Small Diameter Log Length Wood - Time to Season Uncut???

[BurnIt13]

So I cut some maple and black cherry down about 6 months ago. The trunks are cut/split but I left the trimmed branches in log length form. I know wood does not season quick at all when not split but we are usually talking about the trunks...

Do you think this wood will have a chance at being close to dry? The wood is 3" in diameter with bark intact. Each piece is 5-8ft long. I don't have a moisture meter and my calibrated eyeball is out of calibration. Anyone have a similar experience? Think it is close to being dry?

Thanks!

 

[gzecc]

There is a chance. Was the tree dead when cut down. The branches are probably 30% MC. If the bark was off it would be lower.

 

[BurnIt13]

The trees were alive....but hadn't yet budded. I've got my interest peaked....I'm going to pick up a moisture meter up at Lowes on the way home...I'll report back. I have a bunch of 16" unsplit oak logs that are about 4-5 months old too....I'll crack one open and take a reading.

 

[gzecc]

I'll say 38% on the 16" unsplits. Update: just noticed you are talking about oak. I revise my guess to 44%.

 

[BurnIt13]

We'll see on the unsplit oak. It is an unusually dense red oak. The trees came from my parents land were the soil is poor. The trees are 60+ years old but only about 40-50ft high and about a foot in diameter. Its the heaviest oak I've ever handled. The tree rings are almost too dense to count. I would be surprised if it was less than 40 percent!

I'm hoping the 3" branches will be close to ready come this seeason.....it would be good for this fall's or next spring's shoulder season.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I wouldn't even bother with the red oak. Stack it up and forget it for at least 2 years and even better for 3 years from now.

On the maple, it depends upon if it is hard or soft maple. Hard maple, no. Soft maple, yes.

On the small cherry rounds. 3" rounds will burn fine and probably will by January or February. Cherry tends to dry rather fast. Heck, we used to burn it at deer camp every fall and would cut it as we were setting up camp. No, that was not the ideal but it was one wood that was available where camp was and we stayed warm very nicely; it just took more draft and, of course, more wood to get the amount of heat we needed.

 

[BurnIt13]

The red oak is for down the road....to be split this fall. I'm gonna take a reading just to prove you smarty pants right.....its gonna be soaking wet.

I'm not sure which maple I have. I know its not sugar maple, its just the plain old common variety found everywhere in MA (and elsewhere).

I'll report back in a few hours.....

 

[BurnIt13]

So the results are in.... I measured using my new handy dandy moisture meter. The General Tool MMD4E. It has good reviews on Amazon and is in the $30-45 price range. Also available at Lowes for $30...which is where I got it.
http://www.amazon.com/General-Tools...F5O2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316119992&sr=8-1

I had some already cut 16" long OAK rounds measuring 2-4" in diameter. These were cut 5 months ago. I split them down the middle and the moisture reading averaged 19-23%

A 6" diameter, 16" long oak round of the same vintage measured 24-27% when split down the middle.

The 12" diameter, 18"long oak roand was 28-36% down the middle. I was shocked, I thought it would be higher. It was very dense. My Fiskars Super Splitter did not want to touch it. I had to use a splitting wedge.

Finally, regarding the log length 3" rounds...... I cut the length in half and measured the fresh cut. These are all about 4-5 months old.
Ash - 22%
Cherry - 22%
Oak - 22-29%. The 29% was from a 5" thick log length round.
Maple....bottom of the pile...it started raining....I left.

EDIT: Went out and split another 12" round of 6 month old oak. 27-35%. Weird. Thought maybe the meter was off so I went and checked a bunch of kiln dried lumber I had indoors. 6-8%, sounds about right.

 

[wood spliter]

I like the study. It gives me a better idea on some bigger un split Oak I have down for a year. Now I feel better about the smaller stuff also.

 

[Wood Duck]

The red oak is for down the road....to be split this fall. I'm gonna take a reading just to prove you smarty pants right.....its gonna be soaking wet.

I'm not sure which maple I have. I know its not sugar maple, its just the plain old common variety found everywhere in MA (and elsewhere).

I'll report back in a few hours.....

This varies from place to place, but in a lot of areas the plain old common maple is Sugar Maple. In others it is Red Maple, or perhaps Silver Maple if you live near water. Probably Sugar and Red Maples are about equally common in MA. They look similar but the wood is a little different. Sugar Maple is more dense and is called Hard Maple. Red Maple is less dense and is, along with Silver Maple, refered to as Soft Maple.

Sugar Maple has five-pointed leaves just like the Canadian flag. Red Maple has leaves that have three main points and many small teeth, making the edges of the leaves look a lot different than the smoother leaves of Sugar Maple.

 

[BurnIt13]

This varies from place to place, but in a lot of areas the plain old common maple is Sugar Maple. In others it is Red Maple, or perhaps Silver Maple if you live near water. Probably Sugar and Red Maples are about equally common in MA. They look similar but the wood is a little different. Sugar Maple is more dense and is called Hard Maple. Red Maple is less dense and is, along with Silver Maple, refered to as Soft Maple.

Sugar Maple has five-pointed leaves just like the Canadian flag. Red Maple has leaves that have three main points and many small teeth, making the edges of the leaves look a lot different than the smoother leaves of Sugar Maple.

I have three species of maples on my property. I'm going to take some pics this afternoon and ask for some advice of what I've got. The bark as well as the leaves are noticably different from one another. I'll start a new thread for this.

 

[firefighterjake]

Maine is pretty close to Massachusetts . . . you may be able to use this on line resource to ID your maples.

http://www.umext.maine.edu/mainetreeclub/MTC.htm

 

[weatherguy]

Good info burnIt, Ive been wondering what my 3-4 in oak branches hold for moisture, I should probably get one of those moisture meters you got so I dont have to wonder any more.

 

[wood-fan-atic]

I am glad to see the moisture meter being put to good use .... and not getting bashed (for a change) here in the Woodshed. This is EXACTLY what it is intended to do - assist in education of drying times of a variety of species in relation to one another. Very helpful and informative.
I have about a 1/2 a cord of 14 month c/s/s 3-5" white oak rounds, cut to about 15 inches, that I am going to check when i get home.

 

[BurnIt13]

Please report back once you do! More data the better!

 

[Stubborn Dutchman]

So the results are in.... I measured using my new handy dandy moisture meter. The General Tool MMD4E. It has good reviews on Amazon and is in the $30-45 price range. Also available at Lowes for $30...which is where I got it.
http://www.amazon.com/General-Tools...F5O2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316119992&sr=8-1

I had some already cut 16" long OAK rounds measuring 2-4" in diameter. These were cut 5 months ago. I split them down the middle and the moisture reading averaged 19-23%

A 6" diameter, 16" long oak round of the same vintage measured 24-27% when split down the middle.

The 12" diameter, 18"long oak roand was 28-36% down the middle. I was shocked, I thought it would be higher. It was very dense. My Fiskars Super Splitter did not want to touch it. I had to use a splitting wedge.

Finally, regarding the log length 3" rounds...... I cut the length in half and measured the fresh cut. These are all about 4-5 months old.
Ash - 22%
Cherry - 22%
Oak - 22-29%. The 29% was from a 5" thick log length round.
Maple....bottom of the pile...it started raining....I left.

EDIT: Went out and split another 12" round of 6 month old oak. 27-35%. Weird. Thought maybe the meter was off so I went and checked a bunch of kiln dried lumber I had indoors. 6-8%, sounds about right.

Thanks for the heads up. I went to Lowe's today and picked one up. Didn't have time to resplit any wood but will check it out tomorrow.

 

[Woody Stover]

I have about a 1/2 a cord of 14 month c/s/s 3-5" white oak rounds, cut to about 15 inches, that I am going to check when i get home.

That just might be good to go...

 

[wood-fan-atic]

I have about a 1/2 a cord of 14 month c/s/s 3-5" white oak rounds, cut to about 15 inches, that I am going to check when i get home.

That just might be good to go...

Well.... the results are in...and...Between 24 and 27% on the mm , depending on the thickness of the round. I also tested some splits from the same tree - they were from larger branch sections ( 8-10" dia.) c/s/s at the same time, and they were down to 18-20%. This tells me that , no matter how small the diameter - splits season MUCH faster than rounds.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I have about a 1/2 a cord of 14 month c/s/s 3-5" white oak rounds, cut to about 15 inches, that I am going to check when i get home.

That just might be good to go...

Well.... the results are in...and...Between 24 and 27% on the mm , depending on the thickness of the round. I also tested some splits from the same tree - they were from larger branch sections ( 8-10" dia.) c/s/s at the same time, and they were down to 18-20%. This tells me that , no matter how small the diameter - splits season MUCH faster than rounds.

YUP. Always have; always will.