Seasoning wood in containers?

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mastfalk

Newbie
Original poster
May 27, 2014
15
10
Harrisburg, Pa
My neighbor trimmed their silver maple tree and I got to take the wood for helping out. I thought I would use some 20 gal containers to season it in - easy storage and access. I checked the wood this morning and there was condensation in the container. Using Rubbermaid Brute cans. Wood was fresh and I had covered it overnight before putting it in the container.

Any idea how to stop this from happening and allowing the wood to season properly? Looks like it will keep the bugs out, but I don't want it to rot.

Hot & humid today with sun. I'm leaving the container open to dry out.

Any thoughts and suggestions?
 
My neighbor trimmed their silver maple tree and I got to take the wood for helping out. I thought I would use some 20 gal containers to season it in - easy storage and access. I checked the wood this morning and there was condensation in the container. Using Rubbermaid Brute cans. Wood was fresh and I had covered it overnight before putting it in the container.

Any idea how to stop this from happening and allowing the wood to season properly? Looks like it will keep the bugs out, but I don't want it to rot.

Hot & humid today with sun. I'm leaving the container open to dry out.

Any thoughts and suggestions?
I would stack it outside or at least leave the lid off.

Happy smoken.

David
 
Stack it outside where the sun and wind will dry it. I dry mine for at least one year. After its dry then use the containers.

RG
 
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You had a good basic idea using the containers. The container was acting as a sun power kiln the problem being no air flow to remove the moisture. If you want to speed the seasoning process, here's what I do. I cross stack on landscape timbers. By cross stack I mean first layer lays north to south and second layer lays east to west. Third layer north to south etc etc. I stack no more than 24 inches high. My stack runs north to south lenghtways. I lean a sheet of corrugated metal against both sides and a piece on top. Since the stack runs north to south, the sun is heating at least one of the sheets from daylight to dark and the ends remain open for airflow. By doing this under the Louisiana summer sun, I can season a stack of wood in 6-7 months.
 
You had a good basic idea using the containers. The container was acting as a sun power kiln the problem being no air flow to remove the moisture. If you want to speed the seasoning process, here's what I do. I cross stack on landscape timbers. By cross stack I mean first layer lays north to south and second layer lays east to west. Third layer north to south etc etc. I stack no more than 24 inches high. My stack runs north to south lenghtways. I lean a sheet of corrugated metal against both sides and a piece on top. Since the stack runs north to south, the sun is heating at least one of the sheets from daylight to dark and the ends remain open for airflow. By doing this under the Louisiana summer sun, I can season a stack of wood in 6-7 months.
That's a good technique. What I did was build a shed out of 2x4 that's open on all sides with a corrugated tin roof. It's in a portion of the property that gets sun all day. Then I closed off the back and two sides with heavy mil clear plastic and the front has 3 sheets that overlap. All the sheets stop 3" from the bottom and 3" from the top on the sides. I stack all my wood inside the shed using a cross stack (NS-EW) method. It gets really hot in that shed. I'm talking like 130-150 degrees in there. It's like a wimpy kiln. Cool air near the ground gets sucked in and heats up, passes over the wood and exits out the upper vents. I can season wood in 5-6 months in that thing. You can make the whole thing for around $50 if you buy everything. Next to nothing if you know how to scrounge.
 
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