Finally Bought a Moisture Meter - Surpising Results

Interesting stuff. I guess that's one more nice thing about doug fir. There's something to be said for wood that dries relatively fast.

I am not sure about Photina but a fair number of shrubs and small trees have really hard wood, and would be known as great hardwoods but they are just too small. Both 'Ironwoods' that grow in the northeast and Flowering Dogwood are a few examples.

Oregon Bigfoot, that is almost exactly what I have also. I have some white oak c/s/s Nov/Dec 2010 and when I checked it a month or so ago it was in the same range, 23-27%. So apparently seasoning white oak has been the same seasoning conditions here as where you are. I was planning on burning this next year for 2012-13 but now I am thinking I am probably going to wait for 13-14 for it. I will check it later this year but I have my doubts it will all be less than 20% by next winter unless we have a hot dry summer. This summer was very wet and damp and I'm thinking I added a year to my seasoning this year due to the weather. I also have some red oak that was c/s/s a few months before that and it is better at 20-23% so it should be ok next year. Unfortunately I only have about a 1/3 cord of red and 1 1/2 cords of white. I think it is becoming quite apparent to me that seasoning oak really depends on your climate and I have to just accept the fact that I had better not bank on my oak being ready before 3 years. I have also came to the conclusion that I am going to start keeping all of my wood separated by species and when it was c/s/s and not just pile it up as I get it as I have in the past. Many here have mixed opinions on the MM's but I know I really have learned allot having it this last year and has changed some of my outlook and caused me to reevaluate some things I do. I have also experimented with the wood at different readings and so far I have not been able to prove it wrong in the stove. I have found that it is not just a universal number but that different wood acts differently at different moisture levels. For example for my stove and setup, softer woods like silver maple do not really burn too bad at 20-23%. But oak and black locust pretty much suck at 20-23%. The oak and locust really burn well when they get down in the 13-16% range. Now if I throw a full load of silver maple or pine in the stove at 13% I had better hold on and may have one of those pause and reflect moments as I am sitting in my chair with the window open watching the snow fall in my boxers. Throwing a load of locust in at 23% at the same temp will leave me sitting in my chair with my coat and insulated socks on wrapped in a blanket.

Sounds like your readings are right on the money for the type of wood and length of time, when I bought my "toy moisture meter" all the reading made sense to me, I only use it for fun now but I really like having it for reference.

I carry my meter in my tool box that always goes cutting with me. It's fun to check fresh cut trees but in the end I normally don't see anything I didn't expect from learning about wood cutting on this forum. The live ash I just cut down was at 32% and from what I've gleaned here I would have been surprised to see it any higher.
Standing dead trees are a bit more interesting to me since I normally don't know how long they have been dead.

muncybob said:

I carry my meter in my tool box that always goes cutting with me. It's fun to check fresh cut trees but in the end I normally don't see anything I didn't expect from learning about wood cutting on this forum. The live ash I just cut down was at 32% and from what I've gleaned here I would have been surprised to see it any higher.
Standing dead trees are a bit more interesting to me since I normally don't know how long they have been dead.

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I'm burning some dead standing red oak that I cut in December and it's reading 13-14% Burns very nicely, noticeably better than the dead standing oak that reads 18-19%.

Some of the ash I cut in January is reading 22-24%. The elm I just cut depends on where it measure it. It's running 26-34% except in the center where I'm getting 44% readings. Some of that just squishes out in the splitter.

Ken

It all depends upon where you live. I cut some red oak (southern red i think) back june/july ish of 2011. I am burning it now in the stove. It was cut and split within the same period. Another year would be best but i had to break into it as it was what i had. Its only reading about 23-25% on my MM that i got as a toy on ebay for less than $8.

I bought one and have been having a lot of fun with it too.

all fresh cut:
sweet gum sap wood = 34%
sweet gum heart wood = 36%
silver maple = 32%

Ken45 said:

Some of the ash I cut in January is reading 22-24%. The elm I just cut depends on where it measure it. It's running 26-34% except in the center where I'm getting 44% readings. Some of that just squishes out in the splitter.
Ken

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Hmmmm? I wonder if you are on to something?
Maybe some of you guys with those big powerfull hydraulic splitters should try replacing your splitting wedge with a flat base like at the other end, and try sandwiching some of your wet splits in-between and see if it's possible to squish some of that extra moisture out of your wood to accelerate the drying process.
Worth a try. ;-)

Hey Bigfoot,

Since we're in the same area, though I would pass on my findings as well. My readings on seasoned fir bottom out at 16% in the winter around here, but occasionally I can get down to 11-12% in the summer time in the garage. Same with Alder, but my maple tends to settle out around 17-19% and dries a bit slower. As an FYI, I've had some Hemlock and Alder that started out at >120% MC. I obviously can't measure that with my moisture meter but I have a good spreadsheet equation that lets me get to that through the drying process. Good luck on the Photinia.

If you really get on this measuring kick, get a scale, it is weigh ;-) better for watching how your wood behaves. I got mine here:

http://www.oldwillknottscales.com/my-weigh-kd8000.html (~17.5 lb capacity)

This model is a little cheaper but with slightly less capacity.
http://www.oldwillknottscales.com/my-weigh-7001dx-silver.html (15.5 lb capacity)

I think either would work well for most folks except those using really big splits of oak or other dense wood.
There is a question for Forum Members. What does your average split weigh wet and dry?

Carbon Liberator,
I know you're joking with about the squeeze method, but I used a firewood shear processor in the past and the manufacturer gave
me some studies by DOE that showed the splits seasoned faster, the reason being that the wood fibers were torn apart instead of being cut by a saw accelerated the drying process.

A moisture meter can really pay off. I can ussually tell in a few % because I hold wood all day long, 2x4, cedar shakes and trim boards. If ya really want to see what dry wood does get a load of wood flooring @ 6% or so. Don't fill the whole box whatever you do though.

ihookem said:

A moisture meter can really pay off. I can ussually tell in a few % because I hold wood all day long, 2x4, cedar shakes and trim boards. If ya really want to see what dry wood does get a load of wood flooring @ 6% or so. Don't fill the whole box whatever you do though.

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Satin or gloss?lol

I have a surface scanning moisture meter I use for lumber and furniture making, but it also works well to scan splits. From what I have read many moisture meters do not really have much accuracy above about 34%. That's the point when most wood has lost water between the cells in the split. As moisture drops below this level the wood is losing moisture from within the cells. Not being able to get an accurate reading about 34% does not make much difference, as that wood is too wet to burn anyway.

Oregon Bigfoot said:

I was at Lowe's tonight looking for mini-blinds, and walked down the aisle where the moisture meters were, and I saw them. It was game over. I paid $29.99 for a General brand, and never did get the mini-blinds. I got home, and took out my new toy to play with. I was very surprised what I saw.

I took a few pieces of "seasoned" white oak that was cut/split Dec 2010 (live oak trees before a tornado Dec 2010), and whacked them in half with the maul, and put the moisture meter up to the fresh split sides. All readings were between 22% and 27% WOW! No wonder they are slow to start! I was very surprised. I was guessing none would be over 20%. Now I know oak DOES take two years to season. I can't wait to try my next year's oak that will have almost 2 years season time on them next winter. I bet I will notice a huge difference.

I took a few pieces of "seasoned" Douglas fir that was cut green/split March 2011, whacked them in half, and got 15% to 16% off the fresh split sides. That was surprising too, because the readings were a bit lower than I anticipated. I was guessing 18%-20%.

I whacked open a few green Douglas fir splits I cut a few weeks ago, and the readings were between 34% and 37%. Nothing surprising here.

Finally, I whacked a green piece of photinia wood I cut down live yesterday, and it was 43%, very interesting! The wood is very heavy, no wonder. I have never heard of anyone burning this kind of wood. Maybe it's a great hardwood, like ash or oak!

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Couldn't you just wack those pieces together to get a reading or weigh them in your hands?

Oregon Bigfoot said:

I was at Lowe's tonight looking for mini-blinds, and walked down the aisle where the moisture meters were, and I saw them. It was game over. I paid $29.99 for a General brand, and never did get the mini-blinds. I got home, and took out my new toy to play with. I was very surprised what I saw.

I took a few pieces of "seasoned" white oak that was cut/split Dec 2010 (live oak trees before a tornado Dec 2010), and whacked them in half with the maul, and put the moisture meter up to the fresh split sides. All readings were between 22% and 27% WOW! No wonder they are slow to start! I was very surprised. I was guessing none would be over 20%. Now I know oak DOES take two years to season. I can't wait to try my next year's oak that will have almost 2 years season time on them next winter. I bet I will notice a huge difference.

I took a few pieces of "seasoned" Douglas fir that was cut green/split March 2011, whacked them in half, and got 15% to 16% off the fresh split sides. That was surprising too, because the readings were a bit lower than I anticipated. I was guessing 18%-20%.

I whacked open a few green Douglas fir splits I cut a few weeks ago, and the readings were between 34% and 37%. Nothing surprising here.

Finally, I whacked a green piece of photinia wood I cut down live yesterday, and it was 43%, very interesting! The wood is very heavy, no wonder. I have never heard of anyone burning this kind of wood. Maybe it's a great hardwood, like ash or oak!

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your last wood, you could burn it, after all folks cut down green oak and throw it on the fire the same day, watched my grandmother do it many times!

If you were to split oak in 2" splits would it be dry enough in a year?

chris5150 said:

If you were to split oak in 2" splits would it be dry enough in a year?

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Just cut a fresh split and check it with a moisture meter. It'll give you an answer specific to your locale (temperature, humidity, wind) and wood. Anything else is just guesswork, until you've learned how different species of wood dry in your yard.

I took my moisture meter into the bush today and checked out the Larch I bucked up and split. One tree was 7% and the other was 19%. Im going back for more tomorrow. I Cant pass up seasoned and dry wood that nature provides! Somehow I ended up with 3 rounds of poplar last week that was feather lite. I was going to burn it until I found out that it was 37% mc! Ive never burned it before but decided to throw it out into the snow until next year. MM can be fun and helpful toys!

blacktail said:

Interesting stuff. I guess that's one more nice thing about doug fir. There's something to be said for wood that dries relatively fast.

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YEP, Doug Fir is my wood of choice for these reasons
Readily Available in PNW
Usually straight grained and splits easy
Fairly high on the BTU chart
seasons quick, 9-12 months

Plus we do not have all that white oak here in western WA like they do down in western Oregon, often wondered why that is?

Elderthewelder said:

YEP, Doug Fir is my wood of choice for these reasons
Readily Available in PNW
Usually straight grained and splits easy
Fairly high on the BTU chart
seasons quick, 9-12 months

Plus we do not have all that white oak here in western WA like they do down in western Oregon, often wondered why that is?

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Probably has to do with the last ice age. Certain debris and forests were moved along with the ice. Depending on location and direction ice movement probably depends on the species.

I split and stacked this fir a couple of weeks after it was cut down in October 2011.

blacktail said:

Interesting stuff. I guess that's one more nice thing about doug fir. There's something to be said for wood that dries relatively fast.

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We have quite a bit of Doug Fir in these parts and it use to be my firewood of choice, but I've been passing on it the last few years because I have come to realize that, as far as firewood ranking go, pine beetle killed lodgepole pine beats Doug fir on every level. At least from my perspective.

Here's are the reasons I stopped cutting Doug Fir.

(1) Lodgepole pine beats out doug fir by a tiny bit on the BTU scale.
(2) Lodgepole pine is easier to split than doug fir, mainly because like Doug fir, it is very straight grained, but unlike Doug fir, it doesn't have big branches to create big knots in the main trunk that make splitting difficult.
(3) Lodgepole pine (beetle killed) doesn't ooze sticky, messy pitch like Doug fir does.
(4) Lodgepole pine smells better than Doug fir, or at least the smoke seems less toxic. I find Doug fir smoke can be very acridic.
(5) There's a decent supply of standing dead Doug fir trees locally, but we have an over abundance of pine beetle killed Lodgepole. (16.3 million hectares in BC)
(6) But the main reason, I prefer (beetle kill) Lodgepole pine over Doug fir, or just about any other wood for that mater, is because I can reliably find Lodgepole pine trees in standing dead groves that are dry enough to burn right away, meaning <20% MC .

Finding pre-seasoned firewood is important to me because I don't have the room on my property to store 2 or 3 years worth of fire wood. I generally try to cut what I need for the season (give or take) just ahead of the burning season, and although I can sometimes find standing dead Doug fir trees that are very dry and ready to burn, that's usually not the case, more often than not they'll be >25 MC.
I believe it must be the way the pine beetle kills the Lodgepole pine trees that causes them dry out so much better than fir and other dead trees.

How exactly does the mountain pine beetle kill trees?

Beetles attack pine trees by laying eggs under the bark. When the eggs hatch, the larvae mine the phloem area beneath the bark and eventually cut off the tree’s supply of nutrients.​

The beetles also carry a fungus that causes dehydration and inhibits a tree’s natural defences against beetle attacks. The fungi stains the wood blue or grey. Despite the discoloration, the wood remains as structurally sound as unattacked pine and can still be used for high-quality products.​

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Carbon_Liberator said:

Finding pre-seasoned firewood is important to me because I don't have the room on my property to store 2 or 3 years worth of fire wood. I generally try to cut what I need for the season (give or take) just ahead of the burning season, and although I can sometimes find standing dead Doug fir trees that are very dry and ready to burn, that's usually not the case, more often than not they'll be >25 MC.
I believe it must be the way the pine beetle kills the Lodgepole pine trees that causes them dry out so much better than fir and other dead trees

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Im with you. I dont know what I would do if I had to process 4 cords of oak every year and not be able to burn it for years!! although I would love to get my hands on some of it. I would have a hard time storing 3 years worth of wood on my 50 X 100 lot. I started on this years wood in may but also have some green larch and pine split and stacked for next winter cause it was easy to get. My wife and kids were with me today in the bush and I pointed out to my 7 year old son that the spiders are frozen now. He seemed a bit more relaxed hugging those rounds as he took it to the truck. We brought home a cord of Larch/D fir yesterday and today to go with my heavy helping of Lodgepole. All of it below 19% mc and checked. My wife says I need to fix the entrance way lite before I get another cord.... Im with you on the pine beatle lodgepole, we have lots of it here in the Elk Valley as well. Its hard to pass by dry Pine when its within a few minutes drive. Unless Im out having fun in the bush I dont like to spend more than 5 loonies in fuel to get my wood if I can help it! FYI back to the post (sorry) I had my moisture meter in my pocket while cutting this weekend just to make sure I was cutting wood that was seasoned. It was a bit surprising that even some cut and split rounds that werent heavy were around 23%. I could be choosy so went with the dry stuff