Drying Oak

[ColdNorCal]

It seems the general rule of seasoning oak is well over 1 year, and 2 or more is better. I cut some oak last fall and some this past Feb and March. The temps here are in the 70's to over a 100 degrees, relatively low humidity, for the next 5 months or more. If the oak is split and laid in the sun, will it be below the desired 20% moisture content by this winter?

 

[GadDummit]

I've dried oak several times in those temps and burned well enough by winter, but if you can wait one more summer you'll notice a big difference. In the end if you're cold you'll burn what you have.

 

[TedyOH]

I doubt it...one year I tried splitting some really small....like 3x3....even though the moister meter read 19% it still burnt like crap and sizzled after 6 or 8 months of prime drying season....what I see with my oak, even at 2 years CSS it's still not all that great...my rule of thumb is 3 years minimum.

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[blades]

depending on your local weather 2-3 years with 3 generally being the magic #. Sometimes even 3 can be iffy- a lot of variables including the type of Oak and when it was taken down. Just a note on the inexpensive moisture meters most are calibrated for furniture type lumber, so there is some variance there also. Also require the split to be at room temperature through out the piece and used on a fresh face from the interior of the split. Temperature extremes will skew the readings.

 

[ColdNorCal]

The location has to play an important part of seasoning. I live in the Sacramento area. Gets hot with low humidity. It already hit ~100* a couple times this year. The splits will sit in the open, full sun exposure, and will be stacked end of Oct.

I have some hardwood fruit tree wood that is dry due to fallen trees and will burn that first. Then the oak from trees felled last fall. Then the oak felled this past winter. Then of course, all the smaller, branch stuff will burn first.

 

[ColdNorCal]

Have been using the oak the past several nights and the wood is definitely dry. At cold startup, with cold ash bed and coals, their is very little smoke inside the stove and none coming in the house. After a few minutes their are no visible signs of smoke in the stove or outside at the cap. And the stove seems to come up to temps at a good rate.

Again, this is oak cut fall of 2017, split spring of 2018 and spread out in the sun for ~6+ months, then stacked end of October. Sierra Foothills in the Sacramento area.

 

[gzecc]

In central NJ the oak I come across needs at least two summers stacked and split small 3". Anything bigger gets 3 summers. Even then its iffy.

 

[Simonkenton]

Build a woodshed like mine, you can dry oak in 8 months.

 

[ColdNorCal]

Build a woodshed like mine, you can dry oak in 8 months.

Pics? Just curious what you did.

The process I mentioned seems to work very well without another outbuilding, increased maintenance and costs. More time then money right now