Got my moisture meter, someone may end up having to take it away from me...

[SPED]

Got my moisture meter today, and man I can't stop playin around with it

So my wood that I bought seasoned ranges from 19-24%, the wood from the maple I cut down in august is about 23% and the green red oak i just bought is between 28-31%. BTW, I split every piece in half that I checked and tried to check in the middle.

Man this thing is cool, now if I can just stop testing every piece before I put it in the stove...... eh 9 volts are cheap

 

[dsil]

If you don't put that thing down, your "wood" is going to go dry as well. :bug:

 

[CountryGal]

Got my moisture meter today, and man I can't stop playin around with it

So my wood that I bought seasoned ranges from 19-24%, the wood from the maple I cut down in august is about 23% and the green red oak i just bought is between 28-31%. BTW, I split every piece in half that I checked and tried to check in the middle.

Man this thing is cool, now if I can just stop testing every piece before I put it in the stove...... eh 9 volts are cheap

What brand did you buy? Do you have a link? Thanks!

 

[SPED]

Here's the one I bought, pretty cheap model, but a lil nicer than the one at harbor freight. Definitely a cool little gadget.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Digital-Moistur...oryZ1504QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[crazy_dan]

put the moisture meter down and walk away...
That is unless you really want 3 cords of kindling

 

[kolbyTheDog]

That says it only goes up to 40%. Could wood be any more moist than 40%? Would it be soggy? What does the display read when it is above 40%?

 

[fugazi42]

That says it only goes up to 40%. Could wood be any more moist than 40%? ?

Hi everyone- first post here at the Hearth forum. I just found this site yesterday and I'm enjoying it very much.

Yes- some types of wood can exceed 40% MC. Cottonwood is a good example- it can go as high as 160% MC according to this study:

http://www.ces.purdue.edu/extmedia/FNR/FNR-37.html

We have a lot of Cottonwood in the wooded areas around our house. I'm a relative newbie at harvesting firewood (though I do a lot of woodworking as a hobby) and I'm not great at identifying trees that aren't oak, beech, or pine. Last year we lost some trees back in the woods during a storm. One was about 18"DBH and was dead-straight for about 50' to the first branches. I figured it would make good firewood so I cut it into smaller sections (with a bowsaw) I could lug back to the house and then cut with my electric chainsaw. The wood felt so heavy and dense I figured it would burn beautifully once it was dry. Fast forward a year and a half and I now have a bunch of completely dry, light-as-air, useless cottonwood in my wood shed. It makes good kindling anyhow.

I now know a bit more than I did then, but i still get cottonwood confused with other trees, especially in the winter.

Josh in CT

 

[johnsopi]

Cottenwood is the only wood I turn down. Even free and delivered. Don't want it.

 

[crazy_dan]

Cottenwood is the only wood I turn down. Even free and delivered. Don't want it.

Don't move to Montana as that is about all you will get up there cottonwood and pine.

 

[Cearbhaill]

[quote author="Fugazi42" date="1201035655]Yes- some types of wood can exceed 40% MC. Cottonwood is a good example- it can go as high as 160% MC according to this study:

http://www.ces.purdue.edu/extmedia/FNR/FNR-37.html
[/quote]
Great link- thanks.
But I do not understand how wood can have a moisture content of 160%?
I'm sure it's just that I don't understand the meaning of "moisture content", but how can anything be more than 100%?
(I am not a blonde, either)

 

[Andre B.]

But I do not understand how wood can have a moisture content of 160%?
I'm sure it's just that I don't understand the meaning of "moisture content", but how can anything be more than 100%?
(I am not a blonde, either)

It is because the moisture content of wood has been defined as a percentage of the dry wood and not as a percentage of the total of the water and wood.

 

[Henz]

I just ordered the same one! you sold me on it! what do you think of it overall?? and, maybe someone can tell me a good range for moisture to try to stay withn on splits?? 20-25%?

 

[fugazi42]

It is because the moisture content of wood has been defined as a percentage of the dry wood and not as a percentage of the total of the water and wood.

Exactly.. From the site:

 The standard method of determining moisture content is called oven-drying, and the moisture content of wood is expressed as 
a percentage of the oven-dry weight. The oven-dry weight is determined by heating wood at 105C until a constant weight is reached. 
The formula used to figure moisture content is:

                 IW-OD
            MC = ------  x 100
                  OD
                   
   where
      MC = moisture content in percent
      IW = initial weight of the wood
      OD = oven-dry weight of the wood,

So if a piece of wood weighs 2 lbs wet, and we oven-dry it and find out the dry weight is 1lb, the original MC was 100%.

Josh

 

[moondoggy]

got my meter in last week. keep playing w/it too.
I feel like a wood geek now. but i'm learning a lot about wood.