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#513889 11/10/19 01:02 AM
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So my neighbor has had this 18" diameter 7' long oak log drying on his property for over two years and asked if I would like it for my pond. So I dragged it over to the pond's edge and tied a rope around it so that I could observe if it would float and if it didn't I had a way to retrieve it.

After a few days it is still floating, so I move it out in the pond and tie it to two floating fir logs that have been in the pond for 15 years - making a nice addition to some cover for the bass. All is well except a few mornings later I walk out and not only is the oak log gone, so are the two fir logs - the whole works now at the bottom of the pond.

So after extracting the whole mess from the pond with my tractor, I am now wondering - is this typical for an oak log to absorb water and then sink (I presume that is what happened here) - don't want to repeat the same fiasco again.

Last edited by Pond Star; 11/11/19 01:05 PM.

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Hard to tell and I know nothing about fir. Could depend on the sizes of each type. But, I do know that my unused oak firewood is just about useless after a year.


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Odd Dave the trees that died when pond was dug from high water we cut into firewood they weren’t split till this fall and they are still wet after 5 years , won’t dry out till next year.... wood is odd!

Last edited by Pat Williamson; 11/10/19 04:35 PM.
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Pat, maybe it's the difference in area. I'm hot and dry. The oak firewood that I cut and didn't use that is outside is just about gone. It will burn but not give heat. OTOH, some that I didn't use that is still in the house is in pretty good shape.


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Here in central MO there is a huge difference in what time of year the logs were cut, a log cut from Sep thru Dec will cure out and burn pretty great but after Jan they start taking up sap, and a log cut around March thru June will be absolutely water logged and seem to stay that way for a long period of time, some don't seem to ever dry out, definitely significantly inferior when it comes to using for firewood.
And yes oak logs will sink after they get waterlogged, if you will think about it they are way denser, heavier by far then the pine.


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From what I have been told by hardcore firewood guys rounds do not cure at all. Curing only begins once the wood is split. Uncovered split wood will rot MUCH faster than unsplit.


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In my youth my dad along with my two brothers cut fire wood for something to do and added income during the winter when not much else was going on at the farm other than feeding animals.

One year we had a logging company come in and log a bunch of larger trees. The tree tops and some bad logs were left. Dad was thinking the wood would be cured and dry. Left in the log it was still wet and did not dry out till we cut it up.

My experience is if it is left in a long log it will take a long, long time to cure out. It may rot before it cures. But once I cut it into fire wood length, split or not split, it cures pretty quickly.

We have a wood furnace in our house and I have been cutting trees up that a small tornado took out early this year. The wood is still wet but once I get it cut up will be fit to burn within a few weeks. I have cut probably 20 ricks of it so far for myself and for FIL/MIL that still cooks with wood. Pin oak and pecan mostly. I like burning hedge (osage orange) best but it is not what the storm blew down.


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Snrub

I could be wrong, but I THINK cured may be a relative term. Both of the guys I talked to have catalytic converters on their stoves (supposedly for increased efficiency??) and they refuse to burn any wood above a certain moisture content. They have meters and measure the moisture content of any wood they burn. According to them it takes two years for split, stacked and covered wood stored outdoors to reach an acceptable moisture content. I'm no expert as I don't burn much wood. Now-a-days it only gets cold enough here to burn every 2-3 years.


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Another opinion....IME firewood cures faster left uncovered and exposed to wind and sun. IMO A tarp cover to keep rain/snow out, also keeps moisture in. It would not be a surprise to me that a stack of green wood that is covered takes a very long time to cure.

Maybe the ideal situation would be only cover the stack to be cured when it is going to rain/snow! smile

On the other hand, if you have a stack of already well cured wood that you'll be wanting to burn that season, go ahead and cover it to keep the rain and snow off.

Last edited by Bill D.; 11/11/19 07:42 PM.

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Pond Star - Not sure what specific Fir and Oak species you are working with. We have a ton of sub alpine fir at our place in CO and they are EXTREMELY sappy and seem to float forever. I would imagine that sap has something to do with their flotation. My guess is the lack of sap allows the Oak to sink.


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The piece of oak I mentioned is either black oak or white oak ...... not sure which it was. The fir is Douglas Fir.



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