Deconstructing Denniswood

How long would it take to dry out my cord of green red oak in the oven? :cheese:

I've been setting this thing up for a couple years now. I got the idea when I saw that some wacky Hearthers were sending probe thermometers back and forth to have their accuracy tested. ;-P

Hey, it's all good, man. ;-)

Wonder how much it would cost to get a cord of Denniswood UPS'd in? :ahhh:

I want BK to start getting into BTU analysis next. THEN we can start talking about mailing some wood for analysis.

That's an easy one. Just oven dry and multiply the weight in pounds by 8660.

Maybe I should offer a "2 for 1" deal. :cheese:

And then I have BTUs of the specific split. Is there a better # to help compare the wood to other species, etc? What I'm looking for here is whether my walnut is in line with all the charts I see online. Should we be finding density or something?

Yes, you want to get the density of your wood, but you need to oven-dry it first. Figure volume out after it's completely dry by either cutting a block of accurate measurement (not quite as easy as it seems) or by using the displacement method. And of course, weigh it before and after you dry it in the oven so you can also figure out the starting moisture content.

Hey... I'm giving away all my business secrets. :shut:

We bin doin' all the findin'. Realtor just gets us access to the key lockbox.

Reason we ain't found a good one is there ain't any. Mostly distressed homes at high asking prices. Mysterious "multiple offers" on homes that have been sitting at the same high price for months. "For Sale By Owner" properties that the owner thinks is a special palace just because he did the add-ons hisself. Decent homes that fail the strict FHA inspection and appraisal guidelines, places that are bargains but come with mindbogglingly disproportionate high taxes...... We bin there now. Worst frickin' nightmare we've ever faced, and we've faced some doozies. :snake:

But, say.... Whaddya think 'bout that there Denniswood?

Seems we need a sample from every year of Denniswood to see what the drying curve looks like. Then do it for 50 years so we can see the effects of days of sun, avg wind speed, etc. Pretty sure we will conclude that if you get 3+ years ahead you will be all good. Alternatively, some lesser amount combined with a Battenkiln in the basement achieves the same thing.

Good luck with the house search. NY property taxes and so much property in limbo that people are underwater on does really inefficient things to the market. How narrow is your geographic search? Get away from an easy drive from the NY metro area and things get a lot cheaper fast. Getting off the path between NYC and the ADKs or VT seems to help to. Around Utica, for example, is a lot cheaper than anywhere off the Northway especially if you are looking for acreage.

See if you can set a search parameter that the property has been on the market for at least a year.

It is true that many people list their property for the price they want, not what the market will bear.

I have also noted a phenomonon where I find a property which has been on the market for years with no offers, the day after a good offer is received.

Hey, you guys are in trouble transporting firewood more than 50 miles..... LOL

No, no... we're... uh......... destroying Savage's ash borers. Yeah, that's the ticket. :cheese:

Couldn't you just evaluate the burning qualities of wood based on Fed-Ex shipping costs? Much simpler . . .

Definition of OMPHALOSKEPSIS

: contemplation of one's navel as an aid to meditation;

I didn't know either. :red:

I was gonna bring up the 50 mile thing. Not only was it more than 50 miles, but from out of state too! And from an area known to be infested! Better burn it quick.

:lol:
That came from another thread......
It was "Manhattan" nite..... ;-P

Nah, still lots of potential data left in those pieces. As my old college mentor used to say, "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater." ;-)

Besides, I'm having too much fun watching it "inflate" again. That ash has already picked up almost half an ounce of water just sitting on the balance tray in the kitchen. Can't get a reading on the MM yet (still lower than 6% MC), but I'll bet it will be back up to 10% within a week.

Another study in the works?

Gosh, you guys sure enjoy prodding me into doing these things then standing back and poking fun, eh? :lol:

Where is that Tony anyway? :roll: ;-)

I just wanna know if you wear the "apron" when conducting these studies.... ;-) :lol:

I figured that any wood left for a long time, regardless of species, would dry to the EMC. What gives?

Bingo!

I've been holding my breath waiting for that question to be asked. Thank you so much, Woody! At least somebody has their thinking cap on. :roll: :lol:

Anybody got any ideas why Sav's nine year-old firewood is way up around 22% MC when it should really be down about 16% MC (where that cherry split is) in his locale? This not only seems interesting, it seems downright impossible. And yet, that's what the oven-dry method shows it to be... and the oven-dry method can never give a result that is higher than the real MC, only false results that are lower than the real MC are possible.

Any hands in the air, class? C'mon... anybody else here that showed a pic of his re-split wood showing an inner MM reading of 28% MC would be told to close the door of the stove and come back next year with real firewood, yet not a single comment until now.