seasoning time for downed white oak

[tumm21]

My inlaws have an oak tree that has been down for two years. I am planning on cutting and splitting it this October due to the fact that I have no room until then. If i stack it this fall do you think it will be ready the fall after that or two years after that?

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Spit it on the smaller side, stack it single rows in the sun and wind and see how it goes....

 

[Charlie2]

I don't think it will be ready, but as Ram said, do what you can do, control what you can control is about all you can do. Until you cut it to length and split it, it's really not drying. Oak doesn't pass water very fast through its side grain, whiskey barrels being an example.

 

[Applesister]

Ive had good luck with oak that has been dead but not processed. It holds all its water, however. Ive watched water pour out of cut rounds, something I wouldnt believe unless I saw it. There are many factors here, swamps, high rocky ground, desert sands, humidity...elevation, average temps... You are better to just split it and stack it and forget about it and let things happen with no expectations. Then you can be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Gboutdoors]

Ive had good luck with oak that has been dead but not processed. It holds all its water, however. Ive watched water pour out of cut rounds, something I wouldnt believe unless I saw it. There are many factors here, swamps, high rocky ground, desert sands, humidity...elevation, average temps... You are better to just split it and stack it and forget about it and let things happen with no expectations. Then you can be pleasantly surprised.

X2

I do check the moisture as I cut my rounds and sort it out 25% or under in one pile and anything over that in another. But I am cutting all dead standing red and white oak . After that its split ,stack ,and forget about it .

It will be ready when its ready .

 

[toddnic]

2 years minimum.

 

[gzecc]

Be glad if its ready after two summers. It must be in the sun IMO.

 

[Woody Stover]

2 years minimum.

If it's not split too big, and gets good wind (not stacked in one big block,) might be getting decent in two years. They say it dries a bit faster than Red. I've got some White to try this winter, that's got three summers on it but some bigger splits in there...we'll see.

 

[toddnic]

If it's not split too big, and gets good wind (not stacked in one big block,) might be getting decent in two years. They say it dries a bit faster than Red. I've got some White to try this winter, that's got three summers on it but some bigger splits in there...we'll see.

I've got red oak and white oak. Some of my white oak that is 1 1/2 years C/S/S is about 27% moisture. I don't see it being ready until March 2015 or the fall of 2015. I guess if newly C/S/S white oak is in direct sunlight and gets a lot of air, maybe it could be ready to burn in under 2 years.

 

[Charlie2]

I went out and split a split of red oak, it was cut green standing around November 2013, it measures 28% today. It's been single stacked, out in an open field for most of that time. We've had very little rain and hotter than hell, so that's eight months, FWIW.
But actually I'm happy with that, still have August to go. I'm not pushing it for this year, got plenty of dry, but I think it'll be ready next year.

Point is, as one astute member stated, it all depends location. Single stacked in an open field, dry weather and 90 degrees doesn't compare with double row stacked, in the shade and rain once a week..

I love this place, have learned so much from such good people.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Great advice guys.....

 

[woodsman416]

In my experience, white oak dries faster than red but also goes to punk much faster as well.