All I know is when using my smoker and I want the wood to smolder and give off a lot of smoke I soak it in water.
Sorry not buying that. Companies that construct cutting boards and utensils don’t use high moisture content wood. Obviously soaking a piece of dry wood that has been shaped will produce natural stresses and drying cracks. You’ve basically brought the wood to almost a green stage and now rapidly dried it. There’s a reason you don’t build furniture with green wood. But it’s not dryer than it was when manufactured. Oils may have been washed out but it’s not dryer.
I'm not so sure what current or original moisture contents were are all that relevant. it's more the massive changes that took place over a short period of time. Anyone who has owned a nice piano here in New England can tell you whole home humidity control is necessary to protect your investment. Heck, even decent furniture can benefit. The changes don't necessarily happen fast here either, but fluctuate they do.
Well I’m not buying it either. After five years, of course it’s drier. We’ll just have to agree to disagree. But consider this: water damages wood. Damage is in the form of cracking and warping. Cracks help it dry out faster. That’s what you want to happen with firewood, but it’s not what you want to happen with wooden utensils and cutting boards.
I say BS. It is the rapid swelling and then shrinking that is going to crack the wood. It sure is not going to dry out faster when it is constantly being exposed to more moisture.
we can disagree Most kiln dried lumber used for finished work is about 8% when used. Air dried lumber for home hobbyists is about 12%. Not sure how much dryer you think it can get. Stop buying wood products for the little lady
Exactly, if it's not dishwasher safe I won't use it, too hard for me to hand wash. The deal here is if he wants to use his nice knife set or bamboo pizza paddle, he washes it himself or it will eventually end up in the dishwasher with both the water treatment and dishwasher detergent. Same with the 17" x 24" cast iron griddle, I had it successfully hidden a couple years in the short drawer under the oven but it showed back up. Then he tucked it sideways somewhere in the 5th wheel and forgot where it was for another few years. But it's back again.
Hah Hah, I knew it. After years of being accused of losing things we finally have an admission of women hiding our stuff. This changes everything
Well, I cannot speak for all women but for me it's true. Another time he bought a giant non stick fry pan. It was so big it did not fit in the sink nor under the faucet, 6 or 8 pieces of bacon would fit nicely into our 1994 stainless fry pan like it has forever just fine. (seems there is a good reason that giant pan was on clearance for $4 ). That disappeared permanently If it's a pita for her to clean could be a good clue whether it was her or you
Yeah well 6-8 pieces of bacon is just a tease. I commandeered a nice stainless steel Yield sign off the freeway for my bacon. Fits the entire stovetop nicely.
6 pages for this subject, we must be bored. For the sake of conversation lets say it works, not very feasible though.
For all who think this is a good idea then do a controlled test. Take two face cords. Allow one to dry naturally with top cover and the other wet it and then let it dry and wet it and let it dry. After a year do a check with a moisture meter on the center of a split from both stacks and see which one is drier.
That’s what I am saying. It’s not the water per se, that “dries” it. It’s the process initiated by contact with water. The dead wood swells, then dries out. This causes the rupturing and cracking which allows more water in due to increased surface area for the next time it gets wet. The next time it gets wet there is more surface area which allows even more swelling and then cracking when it dries out again, etc, etc, etc. When there is no contact with water it doesn’t get that rapid drying out and cracking. Here in Arizona we get monsoon season in the summers. We get a torrential downpour followed by days of clear sun. It is after these downpours and following dry days this process becomes abundantly obvious; After a good rain the cracks appear on the ends of my stacks—much more so than when it’s just sun for weeks straight.
Well, I’m not advocating for actually going out of your way to wet your stacks with a hose, but to each his own. Mother Nature will do that for you. Just don’t sweat it when it rains. It might actually help. And by the way I’m not the only one with this observation. I did a quick search and found a few other firewood sites/articles that mention this situation: “Additionally, during the summer, it’s actually good to let your firewood be exposed to a bit of rain. This is because rain helps fresh logs shed some of their excess sap, which ultimately helps the wood dry out quicker.” https://outdoorbarren.com/does-firewood-dry-faster-in-the-sun/ “Believe it or not, rain actually will help your wood to season. Rain will help flush out sap that keeps the wood green.” 10 Hacks for Drying Firewood Super Fast: Seasoning your Firewood Correctly “Believe it or not, according to many people, green wood that is is left out in the rain will dry even faster once it is in dry weather again. It is believed the moisture keeps the pores open while the cells lose their sap.” Drying Firewood - How to Season Firewood “Some people actually suggest letting the wood dry without covering it first. They claim that the rainwater will actually speed up the drying time. This is questionable, but it is still something to consider in your own time.” https://www.woodsmanreport.com/how-to-dry-wet-firewood/ So it may not be as crazy as it sounds…
in Arizona I could see this. Correct me if I assume but Arizona has an arid hot climate. Major shifts in the wood structure from soaking to super dry. Much like your sink mishaps. Most parts of the country have a more humid moderate climate. In Ct for example I just covered stacks that have been exposed for two years. The wood is seasoned but it’s also beginning to decay, break down, grow shrooms. Not a good thing for firewood really. Itll still burn obviously and burn faster than normal because it has lost integrity along with the moisture.
The southern part of AZ is dry arid desert. I live in the northern part in a mountainous ponderosa pine forest. But basically yes. Even here it doesn’t have the humidity of the eastward part of the country. And what I’m talking about is a situation where the wood goes from wet to truly dry not wet to humid. So I think the humidity is probably the big factor.
