Time to cut fire wood

[Hossfly]

I was always told by the old folks the best time to cut fire wood was a cold day in July.
Well this morning it’s 70’ guess it time. I think the temp has a lot to do with is but it also gives the wood time to dry out enough to burn in the fall.

[georgerkahn]

I was told by old timers that one of the beauties of heating with wood is that each piece gives warmth FOUR times: 1st when you cut it and split it; 2nd when you stack it; 3rd when you haul it in to burn; and, 4th when it is actually burning. I've been heating with wood for 44 years, and can vouch for same. I have eight cord scheduled to be delivered next week -- my bum leg kind of put the dampers on my cutting a few years ago. But, I do get the extra heats from the splitting (I do have a petrol (Honda) powered log splitter; and, a Kubota tractor which is a God-send in moving it to the storage pile.
BUT, you are most correct -- it IS that time of year!
geo

[Bookworm]

Relatively cold here too. It's only getting to high 80's- low 90's for the next couple days.

That's as cold as it gets here in July. Very unusual

[trebor44]

See the National Weather Service instructions for how to bake Lasagna in your mailbox. This is the second day that I will be able to do it!

[bob208]

I am way behind I wanted to have 3 bundels of slab home and cut up. but for the last 2 months it has been a doctor of test every week then the rain comes. I am hoping I can get a bundle hone this week.
my main doctor does like that I split wood by hand. he also liked my other exercise machine a rototiller.

[Idaho45guy]

Cutting wood this Saturday... Spent the last two weekends picking huckleberries...

Attachment 245647

[lefty o]

should have cut this winters wood last fall, and split it in the winter. another year earlier is even better.

[Wayne Smith]

Amen! Always cut firewood when the leaves are off if at all possible. Otherwise cut and leave until the leaves fall off. The wood is much drier this way and does not rot as fast.

[Idaho45guy]

You guys must cut live trees for firewood out there.

Out here, it's illegal. There are plenty of dead trees to fell and cut up. They are all already dried and ready to burn.

[RED BEAR]

I will never burn another piece of wood as long as i live. Not that i could cut it if i wanted. I had a place i could cut wood and have it hauled home free. I haven't worked so hard for a long time. When my place to cut dried up it cost more to buy wood could run heat pump cheaper.

[Petrol & Powder]

I have done more than my share of cutting, splitting, hauling and stacking firewood. When I was young I once spent two weeks cutting firewood every weekday for two consecutive weeks in July. Two full pickup loads of split, stacked, white oak per day. With the truck I was using that worked out to about 1 1/2 cords of firewood per day. That was some of the hardest manual labor I've ever done, more due to the bees, snakes, heat and poison ivy than the physical labor. After that I tried real hard to never cut firewood in the summer.

Cut next year's firewood this winter, preferably after the leaves are off the trees. Once you get into that cycle it gets a lot easier.

[pastera]

Wood takes two full seasons to reliably drop below 20% moisture content in most areas. No way you can cut in the summer and efficiently burn that winter - you'll lose 50% of the heat value to steaming off the water content and unburned volatiles (smoke).

If you have to use green wood (>20% moisture content) then mixing it with some pallet wood will keep the firebox temps high enough to ignite the volatiles but you will still need to clean the flue much more often.

[RED BEAR]

Wood takes two full seasons to reliably drop below 20% moisture content in most areas. No way you can cut in the summer and efficiently burn that winter - you'll lose 50% of the heat value to steaming off the water content and unburned volatiles (smoke).

If you have to use green wood (>20% moisture content) then mixing it with some pallet wood will keep the firebox temps high enough to ignite the volatiles but you will still need to clean the flue much more often.

I am sure you are right but i have no intention of finding out. Not that i could even if i wanted.

[Idaho45guy]

Wood takes two full seasons to reliably drop below 20% moisture content in most areas. No way you can cut in the summer and efficiently burn that winter

Again, no one cuts green wood out in the West.

You either get a firewood permit for $12 or go on your own land and find a standing dead tree and cut it down.

[country gent]

cutting wood if the saps running then it takes much longer to dry down and burn right. wet wood is also hard on chimneys . Cut 1-2 years a head and burn the oldest first. we cut and split stacked in a loose stack so air could circulate and left set 1-2 years. Some years we didn't get quite enough cut for a following cold winter. We cut a lot of dead downed wood cleaning up the woods and fence rows on the farm. You also want to slit into different sizes not just to fit in furnace. Smaller splintered pieces thrown in in the morning makes a quick hot fire to drive off the nights chill and get things going then bigger pieces to burn longer and maintain heat, last are a close stack of knotty chunks at light to hold the fire over night.

[dverna]

My land does not provide sufficient trees to supply my needs...about 5 cords a year. I have been scrounging wood off state land but it is a lot of work and takes time. Will likely buy loggers cords to process. I get about 8 cords of firewood out of 10 loggers cords...$750.

My new tractor will be able to move about 1/2 a cord at a time using cut down pallets with sides. Once spilt, wood is stacked on pallets and moved into the garage as needed reducing much of the handling.

Burning wood provides a cost saving but I enjoy having a fire as well.

As we get older we need to find smarter ways to work. Got a splitter 12 years ago. The tractor has a grapple to makes moving logs easy and to lift large rounds onto the splitter. I never burn wood that has not seasoned for at least a year....oak...2 years

[white eagle]

I cut and made firewood as a weekend job from my normal
line of work as a bricklayer
did that for 5-6 years mostly in the fall and through the early winter
seems no one buys firewood in the summer
I no longer sell cut and split firewood its a job for someone else,now

[toallmy]

I have found a couple fellas that do tree removal on the side, that are more than happy to drop off lengths ( as cut ) at my wood lot throughout the year . This saves me a lot of work and time although a lot of work still needs to be done . Be safe !

[wch]

It is 57F as I write this, Central PA.

[smithnframe]

Where at in central PA? I used to live in the Shamokin/Mount Carmel area! I've been in south Texas almost 16 years now! I don't cut much firewood down here!