Do rounds season

[Woodsplitter67]

There was another thread asking if 16 rounds season. I know from experience that rounds dont season but never noted what happens to a round just letting it sit.

The thread about the 16 in rounds prompted me to post these observations
The first pic is of some rounds i cut up in the fall of 2017. All rounds were cut to 18in. The trees came from a friend that has a tree service and were cut down live in August of 2017. Lets just say that the MC of the trees was 43%. All the rounds that are in the pic are oak, some red some white.
I am now splitting up some of ths wood so I put the moisture meter in some of the rounds and also made some observations
I took some rounds and opened them up and got a few different readings most rounds were average of 33%MC. Some of the larger rounds of aprox 24inches still had alot of water. When the wedge went into the round you could still see water.
The rounds were stored at my shop up off the ground and tarped on the top, in sun and with air circulation. Please don't post that the rounds are not room temperature. I understand that this is not a precise reading but just getting it close enough for the observation and being able to get a general idea.

Bottom line being.. the seasoning process dosent start untill the rounds are split

 

[gzecc]

I think hardwood rounds would just take decades to season depending on the species.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I have rounds that have been sitting for 2-3 years and while they do hold moisture inside when split they are very much more ahead of the game so to my knowledge rounds do season. You have Oak so that holds in the moisture longer, and the Oak rounds I split even though they have been sitting for years still have some aroma to it so they still aren't "seasoned" but they are very much on their way.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I have rounds that have been sitting for 2-3 years and while they do hold moisture inside when split they are very much more ahead of the game so to my knowledge rounds do season. You have Oak so that holds in the moisture longer, and the Oak rounds I split even though they have been sitting for years still have some aroma to it so they still aren't "seasoned" but they are very much on their way.

Theres a big difference between losing some moisture and seasoning. I think you missing the point of the post. I am answering a question to a post.. do rounds season. The rounds have been cut and stacked now for 18 months and lost approximately 10% moisture. So yes they have lost some moisture. But in the same period of time the wood that was split in 2017 is ready to burn and well under 20%mc. I you take this 1 step ferther, these rounds that were just split will take another(roughly) 18months to fully season. That bringing the total seasoning time to approximately 36 months to season. That is almost doubling the time and clearly not worth doing and also answers another post. This also clearly shows that when giving advice on this board rounds dont season, thay just drop some moisture. I dont think that losing 10% mc in 18 months qualifies as well on its way.

 

[Sawset]

I would be curious to know if you noticed any differences between the red and white regarding moisture.

All the rounds that are in the pic are oak, some red some white.
I am now splitting up some of ths wood so I put the moisture meter in some of the rounds and also made some observations

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I would be curious to know if you noticed any differences between the red and white regarding moisture.

Generally they were close with in 2% eather way

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Theres a big difference between losing some moisture and seasoning. I think you missing the point of the post. I am answering a question to a post.. do rounds season. The rounds have been cut and stacked now for 18 months and lost approximately 10% moisture. So yes they have lost some moisture. But in the same period of time the wood that was split in 2017 is ready to burn and well under 20%mc. I you take this 1 step ferther, these rounds that were just split will take another(roughly) 18months to fully season. That bringing the total seasoning time to approximately 36 months to season. That is almost doubling the time and clearly not worth doing and also answers another post. This also clearly shows that when giving advice on this board rounds dont season, thay just drop some moisture. I dont think that losing 10% mc in 18 months qualifies as well on its way.

Again, you are using Oak which holds moisture probably the longest of any woods. Try this same theory with other woods and you'll get different results. Also depends on where they are stacked, how much sun and wind etc. I've had good results with it so I'm satisfied with the results.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

S

Again, you are using Oak which holds moisture probably the longest of any woods. Try this same theory with other woods and you'll get different results. Also depends on where they are stacked, how much sun and wind etc. I've had good results with it so I'm satisfied with the results.

So you dont get it at all.. this post is a direct responce to the question about seasoning 16 in rounds.. whick he really didnt get a great answer.. if you look at the 3rd post of that thread he explains that he has mostly OAK. This thread i have is not a general post of seasoning rounds. If you take the time to read my first post... i state .. the thread seasoning 16 in rounds.... i reference it twice...

 

[weatherguy]

I had huge maple rounds about the size of the big ones in your pic sit for 3 years, when I split them water gushed out, I was surprised they still had that much moisture.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

S

So you dont get it at all.. this post is a direct responce to the question about seasoning 16 in rounds.. whick he really didnt get a great answer.. if you look at the 3rd post of that thread he explains that he has mostly OAK. This thread i have is not a general post of seasoning rounds. If you take the time to read my first post... i state .. the thread seasoning 16 in rounds.... i reference it twice...

You are right, I didn't understand it at all, my bad. I hadn't read that other thread and glossed over this one pretty quickly, sorry.

Yes, Oak takes forever to dry out in round form. I split some this time a year ago that I had sitting in round form for at least 3 years and I could still smell the wine aroma and still feel some wetness by hand, but luckily the garage gets hot and dry like a kiln and it was fine for burning this season.

Whack the rounds in half if they are Oak and it'll at least speed it up a little bit.

 

[hickoryhoarder]

Big rounds can take forever. Branches 2 to 5 inches in diameter can season pretty quick, when cut at about 16 inches long.

 

[trguitar]

Rounds do season, but they just take a very long time. A few years back a neighbor was cleaning out his barn, and wanted to get rid of about 1 cord of ash rounds that had been in there about 15 years. I took them, split them, and they were bone dry. Around 10%. That was the best wood I ever burned.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

S

Again, you are using Oak which holds moisture probably the longest of any woods. Try this same theory with other woods and you'll get different results. Also depends on where they are stacked, how much sun and wind etc. I've had good results with it so I'm satisfied with the results.

So you dont get it at all.. this post is a direct responce to the question about seasoning 16 in rounds.. whick he really didnt get a great answer.. if you look at the 3rd post of that thread he explains that he has mostly OAK. This thread i have is not a general post of seasoning rounds. If you take the time to read my first post... i state .. the thread .. i reference it twice...

Rounds do season, but they just take a very long time. A few years back a neighbor was cleaning out his barn, and wanted to get rid of about 1 cord of ash rounds that had been in there about 15 years. I took them, split them, and they were bone dry. Around 10%. That was the best wood I ever burned.

Please read post number 1 and Post Number 8 that should help you out

 

[trguitar]

I'm not sure what you are trying to say here. My point is that rounds, even oak, will dry, albeit over a long period of time. If you kept your 16" oak rounds in a barn, where the floor is dry, and no water got on them for 15 years, you could split them and burn them immediately. I've done this with ash. No reason it wouldn't work for oak. But, who would do this on purpose? No-one.

And I am very familiar with the drying time for oak. It is mostly what I burn.

 

[Rich L]

Rounds do season, but they just take a very long time. A few years back a neighbor was cleaning out his barn, and wanted to get rid of about 1 cord of ash rounds that had been in there about 15 years. I took them, split them, and they were bone dry. Around 10%. That was the best wood I ever burned.

Ya I have Maple rounds about a year old.I split one and burned the splits a week later.

 

[weatherguy]

Big rounds can take forever. Branches 2 to 5 inches in diameter can season pretty quick, when cut at about 16 inches long.

I always stack rounds separate and give them extra time, I have over a cord of black birch rounds for next year.

 

[Firewood Bandit]

No rounds do not season, it's not firewood till it's split. Splits resembling boards season faster than wedge shaped.

 

[weatherguy]

No rounds do not season, it's not firewood till it's split. Splits resembling boards season faster than wedge shaped.

Depends on the size, 5-6 inch rounds do season, I believe they start out with less moisture than the trunk being on the ends but 6 inch rounds are great firewood.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I'm not sure what you are trying to say here. My point is that rounds, even oak, will dry, albeit over a long period of time. If you kept your 16" oak rounds in a barn, where the floor is dry, and no water got on them for 15 years, you could split them and burn them immediately. I've done this with ash. No reason it wouldn't work for oak. But, who would do this on purpose? No-one.

And I am very familiar with the drying time for oak. It is mostly what I burn.

Its not verry likely that people are going to wait that long.. 15 years.. were burning firewood here .. were not aging burbon.. were talking aok.. not maple or ash.. the point being that i answered somones question.. do oak rounds season.. the answer is quite obvious. It droped 10% mc in 18 months with another 14% to go.. that last 14 % isnt going to drop as fast as the first 10.. so its like a 5 year process at best.. who is going to 5 full years to wait for there wood to season using that method. When giving advice to people.. telling them to wait 5 to 10 years to season there rounds is anything but practical and if its not practical than it doesnt work..

Im not trying to dry rounds.. this is not how i do things... i had some rounds and i answered somones question on do they seasion.. and really thay dont..read the first post.. im not trying to season 16 in rounds.. somebody else is..

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Depends on the size, 5-6 inch rounds do season, I believe they start out with less moisture than the trunk being on the ends but 6 inch rounds are great firewood.

I think your right on this.. some of the larger rounds like over 24 in still had water coming out when the wedge went in.. while the 16 to 18 in stuff didn't have water coming out..

 

[billb3]

I know from experience that rounds dont season but never noted what happens to a round just letting it sit.

Huh ?

Rounds most certainly DO season, just very slowly.



If you really want to measure the moisture content loss in the round - use a weight scale, not numbers pulled out of thin air.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Huh ?

Rounds most certainly DO season, just very slowly.



If you really want to measure the moisture content loss in the round - use a weight scale, not numbers pulled out of thin air.

Clearly your not reading verry well.. there were no numbers pulled out of thin air.. in 1.5 years the rounds only dropped 10%mc. I even posted a picture of the MM in the freshly opened round.. guess you missed that one.... BTW weighing rounds of this size really isnt practical.. guess you missed the picks of the rounds also..
The seasoning process dosent start untill the rounds are split..its your prerogative if you want them to sit there that long. For others out there its not practical. .

 

[trguitar]

I think we can all agree on the following statement: If you have large oak rounds, and you want to burn them in your stove within 2 or 3 years, you need to split them.

But, to say that "rounds do not season" is patently false. They do -- just more slowly. I have long term experience with this. Much longer than your 1.5 years.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I think we can all agree on the following statement: If you have large oak rounds, and you want to burn them in your stove within 2 or 3 years, you need to split them.

But, to say that "rounds do not season" is patently false. They do -- just more slowly. I have long term experience with this. Much longer than your 1.5 years.

Wow you got that totally wrong.. i said i season oak in 1.5 years.. never said that i have 1.5 years experience. In seasoning. Your struggling in reading and comprehension.. its funny that you think you have morr experience thatn me.. best laugh i had all day......thanks... unfortunately your statements speak for how little experience you have. you come on here stating or insinuating how much better you are but provide no actual real data, when I'm providing pictures of moisture content with a moisture meter please go ahead and think it what you want you have provided nothing you have added nothing of value..

 

[therdlesstravld]

Here’s some data:

Your rounds lost 10% moisture content in a year and a half in round form.

Here’s an analysis using your data:

The rounds seasoned in a year and a half, just not to the point that you would burn them.

Here’s a conjecture:

If you left your rounds for 15 years (ten times as long as you did) they would season to the point that you could split and burn them. This is backed up by trguitar’s experience that 15 year old ash was useable directly after being split.


We all know what your trying to say but your being a real Richard about it so that’s why everyone is splitting hairs...