak, super dense and hard), ash, maple, poplar, pine, spruce etc. Identifying them is my problem.
Get yourself a tree identification book and learn the trees, it gets easier with effort and seeking out the species.
Good morning Woodhounds!!!!!
hello!
my favorite is guys selling seasoned logs ready to burn.
That does happen but it takes many years in most cases.
Hey chris is allen again. Would like to thank you again!I actually got my wood business going better got a dump truck and I got an account through a place that I work for. they will bring me all the wood cut for thirty percent. It's mainly hardwood and fruit wood they give me about forty chords to go through. My gole was a 100 cords I'm at 60 . And I sold thirty for my first year. But thanks for the video.
Hello Alan! It sounds like you have a great thing going! It's good to hear about others success!
A "truckload of wood" is like the guys who say "I get 700 (or whatever) miles out of a tank of gas"...umm, how big is that tank?
Yes! And do the drive 31.59 miles per hour and coast to a stop and never use the brakes and only drive with the wind! Haaaaa!
Hey Chris, always enjoy these sit an chat videos :). Good topic discussed and thanks for sharing! Andrew from NB :)
Thanks Andrew!
Amen! I agree 100% with everything you said in this video and I don't think you missed a thing, My family had a firewood processing/ delivery operation in Northern New Hampshire back in the early eighties; I worked in the wood yard there as a teenager, I still have an old Jonsereds saw from there from before we switched to all Husqvarna saws. I used to chase a crew of three to four "cutters" with a rather large LaFont splitter modified with a four cylinder Wisconsin Robin gas engine that I devised a four and then eight way splitting head for, We made some of the first bundled firewood that I know of . I can confirm the "wood-snob" thing as we had a lot of poplar come down from the landings on log trucks (Straight -jobs with a Prentice grapple on the back and a trailer load hooked onto the back of that.) and nobody in the area wanted the stuff. We tried to separate it out for them but it wasn't easy so a lot got through. Though poplar is (iirc) the softest of the hardwood species, I have never had any issue with it other than a lot of "snap-crackle -pop" noises. As for pine, I heated my house on Cape Cod for two years on the wood from a single white pine I cut down in my front yard, it was about 70 feet tall and had long wind blown limbs going out twenty-five feet over the garage. That thing must have been dead for Twenty years as I cut it down from the ground with a Shindaiwa 500(50cc) w/20'"bar all I got out of the saw was dust for chips. It was totally dry, hard to cut up but burned just fine; Hot and fast and almost free and almost no creosote buildup. Thanks for fixing the world.
Thanks so much for the history and the info! I hope to see you here again!
I'm sure you will , thanksfor having me. @@InTheWoodyard
You're videos are so helpful to me. Also pine is fine.😂
Thanks for watching!
I agree with your seasoned definition.
I just tell people its ready to go by month x...if properly stacked and then covered before the rains.. or if its dead of winter abd im selling it, its good to go. Yes this wood is ready to burn. It has been seasoned and at xx.x moisture level
Yup, ready to burn now is what they want!
All good points, Chris. Here where I am at Douglas Fir is everywhere and is the wood to burn.. when I have Locust, it's hard to push as most don't know about it..
There you go softwood sells AND burns fine!
Moisture content is the key to wood being properly seasoned.
Yup!
Great and informative video. I burn a lot of balsam fir, very soft wood but burns very well. Pops in the fireplace but is safe as long as you keep the doors shut and are careful when adding wood. Everything boils down to using COMMON SENSE AND DONT GET CARELESS. Hey it was great to meet you and Tony at the Hoosier Hysteria. Thanks for the videos and don’t change anything on how you come up with content. We need another video with Kenny. He makes me laugh. See at 5:30 am.
Hey Allan! Thanks so much for taking the long drive to the big wood cut! Thanks for watching every day!
Excellent video Chris!!
Thanks1
Seasoned , a little salt , pepper , and some chili powder ✌️✌️👍👍😏😉
Yup, a few others had that one too!
Seasoned has been split, stack (piled) off the ground, and dried until it's below 20% moisture. I check the outside of my stacked splits then resplit some pieces and check the inside also. That's my take anyway. All good points Chris.
Yup, you are right Bobby! Thanks!
Great video. Hello from Southeastern part of Kansas.
Thanks Mr Big!!
@@InTheWoodyard you are welcome. I called myself Big Brian because I am a heavy set guy.
Awesome video Chris!!
Thanks!!
I’m really glad you made this video I like the part when you said about people sell it by the truckload that happens by me a lot and I try to sell increments like 1/3 of a face cord or face
Cord or 2/3 of a cord or a cord and then they’re like wow that’s expensive but when I show up with the wood they’re like that’s a lot where am I going to put it all. I will say people do like coming to me because they are getting the same amount every single time.
My favorite wood I like to mix in my fireplace is a little bit of ash a little bit of cherry and a stick of oak.
Thanks for the info and for watching Cody!
Right on Chris! I heat my house with a wood stove and here in the west I live in a pine forest. I burn pine almost exclusively. I do not have any creosote issues whatsoever.
Cool, and your house does not exploded every time you put a piece of pine in your stove!!! How is that possible!!! Many people think that it can and will happen!!!! Thanks for the input!
I am deploying to the breeders kennels to help out for a few days while they attend the LOD funerals for their neice. Private ceremony today. Public ceremony tomorrow near St. Paul.
Where i am staying does not have internet or cell service. The breeders had friends who jump at the opportunity to be wirh the dogs. I will be tending to four "problem children." Basically four versions of Peri, without on and off switches.
Two are his litter mates, one is Macys brither and an interloper from another kennel.
To describe this group as knuckleheads would be accurate.
Mini Me is trained in the handling of my dogs. She will be playing with them after school.
I have neighbors and friends that will be stopping over to check on Bill.
Everyone stay in your lanes and be Good Samaratians. I should be back lste Saturday.
Ann Marie
Good luck with the heard!!!
@In The Woodyard HI Chris. Got back home this afternoon. Their was some blood letting from happy jumping Goldens. Lots of walking and training.
There were no dust ups and no one was hurt.
Mini Me did a phenomenal job at home. Bill gave her her own cellphone so she could call if she needed help. She was thrilled to help out.
The ceremonies were overwhelming. The formal ceremony was six hours long and the procession was 20 miles long. Every 50 minutes for the past week the honor guard stood at the officers side.
On the home front, Peri and Bill got stung by a hornet. All of the people who said they would help did. Lots of phone call check ins from friends for Bill and checks from Neighbors.
I will catch up on videos tomorrow.
I was so far off the grid sunshine gad to be pumped in.
Chris how do you feel about piled wood that is on pavement as far as drying? I have a 4 cord pile that was dumped on my driveway. It is on a slope so no water pools there. I think the bottom will be fine for this coming winter but won't know for sure until I dig into it.
Yup, that will be great!
Good morning Chris and friends good info . I heat with wood 🪵 mostly oak ,maple ,elm I’ve been doing this for 43 years. If you can maintain 500 degrees in the chimney your chimney will stay clean. If you smolder the fire and create smoke expect buildup. Then beware of chimney fires 🔥 they will crack the chimney. Keep on cutting
You're correct. Hotter fires help keep a chimney clean. I was always taught, when ya get up in the morning, stoke the fire and get it going as hot as you can, to help burn out any creosote flakes that may have accumulated from the overnight slow burn, and let it burn as hot as you can (what's safe for the stove and pipe mind you) for an hour. Good point Brian.
Yup, good points Brian!
Yup, good one!
Great video! Keep up the great work!
Thanks Daniel, will do!
G’morning Chris ! You speaka da troof ! For seasoning wood, we like Lemon Pepper. Ash is Cash !! Love it. Thanks.
GoodNightIrene
Yup, ash is great until there is no more and that will happen soon!
I agree that seasoned wood should be ready to burn now. I've gotten away from using the word "seasoned" in my business. I instead tell my customers when it was processed and stacked and let them decide if that is what they want. I've had my woodstove for 25 years and never had to clean my chimney. I must be burning dry wood. Thanks for another informative video my friend.
I would say that you are doing a great job if your chimney is that good!
Chris, I agree with you about seasoned wood. Ready to burn, no matter how long the wait. Seasoned wood is NOT wood that has been liberally sprinkled with salt and pepper!😊
Yup, I agree Sean!
My general rule of thumb for seasoned wood is one complete year. Split wood.
Soft wood is great, in my opinion.
That is a good one for a rule, but I have seen large chunks of oak that where still very wet inside after a year.
Half poplar (or cottonwood, or whatever mystery lightweight hardwoods), and half pine "Fire Pit Mix" was a pretty good seller for me last year, and it lets me sell pine in an area that no one would usually buy it.
Yup, that is a good fire pit mix!
My seadoned firewood is dredged in salt, pepper and dog hair.
Actually mine is split and stacked in a grid pattern in a sunny area. I use a moisture meter to check mousture.
Then i bake it on low for two hours in an old oven. This is to kill any bugs. ants and larva. I do this on cold, rainy or snowy days. This helps hest the house.
That is pretty good work, lots of time and effort for sure.
my wood is three years, that is then my buffer as well
That is a good one if you can stay ahead!
I’m w/ you 100% on your take on seasoned firewood. Pine is fine once it’s properly seasoned, now btu’s in pine is another story.
totally agree.
Yup!!!!
I use my softwood for the start and end of the burning season, when I don't need the same kind of BTU output to keep the house cozy as I do in Jan/Feb
Question what is the best way to get low cost splitter I am thinking of getting started in this as a side job for extra money also think will help me burn off extra fat from winter lol.
Craigs list of facebook marketplace may have used ones in your area or buy a new cheap box store splitter.
We have a lot of Sweet Gum and Black Gum trees in my area of Central Arkansas. It is great to burn and dries very quickly. It is virtually impossible to split with an are so that makes it very unpopular. It also splinters badly so handling the split wood is also tricky. It's the only wood that I sell cheaper. Great fire pit wood!
Wood, even Oak dries down to the teens on the moisture meter within 6 months, if you split it smaller. In 3 years of selling wood I have not had one complaint about wood not burning well.
That is good you are doing it right!
Here in south Louisiana pecan is my favorite, it surely doesn't get the credit it deserves, it is excellent for heating, cooking campfire with less smoke, plus makes great kindling even though it is very dense wood.
Yes! Nut trees like pecan and almond are FANTASTIC FIREWOOD! Not many places have it available. Send me some!!! Haaa!
Great video.
Thanks Rod!!
Season wood is when its dry enough to burn, below 20% . I find I can get wood down to 6% in summer but in a wet winter in Scotland that same wood will absorb moisture and go back to 18% plus. It's fine put buy the fire for a night soon drops.(difficult for customers to under, I do warn them.)Climate makes a difference. Love soft wood for cooking, like harder wood for winter. Great vid agree with all of it thanks.
All good points Billy!! Thanks!
Seasoned wood to me, means it is dry. I focus mostly on bundles and the wood is split small. If stacked in the open and North to South, oak will dry out. Our summers are oppressively hot, and this one is supposed to be a dozy. Down here everyone burns oak and that is all they want. That is fine with me.
Personally dry sweetgum burns great has lots of flames and burns up quick like pine. You have to have a log splitter to split it. The grain is as if it was woven and the splitter really just rips it apart creating a lot of built in kindling. That is my favorite for fire pits.
It sounds like you have a great system, keep cutting!
Very informative Chris 🪵👍like you said all wood 🪵 burns ❤😊
Yup, it does, eventually!
my right ear liked this.
Awesome.
Chris in the old woodyard you would stack your wood three rows wide and I understand this was very labor-intensive. In your opinion do you think that the bins will dry as well in the middle as stacking it three rows wide? Thanks in advance Greg from Minocqua
Hello Greg fro the island town! Yes in my set up (in the wide open with constant wind and sun, it will speed up the drying a lot...also do you think wood stacked tight in rows next to more rows get more wind flow than loose wood) ?? I vote for loose every time. Off of the ground and loose in the open is a winning combo!!
I think it means the wood has lost at least 80% of its moisture. In the summer in the South, that may take 3-6 months. Longer in the North. Depending on species.
okay!
@@InTheWoodyard Thanks
Myth #8...Firewwood burns better with an extra W! Personally...I feel like I am getting more!🤠
Haaaa! Good one!
Black and white cats are better firewood cats than orange cats.
Ha! That is a good one!
Is it better to to cover your wood or leave it uncovered to dry. And how much does the rain affect the drying process?
Do not cover it until it is dry. Also, make sure it is not in contact with the ground. Rain is no big deal IF you wood is in the open not in the shade and wind can get to it.
I had a guy work for me and he was just a pain so one day he was just standing around I gave him a bucket of saw dust and made him sprinkle on all the wood piles that we needed the wood to be seasoned 😅 it only took him about 45 min to realize
Ha!!! Good one!
Down here in AZ we use mesquite, and eucalyptus
Yup, you burn what you have, good thing all wood burns!
I believe Pinyon Pine has higher BTUs than most hardwoods.
Yup, it is good stuff for sure! It is as good as oak and some other hardwoods.
For the most part all the wood around here will dry in a year. Dead standing pine burns great right after being cut. That’s one nice thing. I never heard of a moisture meter till I watched you tube. It definitely a nice tool to have.
Yes, they work good and are very accurate!
Pune is fine!
Yes be used that selling wood, i explained it to the customer just like you did and they were good with it!!
Good to hear!
We season or wood with McCormicks and a little salt and pepper🤷♂️🤣 All good points Chris! See ya tomorrow👊🏻GNI
Yup, a few others had that one too!
Ash is nice but in north central Minnesota loggers mix some elm with it ash cuts and splits the best (black ash)
Yup, all wood burns! And you burn what you have!!
Hi Chris. I think the biggest indicator you missed was "the ends are black or grey so it's ready to burn". It's caused by rain and doesn't necessarily mean the wood is ready. I've had a stack in my house for 4 years and no black ends but it's definitely ready to go
Yup, that is a good one..."well weathered aged wood" I forgot that one!!! Thanks!!
its not ready to burn until its 20 % water content or less ; I think that was well covered in the video, indicators are just indicators, You need to make your own choice from there, and you have a storage area without weather; of course it will never change much. Most people do not have that option and must stack and store out of doors.
I like a nice thick piece of ash from time to time
Yup
What about the build up of what looks like creosote in the ash? What creates this?
Moisture in wood that is NOT dry yet burning off.
I love when people hate on pine..... ask them if they ever burned a 2x4..... of course they have and I just shake my heqd
Yup, I had a guy write to me the other day that pine is the only wood he has burned for heat now for 30 years, it is all he has and has had no problems... EVER!
Bro, yur insane.
Yup.
I agree seasoned means dry and ready to burn that day.👍👍GNI
Yup, you are a smart cookie Jeremiah! And a hard worker!
Seasoned to me means that it has a moisture content less than 20% ready to burn.
Yup, good point! I agree!
Good morning Chris, I grew up around cutting, splitting and stacking wood to burn for heat. But I struggle with wood identification.
(Is there an online photo app) that you would recommend for ways to identify the wide variety we have here in the states. Thanks in advance 🤠 sincerely Ron Doyle.
Agreed, I grew up around it as well but identification is a struggle for me.
I have several videos on it but getting a tree identification book is a good start and try to ID as many trees as you can all the time and you will learn, it take a long time, as in years. And yes there is a an app, I do not have it or know what it is called.
Get a tree ID book.
Many many moons ago ran out of heating wood with a late spring, Green standing White Birch is better than no wood so it was cut, split and seasoned as it went into the stove. Lessons learned having extra wood at the end of the season is better than coming up a month short and that being an extra season ahead is even better. I enjoy cutting firewood more now that I no longer use it for heating.
Yup, extra wood is like money in the bank!
You are the wood moisture expert. How long it takes firewood to season once it is split and stacked off the ground has a lot to do with the relative humidity during the period it is stacked. The severe drouth conditions in my area for the last couple of years have changed a lot of things. Good for drying wood, not so good for raising crops or keeping your lawn alive. GNI
Yup, weather can affect the dry time but good location helps a lot....open areas with lots of sun and wind!
I don’t see as many old timers burning wood anymore. Every once in a while, we will find somebody who wants their wood 18 inches long. Many of them prefer green wood. To a lot of those folks “seasoned” firewood is wood that is cut right now and used next fall. A lot of the folks when I was growing up thought that seasoned wood burned to hot and to fast. Old habits die hard. I always tried to explain to them that if they used seasoned wood they could close their stoves down and it would burn slower and it wouldn’t take as much wood to heat their home. I’m in Arkansas and recently saw a man in Mississippi selling green firewood exactly they same way as I see the old timers wanting theirs. It must be a southern thing.
Very interesting!
Morning sir all good points and + ☕️
Thanks Mario!!
A truckload of wood = 5x the length of a piece of string. ;)
I have no idea what that means, but I am slow.
@@InTheWoodyard Haha! Meaning that it's impossible to know without further info :)
Your first myth about seasoning is absolutely true! It's the same thing with lightnin' or home brew. You can't drink the stuff fresh from the cooker until it's settled and aged. I make sure it settles and ages for at least 15 minutes! Well, sometimes 10. Gotta do firewood at least that much too!! Can't get anywhere 'til you get the basics right! - Dry wood won't make creosote. Maybe...I got some old telephone poles, boys, they were DRY! Still got creosote!! - In Ohio, it''s illegal to sell wood by any measure other than cords or fractions thereof. Politicians did that because there are so many wood burners that vote!! Prob some even elected to the House! Pols are so sneaky!! Manana! GNI
Always a good chuckle Mr. Hey!!
I sprinkle salt and pepper on the wood and then it is seasoned.
Yup, a few other said that too!
Hey , i'm living on the north new york border in canada , where are you from if I may ask ? Have a good one
Appleton, Wisconsin
Good talk.
Thanks!
I didn't get the notification today, I figured there was no video... glad I checked
You might have to go turn it back on, sometimes youtube needs to be reset. Thanks!!!
Lovin your videos, informative but not in your face. Appreciate it!
I so much for that John!
In my State, the weights and measures laws require that firewood be sold by the cord or fraction thereof.
Yup, some do but most don't and even in states that require it people still sell odd measurements.
@@InTheWoodyard Oh I know! Nothing wrong with the way you do it, because you know through loading measured amounts and experience that you are giving the customer the correct amount. But the guys who just sell by the "truckload" or "scoop" are a different story!
Seasoning wood for pool cues takes years to get it perfect.
In cue making seasoned wood means “it stops moving” and stays within the tolerances it’s machined to. Takes years.
“Old wood” cues play better is the general accepted thought. 10-20-30 years. Like old violins tend to sound better.
Cue collectors are wood geeks, we burn the wood we don’t use for cues😉
Back to fire wood.
Very interesting!!!! Thanks Eric!!!
👍👍👍
Thanks Thumb Master!
Quick question for you how do you get people to find out and call about you firewood business also how to get more customers
I just advertise on craigs list but face book marketplace is great and you could also make a web site too. I also hand out business cards to every firewood customer and ask them to tell others about my firewood.
On the seasoning front, wait till you get that beech split, it'll still be there in 2025! Only wood i've seen that is significantly slower to season than oak
I have heard that!
In Arkansas firewood is supposed to be sold by cord or fraction of cord. I have noticed in a lot of ads they do not mention how much of a cord they are selling
Yup, they might not even know the amount they have.
I will only burn maple, alder and softwoods because thats what grows wild in my area thats any good.
Yup, you gotta burn what you have!
Here in Finland the main firewood is birch, but almost every household has some pine and spruce as well. Everything burns just well!
And we know how to heat our homes every cold and dark winter 🙏
Great point! Yup, you burn what you have available in your area!!