Another moisture question

[lawandorder]

So i have had my wood delivered for the year. THis wood was cut almost two years ago and split last year into a pile that the wood guy has on his property. I tested a few pieces while i was stacking it and it still shows high 20's low 30's for maple, oak etc..... The wood shed is an open wall with a covered roof. Will this stuff season enough to get to the 20% mark by November??? I thought I was going to be in good shape for this year after having this wood split for over a year and drying in the field.

 

[smokinj]

If it truly was cut 2 years ago and split for a year now I would say its going to be good firewood.

 

[lawandorder]

how much longer will it take to get down into the 20% If its 30% now. Is four months long enough now that its stacked in the shed?

 

[smokinj]

how much longer will it take to get down into the 20% If its 30% now. Is four months long enough now that its stacked in the shed?

Thats hard to say but it will be the best firewood in your area......But stacked and 90 days to go I like your chances!

 

[oldspark]

how much longer will it take to get down into the 20% If its 30% now. Is four months long enough now that its stacked in the shed?

Hard to answer that question do the the many varibles, are you stacking it in single rows so the wind and sun can do its thing.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

So i have had my wood delivered for the year. THis wood was cut almost two years ago and split last year into a pile that the wood guy has on his property. I tested a few pieces while i was stacking it and it still shows high 20's low 30's for maple, oak etc..... The wood shed is an open wall with a covered roof. Will this stuff season enough to get to the 20% mark by November??? I thought I was going to be in good shape for this year after having this wood split for over a year and drying in the field.

It all depends upon the wood (what type), how long it was cut, what size the split is and how it is stacked. For example, saying maple tells only part of the story; what type of maple? What type of oak, etc., etc.

Also, don't count drying time until after the wood has been split. Better yet, after it has been split and stacked. This also brings on another question. How was it stacked. In this case, inside a shed. This probably means several rows stacked tight together and the wood probably stacked nice and neatly. Both situations are bad for drying wood.

Wood will still dry the fastest after being split to stack it where maximum wind will hit the sides of the stacks. The rows should not be stacked together but a good distance apart. For that distance, I say a man should be able to walk between the rows. If the wood has to dry quickly, then stack it really loosely.

If one has the luxury of having wood stacked for a few years before burning it, you can stack the rows together without the spacing. I've stacked up to 25 rows of wood together without spacing but that wood was not needed for at least 6 years. It dried very nicely in that time. But most times I stack 2 or 3 rows together and then cover the top of the rows after the first summer and fall of drying.

As for how much more this wood will dry before the coming burning season, a lot depends upon the weather. As most know, we tend to get a bit more rain in the fall than we do in the summer. Combined with cooler air, the drying becomes pretty slow then. However, a warm dry fall means it should dry much better. So it maybe has 3 months yet for drying.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

If it's been rained on a lot, then that moisture may be the type that leaves quickly (extracellular).

 

[lawandorder]

Wood shed is 12 x 16 covered with open walls it does get a lot of wind but the wood is stacked in rows up tight too each other

 

[oldspark]

Wood shed is 12 x 16 covered with open walls it does get a lot of wind but the wood is stacked in rows up tight too each other

not the best and quickest way to get it dry

 

[Backwoods Savage]

That is the problem with wood sheds. That is also why most folks will season the wood outside and move it into the shed only after it is already dry enough to burn.

 

[oldspark]

That is the problem with wood sheds. That is also why most folks will season the wood outside and move it into the shed only after it is already dry enough to burn.

+100000000000000

 

[ANeat]

If it's been rained on a lot, then that moisture may be the type that leaves quickly (extracellular).

+1 there, spit one and see what it checks like on the inside

 

[fossil]

That is the problem with wood sheds. That is also why most folks will season the wood outside and move it into the shed only after it is already dry enough to burn.

Yup. Nothing goes into my shed that isn't already well seasoned out in the open. It'll continue to season to some extent in the well ventilated shed, but that's just icing on the cake. The purpose of my shed is to provide a tightly packed winter's supply of seasoned firewood, protected from rain and snow, and easily accessible from the house. Rick

 

[firefighterjake]

So i have had my wood delivered for the year. THis wood was cut almost two years ago and split last year into a pile that the wood guy has on his property. I tested a few pieces while i was stacking it and it still shows high 20's low 30's for maple, oak etc..... The wood shed is an open wall with a covered roof. Will this stuff season enough to get to the 20% mark by November??? I thought I was going to be in good shape for this year after having this wood split for over a year and drying in the field.

Hard to say . . . only split last year . . . general consensus here is that oak needs at least two years of being cut, split and stacked before use. Maple . . . depends on the type. Silver maple, folks say, seasons wicked fast . . . sugar maple in my experience needs at least a year . . .

If I had to guess I would say your wood will probably be close enough or good to burn by November . . . with the exception of the oak . . . to give it an even better chance of seasoning more I might hold off on sticking it in the shed until September or October . . . but that's just me.

 

[oldspark]

Something else you said in your orignal post about the wood being in a pile before you bought it, a pile don't get it.

 

[willworkforwood]

Something else you said in your orignal post about the wood being in a pile before you bought it, a pile don't get it.

+1 I was thinking the same thing.
On my route to work, someone had been doing some splitting and was throwing it all onto a big pile in their front yard. I was wondering when they were going to stack it. But when I drove by last week, they had completely covered the pile with blue tarps. COL (crying out loud)

 

[smokinj]

Split and piled for 2 years will be much better than fresh cut!

 

[oldspark]

Split and piled for 2 years will be much better than fresh cut!

I bet you would be surprised how wet (green) that wood will be under the top couple of layers of wood.