On average how many % of moisture content do you think leaves a split every year. I know there are many variables but I'm just looking at a ballpark average in a years time. For example I checked some red oak a few weeks ago that has been in the stacks for 2 years and it was at 25%. Would I be correct in assuming by next October it should be at 20% or better.
possibly but not necessarily so- add in the x number of weather related variables and theories go out the window. My rule of thumb is anything oak or as dense as same -don't bother with it until 3 years down the road- but that's my local- yours maybe different.
15% in my area. My fresh cut pine starts out at between 28 and 32 percent. In a year, its dropped to an average of 15. That was this past year, and we had a wetter than normal summer. Next year, who knows.
I was going to write something that I thought was intellectual. Then I googled something and realized I wasn’t exactly correct.... this paper talks about wood drying,.. I would guess drying of lumber and firewood are similar... https://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/usda/ah188/chapter01.pdf
All I know is my oak is drying good today 98f with 26%RH. Not really conducive for getting any work done
Good day to look out from an AC cooled house at the Oak drying. Can we count that as work? I mean, something being accomplished, right?
The moisture is lost in a decreasing curve. Assuming green wood, fresh off the stump the first half is gone in about a month of sunny summer days and then it slows way down from there as it gets closer to equilibrium. I’ve weighed fresh splits and found that in year 1 it will go from over 80% to near 30. Year two 30 to 20ish. Then you get the rest. It is definitely not a straight line and sun exposure, the RH and re-wetting from getting rained on play a big part.
That is window weather. It looks just fine out the window but you don't want to be out in it. Several feet deep in snow is also window weather.
Oak is a tricky one. It's cell structure is not very conducive to drying compared to pretty much every other wood. It likes to hold moisture in.
Oak is perhaps the slowest to give up its moisture. That is why most of us give oak 3 years. Then while we give oak 3 years, we'll also give everything 3 years. I do not know the moisture content of our wood and really don't care. All I know is it is dry and gives us the maximum amount of heat to keep us warm. That is the bottom line for everyone; to keep warm. You do that best by burning dry wood. Always remember, moisture does not burn. Water does not burn. Wood burns.
I use a cheap ohm meter from Harbor Freight with the probes filed sharp. Stick them in the end of the log and look for under 2M ohms and usually that works. I have read 4M is acceptable but prefer to err on the side of dryness
I pulled this small round ( probably 3.5-4") out of the shed and checked it. Then split it and rechecked it. Over 26%...just a little more time.
