Ok, So I bought a cord of oak....

[scoooter]

Ok, stupid me, I bought a cord of "seasoned" oak, dumped for 200. I just needed something to get me thru this year while all the wood i've split seasons.

A) I haven't paid him yet, his credit card machine is broken

B) He assured me that it had been split and stacked since last year.

C) If I take a reading on the outside of some of the bigger pieces they are 15-20%, if I split it and take a reading from the middle it is between 30-40% depending on the piece.

The smaller pieces are in between 18-20% on the outside.

Does this sound like oak that has been "seasoned for a year" or should I tell him I am not paying him full price.


Thanks,


Scott

 

[BurnIt13]

Since I'm a newbie take my advice with a grain of salt but..... doesn't oak take typically more than a year to season? It may have well been stacked and "seasoned" for a year. Inadequate airflow, no sun, etc could slow down the process.

Just to confirm your moisture meter I'd burn some of it outside in a firepit and see how it goes. In my limited experience not-so-dry wood is obvious when it burns, it'll take forever to light and will smoke like a mo-fo. If water sizzles out of the ends then you'll know you got screwed.

 

[SKIN052]

It was likely split and tossed in a huge pile. The stuff on the inside is likely not dry as you have mentioned. Question him on how it was stacked and point out that some of it is not well seasoned. Ask for a better lot or ask for a discount. I am unfortunately the type of guy that would kick myself for being so trusting in the first place and just deal with it by paying the man.

 

[ansehnlich1]

Yep, sounds like oak that's been split and seasoned for a year.

Try and get a better price if you can but hey, if you're a full time wood burner, stack it and admire it til next year.

 

[PapaDave]

I could go out right now and split a piece of oak in my stacks, that's been out there since Aug. of '09 and I'm pretty dang sure that it won't be at 30-40%.
I hope I don't have to eat my hat on this one, but I don't think that oak's been split and stacked for a year. This is why I started doing my own, and got more than a year ahead. The first 2 years were a bear.
Maybe go look at his operation for yourself?

 

[rdust]

I have some white oak in the back that I split in Sept of 2009, it's stacked in a single row in full sun wind. I grabbed a piece the other day when I was walking around and split it when I got back to the house. It was in the mid 30's in the middle of the split so I say it's possible it was split a year ago. Next year it'll be in the lower 20's and good to go, this is why everyone around here tries to give oak 2 years or so.

 

[cptoneleg]

Buy next years wood last year. Would be very surprised if there is adealer out there that far ahead.

 

[burntime]

Sounds like he is full of it to me. Guys season wood 2 year... My red and white oak after a year is below 25% always. He is full of it. I split it in smaller then 6 inch diameter in the sun. This is next years wood if it were me.

 

[iceman]

I would ask for discount but most of the time oak takes more than a year. And don't forget last summer was a great here I'm the north east...
Resplit as much.of as you can and it should be better in a month or so since it doesn't have that much further to go ... by Dec it will be better , but not perfect.... but because you have to resplit there is reason to ask for discount.... more than likely he is gonna think your crazy....
The only people I know that know about burning dry wood are here on this site , everyone around still believes 1 yr in the round is seasoned and if oak sits for more than a year split its to dry!

 

[rdust]

everyone around still believes 1 yr in the round is seasoned and if oak sits for more than a year split its to dry!

Same here! I love when I hear they get longer burn times from green wood. Sure you do, your stove is a relic and is full of air leaks!

 

[PapaDave]

I have some white oak in the back that I split in Sept of 2009, it's stacked in a single row in full sun wind. I grabbed a piece the other day when I was walking around and split it when I got back to the house. It was in the mid 30's in the middle of the split so I say it's possible it was split a year ago. Next year it'll be in the lower 20's and good to go, this is why everyone around here tries to give oak 2 years or so.

Now you're making me 2nd guess myself. Tomorrow may find me pulling a split from that stack to resplit. I'll post my findings, good, or bad. :lol:

 

[oldspark]

I can get small splits of burr oak to 18 to 20% in one summer, the bigger splitts were at 35% , this was a few weeks ago, I should check it again.

 

[jadm]

I would ask for a discount but out here in Colorado - oak costs over 400 a cord and still needs to be seasoned 2 years.

Most wood sellers here think wood split in the summer is ready to burn by October. That is their idea of seasoned.

I learned here that that is no where near seasoned and now order a year in advance. The people I order from think I am nuts but that doesn't stop them from selling me wood. ;-)

 

[rdust]

Now you're making me 2nd guess myself. Tomorrow may find me pulling a split from that stack to resplit. I'll post my findings, good, or bad. :lol:

The split was probably 4x5 or 5x6 so it wasn't a small split. I think 2 summers on oak is ideal, your setup may work better then mine though.

 

[PapaDave]

Now you're making me 2nd guess myself. Tomorrow may find me pulling a split from that stack to resplit. I'll post my findings, good, or bad. :lol:

The split was probably 4x5 or 5x6 so it wasn't a small split. I think 2 summers on oak is ideal, your setup may work better then mine though.

I'll do one about the same size then.

 

[shawng111]

Well take it from me, I had some oak my brother gave me last year that had been down a year and stacked, it was not ready to be burned that much i can tell you, it hissed and steamed like a tea kettle on the bigger pieces.

 

[PapaDave]

OK, went to the stacks in the field and grabbed a split about 4x6, split it, and checked. Mid 20's, so I don't have to eat my hat. Whew!

Just a comment,.....I don't like the term "seasoned". It's too ambiguous when dealing with firewood. It's either DRY enough to burn, or it isn't.
I had to order wood from a couple different guys when I first got here, and none of it was dry. I was told, like so many others, than it was seasoned.
Well, maybe seasoned, whatever that means, but not dry enough to burn without wasting a lot of wood.
I know, preaching to the choir, beating a dead horse, etc., but I had to vent a little.

 

[rdust]

OK, went to the stacks in the field and grabbed a split about 4x6, split it, and checked. Mid 20's, so I don't have to eat my hat. Whew!

When was it cut, split and stacked? I thought I read at one time you buy log length. I know it doesn't season much in log form but I doubt it went from the stump to your door. I know log length can sit in the woods for a while before they're loaded onto a truck and delivered. When they harvest the red oak on the state land I dirt bike ride on it usually gets cut in the winter and hauled out before the next winter.

Either way your set up works better then mine, I have some red oak that was cut in Feb of 09, split/stacked by May of 09 and it's in the mid to lower 20's right now!

 

[geoffm24]

I just went out today and checked the moisture on some oak. I resplit some oak that was cut down and split last year and was a STANDING DEAD oak an it read 14%. I then split a 3-4" round that was cut from a LIVE red oak tree and it read 35%.

Leads me to believe it could infact have been cut and split a year ago, but it is not ready to burn.

 

[PapaDave]

rdust, good memory. Yep, log length, that was c/s/s July-Aug. of '09. That'll be wood for 2011.
I still have almost 10 cord of that last load to process. Now that I've got almost 3 yrs. c/s/s, I've slowed down on the processing. Just got 1/3 cord done early this week, and might do some more in a few days. The stove room has been keeping me busy for a while.

 

[rdust]

rdust, good memory.

Not if you ask my wife! :lol: