13 month seasoned red oak checking in at...

[CountryBoy19]

17-24%

I grabbed some of the larger splits (approximately 5-7 diameter) from the middle of the oak stack. It was cut last August and split in September. Stacked single row, perpendicular to the prevailing winds, not covered, and exposed to full sun from approximately 9 am to sunset. Hot dry fall last year, and exceptionally hot and dry summer this year.

I'm not surprised that it seasoned fast, but I'm a little surprised that it seasoned that fast. I was expecting somewhere in the high twenties or so. Guess that means I'm just set for a brutal winter if we happen to have one. I don't think I'll need to dip into the oak unless we have a bad winter, the poplar, hard maple, cherry, dogwood and BL should get us most of the way through the winter.

 

[Woody Stover]

Dead standing, down or cut green? 24% is soggy but 17% is getting close. For sure, the top layer of an uncovered stack in the sun will be pretty dry...Probably under 16%.

 

[red oak]

Dead standing, down or cut green? 24% is soggy but 17% is getting close. For sure, the top layer of an uncovered stack in the sun will be pretty dry...Probably under 16%.

This was my question as well. I cut mostly red oak (see my username!) but what I cut here in Virginia has usually been dead for awhile. I have a NF permit so what I cut should always be dead or down. Usually if I get it split in the spring it is ready to go by winter. I don't have a MM but I know that the wood looks and feels dry and does not sizzle or emit water when I put it in the stove. I also keep about a week's worth of wood inside by the stove for a bit of final drying.

I think if the wood is 24% and you brought it in by the stove for a few day's or a week it should be good to go.

Good luck!

Ed

 

[CountryBoy19]

cut green

 

[Woody Stover]

cut green

OK. Sounds like in our neck of the woods we need two years for Oak if green and one year if standing dead, if we don't split too big. I've got some standing dead Black Oak that I stacked in June. I'll pull a few splits out of the middle in late Oct. to check its progress. Max split size is about 5". My plan is to burn that in the 2012 season, but I'll have some one-year Sugar Maple and Pignut (dead wood also,) just in case...

 

[richg]

17-24%

I grabbed some of the larger splits (approximately 5-7 diameter) from the middle of the oak stack. It was cut last August and split in September. Stacked single row, perpendicular to the prevailing winds, not covered, and exposed to full sun from approximately 9 am to sunset. Hot dry fall last year, and exceptionally hot and dry summer this year.

I'm not surprised that it seasoned fast, but I'm a little surprised that it seasoned that fast. I was expecting somewhere in the high twenties or so. Guess that means I'm just set for a brutal winter if we happen to have one. I don't think I'll need to dip into the oak unless we have a bad winter, the poplar, hard maple, cherry, dogwood and BL should get us most of the way through the winter.

Question: was that moisture reading from the outside of the split, or did you re-split the piece and measure the inside? Red oak is notoriously wet wood and the inside of the split may still be in the 30's.

 

[red oak]

cut green

OK. Sounds like in our neck of the woods we need two years for Oak if green and one year if standing dead, if we don't split too big. I've got some standing dead Black Oak that I stacked in June. I'll pull a few splits out of the middle in late Oct. to check its progress. Max split size is about 5". My plan is to burn that in the 2012 season, but I'll have some one-year Sugar Maple and Pignut (dead wood also,) just in case...[/quot

Sounds the same as here in Virginia - I suspect our climates would be pretty similar. The dead red oak that I cut is usually good to go after one spring/summer of seasoning. But I usually try to cut stuff that's been dead for awhile and I do tend to split pretty small.

 

[lukem]

I resplit one of my chunks of black oak today that was split about 10 months ago. I don't have a MM, but it was drier than I expected. No visible dampness and warm to my cheek. Still going to give it a couple more years.

 

[CountryBoy19]

17-24%

I grabbed some of the larger splits (approximately 5-7 diameter) from the middle of the oak stack. It was cut last August and split in September. Stacked single row, perpendicular to the prevailing winds, not covered, and exposed to full sun from approximately 9 am to sunset. Hot dry fall last year, and exceptionally hot and dry summer this year.

I'm not surprised that it seasoned fast, but I'm a little surprised that it seasoned that fast. I was expecting somewhere in the high twenties or so. Guess that means I'm just set for a brutal winter if we happen to have one. I don't think I'll need to dip into the oak unless we have a bad winter, the poplar, hard maple, cherry, dogwood and BL should get us most of the way through the winter.

Question: was that moisture reading from the outside of the split, or did you re-split the piece and measure the inside? Red oak is notoriously wet wood and the inside of the split may still be in the 30's.

Fresh split, checked right in the center and several places around the center to get the highest reading. Near the edges it was down around 10%.