Keeping wood for the long haul

[samaridad]

I had 11 trees come down from a storm. What a mess! But the good thing is I just got in to smoking so here the questions. I have huge red oaks and maples. Plus two are hickory. How do I store them for many years. Some will be firewood ( heat home and shop ) but the hickory and red oak sounds like I need to hang on to this. Never thought of smoking with oak , so I'm looking forward to your advice. My main concern is for long term storage. Am getting ready to build a bigger smoker.
Thanks for your help

 

[beerthirty]

Larry, I just got into smoking this year and my dad had some hickory and oak in his firewood pile that I uh...borrowed and it had been sitting outside for 2 or 3 years and it's still hard and works great. A lot of the pieces that I got were short and that was nice since I need smaller pieces for my fire box, and I just split them up with a axe until they were the size that I needed. As far as types of wood to use there are a lot of people that use oak however I like hickory and mulberry the best.

 

[coffee_junkie]

Stack em like cord wood, let it season before using it (at least 1 year) keep it dry and it should last quite a while. I have heard after a LONG time the wood will lose its flavor. when that happens then it is still good for the heat purposes.

 

[travcoman45]

If it's not a soft maple keep that to! Keep it up off the ground an covered, let the air get to it. After it's dry, storin it inside would be even better.

I use alota maple, very nice wood to smoke with also.

 

[rodc]

I saw this method of stacking the wood on a 'Bushcraft' (what I think you call Survivalism in the USA) website over here.

Seems to draw the air through well to season the wood quickly....

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/newforum/...ad.php?t=31194

 

[roadrunr]

Keeping wood for the long haul....

Isnt that what "v i a g r a" was invented for?

 

[hog warden]

This is a modified version of the old time way of doing it, which was to stack it nearly vertical. Start with a few big chunks stacked upright on the ground and "lean" your wood pieces against it. Keep going up and around...each piece about 10 to 15 degrees from vertical. Each piece rests on it's end, stacked on the piece below it. In this way, you build a stack or "mound". The exterior of the outside pieces work like wooden shingles to shed water and snow. The top develops a cap like the one in the photo. Only the outside pieces weather. Come back in a year or so and the ones in the middle are still good as new.

 

[rodc]

From what I read in the thread, the gap below & stacking the loggs round some verticals also gives a chimney effect, seasoning the wood quicker.

 

[hog warden]

Perhaps. The structure of wood is like a bundle of straws. When the tree was growing, sap wicks up and down those tubes in the wood. Stacking them vertical vs. horizontal lets the sap leak out the bottom. Stack green wood like that and the bottom will be wet for some time. That may also be why it seasons faster.

Also, if you spit the wood, the "wedge" point of the split is stacked facing in. It will fit in nicely between two round pieces. For all pieces, bark faces out. When it's time to use it, you pull off a piece and the stack stays the same. It can grow or shrink as needed and keeps shedding weather the whole time.