I hate seasoning oak thread!

[georgepds]

Y'll got me worried about seasoning Oak. This year, the guy who cut split and delivered it called it Oak and Maple (I can't tell by the bark, but I can tell it's not evergreen). I buy green in early April and let it sit in the sun until November (16" length, North/South single row elevated 6",sandy ground on one side, asphalt on the other, no foliage, no shade, windy, nearest object is 20 feet to either side, ... this row is very sunny and exposed). It has always worked for me, but I thought hey, maybe I was wrong, maybe I just don't know what seasoned wood is.

I went out an bought a wood moisture meter from Harbor freight, and tested some splits ( ones with 4 months in the sun)... Ends were ~10% , middle was about ~20%. I'm reminded of the guy who,when caught in flagrant dilecto by his wife, defended his fidelity with the comment " who you going to belive, me or your own lying eyes"

So there are many possibilities

1) I used the meter wrong and y'all are right
2) I used the meter right it ,but it reads wrong, and y'all are right
3) the meter reads correctly, and I have to believe my own lying eyes

Maybe it's the wind.. I'm on a barrier island and the breezes are great


Since the meter is in question, I'm thinking of a bake test.. weigh the splits before, and the cook them at 350 for 30 minutes, and weigh again, attribute the difference to moisture. Sounds like good science, but I'm afraid my wife would call for the guys in the white coats. While I was testing last night she asked:"Do you know what the measurement is supposed to be?" I looked cross-eyed at her and she answered her own question; "of course you do, whaddaya call it.. heat.com, heart.com?"

 

[georgepds]

...I also have my stack top-covered with black rubber roofing and let me tell ya, that definitely heats the stack up. And heat helps the seasoning process big time.....

can you recommend a brand of black rubber roofing.. How does it hold up to tears?

 

[PapaDave]

George, did you resplit the splits when you checked?

 

[rdust]

Y'll got me worried about seasoning Oak. This year, the guy who cut split and delivered it called it Oak and Maple (I can't tell by the bark, but I can tell it's not evergreen). I buy green in early April and let it sit in the sun until November (16" length, North/South single row elevated 6",sandy ground on one side, asphalt on the other, no foliage, no shade, windy, nearest object is 20 feet to either side, ... this row is very sunny and exposed). It has always worked for me, but I thought hey, maybe I was wrong, maybe I just don't know what seasoned wood is.

I went out an bought a wood moisture meter from Harbor freight, and tested some splits ( ones with 4 months in the sun)... Ends were ~10% , middle was about ~20%. I'm reminded of the guy who,when caught in flagrant dilecto by his wife, defended his fidelity with the comment " who you going to belive, me or your own lying eyes"

So there are many possibilities

1) I used the meter wrong and y'all are right
2) I used the meter right it ,but it reads wrong, and y'all are right
3) the meter reads correctly, and I have to believe my own lying eyes

Maybe it's the wind.. I'm on a barrier island and the breezes are great


Since the meter is in question, I'm thinking of a bake test.. weigh the splits before, and the cook them at 350 for 30 minutes, and weigh again, attribute the difference to moisture. Sounds like good science, but I'm afraid my wife would call for the guys in the white coats. While I was testing last night she asked:"Do you know what the measurement is supposed to be?" I looked cross-eyed at her and she answered her own question; "of course you do, whaddaya call it.. heat.com, heart.com?"

Different environment different results, I say it's completely possible. It sounds like you have ideal conditions. We've had a wide range of results posted over the years on wood drying times.

 

[Jon1270]

Since the meter is in question, I'm thinking of a bake test.. weigh the splits before, and the cook them at 350 for 30 minutes, and weigh again, attribute the difference to moisture.

Oven-drying to check MC has to be done at lower temperatures, and takes much longer. At 350F you'll be vaporizing more than water. The right way to do this is to take a thin slice, an inch or so thick across the grain, and bake it at around 250F for 24 hours. You'll need a fairly precise scale, e.g. accurate to the gram.

 

[georgepds]

George, did you resplit the splits when you checked?

No I did not.. that will have to wait for the weekend.

--G

 

[rdust]

No I did not.. that will have to wait for the weekend.

--G

Report those results, there is a great likelihood that they will be much different.

 

[Woody Stover]

can you recommend a brand of black rubber roofing.. How does it hold up to tears?

I think Scotty uses stuff that he salvaged from a tear-off/re-roof. That stuff is tough.I need to contact a roofer and get some of that. I've been using some rubber-backed floor mats but I'm running low. Either that or get some scrapped metal roofing....

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Scott does get rubber roofing that is salvaged. Others on the forum also use it. I used it only once so far and it works well. But fortunately I also have old galvanized roofing and I like it much better. In fact, tomorrow I'm getting some more old roofing so that will really put me in good shape. If memory serves me, I'll also get some pictures....

 

[SolarAndWood]

DEC just announced they have found EAB locally. Think my 2011 Oak score will be dry by the time the Ash runs out?

 

[rdust]

DEC just announced they have found EAB locally. Think my 2011 Oak score will be dry by the time the Ash runs out?

I remember when you split those big chunks, how is the one you were weighing doing?

 

[SolarAndWood]

Would you believe it's now down to 29 lbs? I guess that means the 1000 lb rounds I rolled up onto the splitter had 500 lbs of water in em

 

[Woody Stover]

I remember when you split those big chunks

That's why he needed the backhoe. Heh-heh.

 

[SolarAndWood]

I wish there was some way I could have used it...those things were heavy.

 

[Dogbyte]

Y'll got me worried about seasoning Oak. This year, the guy who cut split and delivered it called it Oak and Maple (I can't tell by the bark, but I can tell it's not evergreen). I buy green in early April and let it sit in the sun until November (16" length, North/South single row elevated 6",sandy ground on one side, asphalt on the other, no foliage, no shade, windy, nearest object is 20 feet to either side, ... this row is very sunny and exposed). It has always worked for me, but I thought hey, maybe I was wrong, maybe I just don't know what seasoned wood is.

I went out an bought a wood moisture meter from Harbor freight, and tested some splits ( ones with 4 months in the sun)... Ends were ~10% , middle was about ~20%. I'm reminded of the guy who,when caught in flagrant dilecto by his wife, defended his fidelity with the comment " who you going to belive, me or your own lying eyes"

So there are many possibilities

1) I used the meter wrong and y'all are right
2) I used the meter right it ,but it reads wrong, and y'all are right
3) the meter reads correctly, and I have to believe my own lying eyes

Maybe it's the wind.. I'm on a barrier island and the breezes are great


Since the meter is in question, I'm thinking of a bake test.. weigh the splits before, and the cook them at 350 for 30 minutes, and weigh again, attribute the difference to moisture. Sounds like good science, but I'm afraid my wife would call for the guys in the white coats. While I was testing last night she asked:"Do you know what the measurement is supposed to be?" I looked cross-eyed at her and she answered her own question; "of course you do, whaddaya call it.. heat.com, heart.com?"

I would consider the 4th option. That you can't accurately test a hunk of wood with harbor freight quality testers. In fact any economy tester that doesn't measure electrical resistance across probes driven at least a fifth the depth of the thickness isn't giving you anything other than a surface reading.

 

[BrotherBart]

Since the meter is in question, I'm thinking of a bake test.. weigh the splits before, and the cook them at 350 for 30 minutes, and weigh again, attribute the difference to moisture. Sounds like good science, but I'm afraid my wife would call for the guys in the white coats. While I was testing last night she asked:"Do you know what the measurement is supposed to be?" I looked cross-eyed at her and she answered her own question; "of course you do, whaddaya call it.. heat.com, heart.com?"

Key is does "middle" mean the fresh face of a re-split piece?

HF moisture meters work just fine. I have used two of them for years. Tested them against the mega-bucks one my woodworking neighbor has.

 

[HDRock]

I would consider the 4th option. That you can't accurately test a hunk of wood with harbor freight quality testers. In fact any economy tester that doesn't measure electrical resistance across probes driven at least a fifth the depth of the thickness isn't giving you anything other than a surface reading.

The Harbor Freight Meter is accurate enough for firewood, to tell U what U need to know, as long as U , split n check ,right then n there, smack in the middle

 

[NortheastAl]

DEC just announced they have found EAB locally. Think my 2011 Oak score will be dry by the time the Ash runs out?

That does not bode well for us in the southeastern part of the state. Last year they had the traps out, but haven't seen any this year. Gotta be a way to stop these destructive bugs from wiping out host trees.

 

[Dogbyte]

The Harbor Freight Meter is accurate enough for firewood, to tell U what U need to know, as long as U , split n check ,right then n there, smack in the middle

Well i beg your pardon, a surface reading is also not where you measure impedance. i can dry a piece of osage in my kiln down below 7% and those cheap off the shelf meters are no where close. those moisture meters are meant for powders and other material that you can push the probes down inside. not just the surface of wood. There are various oven-dry methods and distillation methods that produce real results that these hand held meters, and even moe expensive equipment are attempting to estimate. for wood, i just wouldnt trust one down to the levels ive been reading about here. There is a reason kiln operators have really expensive devices meant for this, where they take measurements like i explained earlier. they just dont walk up with a hand held and jab it into the surface, even if it was newly cut ( or split).

 

[Woody Stover]

Well i beg your pardon, a surface reading is also not where you measure impedance. i can dry a piece of osage in my kiln down below 7% and those cheap off the shelf meters are no where close. those moisture meters are meant for powders and other material that you can push the probes down inside. not just the surface of wood. There are various oven-dry methods and distillation methods that produce real results that these hand held meters, and even moe expensive equipment are attempting to estimate. for wood, i just wouldnt trust one down to the levels ive been reading about here. There is a reason kiln operators have really expensive devices meant for this, where they take measurements like i explained earlier. they just dont walk up with a hand held and jab it into the surface, even if it was newly cut ( or split).

All I know is, if Red Oak reads 16% on my cheap General meter, it will burn great in my stove and won't hiss when tossed on a bed of coals, whereas 20% will hiss a bit....cheap meter is close enough for me.

 

[HDRock]

There is a reason kiln operators have really expensive devices

Well pardon me !! there is a reason, you do not need really expensive devices, for firewood
The inexpensive moisture meters are meant for timber and building materials.

General Tools MMD4E Digital Moisture Meter
Here is a (broken link removed to http://www.generaltools.com/assets/images/manuals/MMD4E_INSTRUCTIONS.pdf)for ya
And One For The Harbor Freight Digital Mini Moisture Meter
No mention of powder

 

[Foragefarmer]

Well pardon me !! there is a reason, you do not need really expensive devices, for firewood
The inexpensive moisture meters are meant for timber and building materials.

General Tools MMD4E Digital Moisture Meter
Here is a (broken link removed to http://www.generaltools.com/assets/images/manuals/MMD4E_INSTRUCTIONS.pdf)for ya
And One For The Harbor Freight Digital Mini Moisture Meter
No mention of powder

Actually the guy is right, on page two of the (broken link removed to http://www.generaltools.com/assets/images/manuals/MMD4E_INSTRUCTIONS.pdf) under uses it says Chemical/Pharma "check the dryness conductivity of powders".

 

[rdust]

Actually the guy is right, on page two of the (broken link removed to http://www.generaltools.com/assets/images/manuals/MMD4E_INSTRUCTIONS.pdf) under uses it says Chemical/Pharma "check the dryness conductivity of powders".

Yeah it's among one of the uses they have listed. The reality of it is I don't think anyone is fooling themselves that these cheap meters are "accurate", for the purpose of using it as a "go no go" for firewood they're sufficient. 20% on a cheap meter on a fresh split and the wood will burn just fine.

 

[oldspark]

HF MM's are fine for firewood, every reading I have taken with mine makes perfect sense, sure it reads the surface moisture, thats why you have a fresh split or cut when you check the moisture.
Not sure why any one whould say other wise had one for 3 years or so and I would recomend one to any body, no reason to spend more money.
BK did some testing by comparing the HF MM readings to oven testing and he said they were fine for what most woodburners have in mind.

 

[Foragefarmer]

Yeah it's among one of the uses they have listed. The reality of it is I don't think anyone is fooling themselves that these cheap meters are "accurate", for the purpose of using it as a "go no go" for firewood they're sufficient. 20% on a cheap meter on a fresh split and the wood will burn just fine.

Mr Rock stated in his above post: "no mention of powder". I was pointing out there is a mention of powder that I found in about 30 seconds skimming the manual posted by Mr. Rock.

I was not questioning the validity of the consensus of this site that moisture meters are valuable within limits. That has been stated many times during my time here and I see the validity of the reasoning behind it.

I feel that pointing out a misstatement helps to preserve the validity of the rest of an argument as long as it was made by others.