Seasoning Oak

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Gotta get a sledge and a couple wedges. I have a hydralic splitter but I still occasionally drive a wedge in something when I'm out cutting wood.
You say this was going to be your first year burning. Are you not burning this year now?

Yeah I need one soon. Have to find the best, reasonably priced sledge/maul.

Nope, I'm waiting until next year. :(

Everything was kind of last minute. In-laws bought us this tiny, shallow little insert as a house warming gift. They came over last weekend or the one before, can't remember. We installed the insert ghetto style. It's not totally in the firebox, there's no decorative plate or whatever you call it to hide the firebox, a short length of pipe is connected from the insert to the flue, and we fabricated our own block off plate. Chimney is internal but not lined. Poplar and wood I split is probably wet. I can go on lol.

Anyway, decided I should learn about what I'm doing it before jumping in head first. I have kids, a wife, and a retarded dog living in this house so I owe it to them to be responsible. Being responsible kind of sucks at times.
 
im on the shore too. i havent read the whole thread, but here is my take. if youre a scrounger and wood is hard to get, take what you can get. if the oak isnt as dry as it should be, you can certainly still burn it!

for one year stuff focus on ash. its the best btu/quick dry wood around. maple and tulip poplar are fine too. less btus but dry quick. if you need a source, talk to a firewood guy or tree guy and tell him you want the lighter stuff. it will be cheaper, sometimes free if you talk to the right person.
 
I have 5 cords of oak I bought last January. Guy said it had been down 10 months. Possible in rounds and then split. That meant nothing to me because I heard it really needs to be split to dry. So it was stacked and got full sun all day since last January . These are all 4-6" square splits. To my surprise whe I crack one open I'm getting 18-22%. All red oak.
 
I have 5 cords of oak I bought last January. Guy said it had been down 10 months. Possible in rounds and then split. That meant nothing to me because I heard it really needs to be split to dry. So it was stacked and got full sun all day since last January . These are all 4-6" square splits. To my surprise whe I crack one open I'm getting 18-22%. All red oak.
I just got done splitting the 28" rounds of an oak tree we took down 3 weeks ago, it has been dead so long (maybe 20 years) all that was left was the trunk about 35" tall, no limbs. There is a ring of rotted wood around the perimeter of the rounds about 2" thick, after splitting the rounds into small pieces the MC is still 25%. So this proves to me it doesn't matter how long a tree has been dead it won't completely dry until it is split and stacked off the ground. So much for the wood I thought was a no brainer to burn in two weeks.
 

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I just got done splitting the 28" rounds of an oak tree we took down 3 weeks ago, it has been dead so long (maybe 20 years) all that was left was the trunk about 35" tall, no limbs. There is a ring of rotted wood around the perimeter of the rounds about 2" thick, after splitting the rounds into small pieces the MC is still 25%. So this proves to me it doesn't matter how long a tree has been dead it won't start to dry until it is split and stacked off the ground. So much for the wood I thought was a no brainer to burn in two weeks.
Well the fact it is at 25% moisture content proves that it has already dried some while standing dead. A live oak would be over 30% maybe over 35%. So although it's not ready for the stove it's closer to being ready.
No doubt splitting any wood excelarates the drying process.
 
Well the fact it is at 25% moisture content proves that it has already dried some while standing dead. A live oak would be over 30% maybe over 35%. So although it's not ready for the stove it's closer to being ready.
No doubt splitting any wood excelarates the drying process.

You ever cut a log and have water gush out of the cut? I bucked a dead standing oak and hit a pocket full of water. Everything gushed out and I thought I broke my saw for a second.
 
Well the fact it is at 25% moisture content proves that it has already dried some while standing dead. A live oak would be over 30% maybe over 35%. So although it's not ready for the stove it's closer to being ready.
No doubt splitting any wood excelarates the drying process.
In case you and 2pistolpacker aren't aware, oak runs about 70- 80% green on the stump.
 
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So this proves to me it doesn't matter how long a tree has been dead it won't start to dry until it is split and stacked off the ground. So much for the wood I thought was a no brainer to burn in two weeks.

If those logs had been stored off the ground and under cover for 20 years they'd be dryer than popcorn farts
 
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If those logs had been stored off the ground and under cover for 20 years they'd be dryer than popcorn farts
That thar be pretty damn dry!
Less smelly too
 
In case you and 2pistolpacker aren't aware, oak runs about 70- 80% green on the stump.

My moisture meter doesnt read that high. Thanks for the information!
 
You ever cut a log and have water gush out of the cut? I bucked a dead standing oak and hit a pocket full of water. Everything gushed out and I thought I broke my saw for a second.

Yes I have cut into some cherry trees that had rotton spots where rain water accumulated. Did you ever buck a dead oak when it was laying on the ground?
 
If those logs had been stored off the ground and under cover for 20 years they'd be dryer than popcorn farts
Ha Ha.......that's what the top 8 feet of this oak was like. I dropped the whole thing at once and when it hit the ground the top kinda went poof in a cloud of powder and small chunks. I was really surprised there was any real wood left in the tree.
 
I just got done splitting the 28" rounds of an oak tree we took down 3 weeks ago, it has been dead so long (maybe 20 years) all that was left was the trunk about 35" tall, no limbs. There is a ring of rotted wood around the perimeter of the rounds about 2" thick, after splitting the rounds into small pieces the MC is still 25%. So this proves to me it doesn't matter how long a tree has been dead it won't completely dry until it is split and stacked off the ground. So much for the wood I thought was a no brainer to burn in two weeks.
Rain water.
Cut it, split it, stack it, take a MM to it, you'll be rather surprised at how fast that rain water dries out.
You might notice how much lighter splits from the top of that 35 foot pole are compared to the bottom.

We processed 20 cords of dead standing oak last year. One half in November, one half in January. The stuff I stacked and measured at 23-27% in November was at 17/18/19 in february. Was nice as we used up the four cords that should have been more than enough if last Winter hadn't been unusually and persistently Winter-like and burned about a half cord of what we had cut in November.
 
My moisture meter doesnt read that high. Thanks for the information!
None can. When the moisture content is in the high thirties the wood reaches a saturation point and the change in electrical resistance becomes almost infinitesimal as it gets wetter. Like on the order of a million times less than when wood is in the single digits.
 
Yes I have cut into some cherry trees that had rotton spots where rain water accumulated. Did you ever buck a dead oak when it was laying on the ground?

I don't think so. Used to just use my chainsaw for around the house use. This is my first year using it for firewood. Oh wait, I guess you could say I have. The dead standing oak was felled then I bucked it. Does that count? lol
 
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Kind of off topic. Did I mention I bought a Fiskars X27? I tested it out in my back yard. Put a pine round on top of another round. Figured I would use the bottom round as a splitting base. Fiskars blew though both rounds! Very impressive. Only down side is the blade went right into the dirt. From there things went really down hill. I smacked the crap out of the next round. Fiskars actually bounced off it a few times. Finally was able to sink the blade in on the side but still didn't go all the way through. Just found out that log is sweetgum. I hate sweetgum!
 
I just got done splitting the 28" rounds of an oak tree we took down 3 weeks ago, it has been dead so long (maybe 20 years) all that was left was the trunk about 35" tall, no limbs. There is a ring of rotted wood around the perimeter of the rounds about 2" thick, after splitting the rounds into small pieces the MC is still 25%. So this proves to me it doesn't matter how long a tree has been dead it won't completely dry until it is split and stacked off the ground. So much for the wood I thought was a no brainer to burn in two weeks.

Stack it and check it every month. Just because it still has a moisture content above 20% doesn't mean it won't lose that moisture faster than green wood at the same moisture content.

Case in point. I was given silver maple in round form that had been bucked for 3 years. I split it and it was still at 30% moisture content. A few months later and it was 16% on a fresh split. My green silver maple is still up around 27%. So what I'm saying is that it may lose that moisture now that it is split and stacked a lot quicker than you think.
 
Stack it and check it every month. Just because it still has a moisture content above 20% doesn't mean it won't lose that moisture faster than green wood at the same moisture content.

Case in point. I was given silver maple in round form that had been bucked for 3 years. I split it and it was still at 30% moisture content. A few months later and it was 16% on a fresh split. My green silver maple is still up around 27%. So what I'm saying is that it may lose that moisture now that it is split and stacked a lot quicker than you think.

Wow, bucked for 3 years and still 30% moisture. Guess that means the CL add I saw with 1 year old bucked oak isn't really seasoned.
 
Just FEI (for everyone's information)

Bucked rounds will dry significantly if stored off the ground

Bucked and split wood will not dry very well on the ground

Wet wood that has been dead for years, once it is off the ground and under cover, will loose it's moisture much quicker than freshly felled green wood
 
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Just FEI (for everyone's information)

Bucked rounds will dry significantly if stored off the ground

Bucked and split wood will not dry very well on the ground

Wet wood that has been dead for years, once it is off the ground and under cover, will loose it's moisture much quicker than freshly felled green wood

Does it matter how far off the ground? I've started stacking my splits on some red brick.
 
Does it matter how far off the ground? I've started stacking my splits on some red brick.

In my experience, yes. Pallets are ideal - they are cheap(free), they are strong, and they allow for a good deal of ventilation. Red brick is better than the ground but you may not get the drying you'd hope for on the bottom course.
 
In my experience, yes. Pallets are ideal - they are cheap(free), they are strong, and they allow for a good deal of ventilation. Red brick is better than the ground but you may not get the drying you'd hope for on the bottom course.

Okay thanks. I was planning on using the pallets for kindling but I guess I'll have enough just from splitting. I placed the red bricks parallel to each other on the ground then started the first row of splits on them. Figured that may mimic a pallet but it's not as far off the ground.
 
I have always used CCA timbers about a foot apart, with the first layer of wood bark side down. Just as important to drying as keeping the stacks off the ground is spacing between stacks. Good air flow is important too.
 
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