Wood Drying Opinions

[fdegree]

With this softer wood, are we targeting a similar moisture content...15% - 20%?

 

[schortie]

I didn't read the entirety of your previous post, so forgive me if you answered it there, but how long had the wood been split before you received your delivery? Did you check the moisture content when you got it? If your supplier had that split for a while, that may explain your very short seasoning time. I've had white oak split for over a year, stacked in a single stack in full sun with the top covered, and I'd be lucky to find a split at 27%.

 

[fdegree]

I didn't read the entirety of your previous post, so forgive me if you answered it there, but how long had the wood been split before you received your delivery? Did you check the moisture content when you got it? If your supplier had that split for a while, that may explain your very short seasoning time. I've had white oak split for over a year, stacked in a single stack in full sun with the top covered, and I'd be lucky to find a split at 27%.

We never discussed that, so I can't say for sure. I suspect he split it as he was loading his truck to bring it to me...he made about 6 or 7 trips over a period of 2 weeks. The reason I say that is there were many splits that he stacked in my shed that were visibly wet.

I did not measure the moisture content when he delivered it because I didn't have a moisture meter at that time. It was about a month later before I purchased one. Once I got the meter, I only measured the ends of the splits that were showing on the front of the stacks, and they measured between 15% - 20%. It didn't occur to me, at that time, to split them and see what the moisture content was on the inside.

Maybe this time I just happened to find the few splits, in the middle of that pile, that did have some pre-seasoning. Although, I doubt it, since it was delivered in January and he was very busy delivering to other people at the same time. I suspect if he had anything seasoning, he probably went through that earlier in the season...long before he delivered to me in January. Though I could be wrong. Perhaps I should dig into the middle of my other pile to see what results from that.

 

[SolarAndWood]

With this softer wood, are we targeting a similar moisture content...15% - 20%?

Yes. The nice thing is that it doesn't take as long to get there.