Red Oak drying study

LOL!! Actually, I needed that for myself to understand.

 

I have some pieces of oak from July1 that are close to what you have. They are near terminal, they are not going to lose much more at all. A loss by 1/3 of weight means you went from somewhere in the range of 80% to 20% or from 50% to zero. There isn't much left to squeeze out of them. If you use a scale that is sensitive to a gram you will find them gaining and losing 15 grams (or 1/2 oz) each day,picking up moisture at night and dropping it again during the day. I doubt you will get another 5% by weight out of them even if you put them adjacent to your stove come this fall.

Also remember that the actual humidity on the surface a piece of wood in the direct sun is drastically reduced by the heat of the sun. And that is where the evaporation happens. Even if ambient humidity is up there what is getting direct sun is down near zero at its surface. The fact that ambient RH is 90% is reduced by the direct sunlight. Add a little bit of breeze and the moisture is gone. Drying conditions in the hot sun can't be beat. If it had been storming 2x a week all summer long you would have much different results.

 

What's amazing to me is, how everyone says you really need 3 years on Red oak? They must be in very wet area's or something....

 

I cut it one year and burn it the next year.

 

Definitely have what you are seeing here too.

This piece of red oak came off the stump on July 3 and was split the same day.



Was 3164 grams. Now is 2229. 2229/3164 = .7044. Just a little less than 1/3 by weight.

Another was 4550 and now is 3235 or .709.



Pieces from July 30 have dropped about .20 by weight. So they are over halfway there in 5 weeks. But it does slow way down.

 

Neat study!

 

So true, wind and exposure to the sun do a lot of work.

 

Like to see you split a piece similar to your subject splits and throw the meter on it. Has been pretty dry.

 

That's good to hear. I have been wondering how much my wood has been drying this summer because it's been really humid. I'm years ahead so I'm not worried but I just figured it would start drying more when it gets a bit cooler and less humid.

 

I can do that.. except.... well, it's raining harder right NOW than I have ever seen in my entire life! Unbelievable amount of rain today.....!