List of Fastest Curing to Slowest Curing Wood?

[boatboy63]

Just wondering, is there a list anywhere that shows in order, the fastest curing wood to slowest curing? Seems like this would be a sticky on here.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Just wondering, is there a list anywhere that shows in order, the fastest curing wood to slowest curing? Seems like this would be a sticky on here.

I agree, I wish there was something like this out there. The closest I've come was a list of MC when green. But that doesn't necessarily depict seasoning.

 

[smokinj]

There is someone who has it...Beech is the best answer!

 

[gibson]

White Oak is one of the longest to season. Maple and Ash are in the middle. Cottonwood is one of the shortest. Feel free to fill in the gaps, anyone?

 

[precaud]

Dead wood cures fastest.

 

[boatboy63]

I was thinking black locust was the fastest curing as it will even burn green (supposedly) and red oak is very slow to cure (2-3 years).

 

[Jam Master]

Wood with the lowest moisture content to dry weight and rising to highest moisture content to dry weight are Ash-15%.....Beech-17%....Black Locust-17%....Shagbark Hickory-19%....Hard Maple-21%....Black Cherry-22%....Yellow Birch-23%....White Birch-24%Red Maple-24%....White Oak-25%....Red Oak-31%....Elm-35%...Butternut-41%....Hemlock-44%
Ideal dry weight is considered to be 20% so MC of fresh cut Ash is 35% All info from the BTU reference guide on AS

 

[SolarAndWood]

The problem with that list is it takes Hemlock a lot less time to dry than Oak. If I needed to heat my house this winter and was starting from scratch, I would go find some softwood.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I'm not so sure a list like that would be usable. Some of the fastest drying wood might not be so good for burning. The true answer to the whole problem is to get your firewood well ahead of the time when you will need to burn it. He who depends upon shortcuts usually will find the roads under construction. Or, he who waits to get his firewood in too short of time to allow for Nature's drying effect will have poor fires this winter and will usually blame it on his stove.

 

[gzecc]

Here is the list I use. The bottom has seasoned ranking.
http://mb-soft.com/juca/print/firewood.html

 

[joann]

I have found black cherry to season really fast if stacked properly

 

[CountryBoy19]

Here is the list I use. The bottom has seasoned ranking.
http://mb-soft.com/juca/print/firewood.html

Yes, it ranks the wood once it is seasoned. But that doesn't tell how fast it seasons.

What we're looking for here is a list that says, Ash seasons faster than maple, which seasons faster than oak etc. We know the green MC of most woods, but that doesn't necessarily tell us how fast they'll season.

 

[RIDGERUNNER30]

Like backwoods salvage said try your best to get ahead of the game and when its your first year burning wood in these new epa stoves , they will not perform like they should with wet green wood, but i was needing some wood that would dry fast and had high btu's I would be using black locust, I like it better than most wood i use.

 

[RIDGERUNNER30]

Hey boatboy 63, I see you live in northeast tn, I have seen alot of back locust trees when pasting threw your neck of the woods. do you live out in the country ? If so i would be cutting all the black locust i could find. around here were i live the guys that have wood burners have the older non epa models and they don't believe in letting your wood season heck they have never heard of a moisture meter , but the members on this side are experts in the field of wood burning and you can bank on what they are telling you. people like backwoods. begreen, and brother bart just to name a few can help you better than some jackass at a hearth store or some guy that cuts firewood a month before winter trying to sell it to people telling them thats its ready to go and is season.

 

[gzecc]

Here is the list I use. The bottom has seasoned ranking.
http://mb-soft.com/juca/print/firewood.html

Yes, it ranks the wood once it is seasoned. But that doesn't tell how fast it seasons.

What we're looking for here is a list that says, Ash seasons faster than maple, which seasons faster than oak etc. We know the green MC of most woods, but that doesn't necessarily tell us how fast they'll season.

Thats what the green rating is. Its excess moisture needed to remove before 20% MC!

 

[oldspark]

Here is the list I use. The bottom has seasoned ranking.
http://mb-soft.com/juca/print/firewood.html

Yes, it ranks the wood once it is seasoned. But that doesn't tell how fast it seasons.

What we're looking for here is a list that says, Ash seasons faster than maple, which seasons faster than oak etc. We know the green MC of most woods, but that doesn't necessarily tell us how fast they'll season.

Thats what the green rating is. Its excess moisture needed to remove before 20% MC!

Not sure what your point is as it does not tell you how fast the wood seasons.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Here is the list I use. The bottom has seasoned ranking.
http://mb-soft.com/juca/print/firewood.html

Yes, it ranks the wood once it is seasoned. But that doesn't tell how fast it seasons.

What we're looking for here is a list that says, Ash seasons faster than maple, which seasons faster than oak etc. We know the green MC of most woods, but that doesn't necessarily tell us how fast they'll season.

Thats what the green rating is. Its excess moisture needed to remove before 20% MC!

Not sure what your point is as it does not tell you how fast the wood seasons.

Exactly, it tells you how much excess moisture but it doesn't tell you how fast it seasons.

Does all wood season at the same rate? IE, oak will go from 35% to 30% MC in the same amount of time that ash will go from 35% to 30%? What we're looking for is a chart that says, Oak will season in approximately X many times as long as ash, or just a reference that says x seasons faster than y etc.

The MC doesn't tell the rate at what it seasons, just what MC the wood starts out at.

 

[rdust]

This shows drying times for 4x4 lumber. I think most of us around here have proven more time is required then what is listed here, it's some type of reference though.

 

[Battenkiller]

Here is a table from the U. S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service publication, "Dry Kiln Operator's Manual". It can be found on page 177 at the end of Chapter 7. You can download this manual in PDF form from the following website:


(broken link removed)


The publication relates specifically to kiln drying wood, but I'm sure the info in the table is based on the drying characteristics of the mentioned species. It's a start at any rate.

 

[YZF1R]

The fastest is always someone else's. The slowest is mine. :cheese:

Steve

 

[SolarAndWood]

Here is a table from the U. S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service publication, "Dry Kiln Operator's Manual". It can be found on page 177 at the end of Chapter 7. You can download this manual in PDF form from the following website:


(broken link removed)


The publication relates specifically to kiln drying wood, but I'm sure the info in the table is based on the drying characteristics of the mentioned species. It's a start at any rate.

No wonder Big Redd is always touting his Doug Fir. And those lodgepole guys are right behind him.

 

[Battenkiller]

No wonder Big Redd is always touting his Doug Fir.

No wonder the standard EPA test fuel is Doug Fir.

I don't care, though, I'll take the slower drying hardwoods for my money. ;-)

 

[gzecc]

Here is the list I use. The bottom has seasoned ranking.
http://mb-soft.com/juca/print/firewood.html

Yes, it ranks the wood once it is seasoned. But that doesn't tell how fast it seasons.

What we're looking for here is a list that says, Ash seasons faster than maple, which seasons faster than oak etc. We know the green MC of most woods, but that doesn't necessarily tell us how fast they'll season.

Thats what the green rating is. Its excess moisture needed to remove before 20% MC!

Not sure what your point is as it does not tell you how fast the wood seasons.

Exactly, it tells you how much excess moisture but it doesn't tell you how fast it seasons.

Does all wood season at the same rate? IE, oak will go from 35% to 30% MC in the same amount of time that ash will go from 35% to 30%? What we're looking for is a chart that says, Oak will season in approximately X many times as long as ash, or just a reference that says x seasons faster than y etc.
The speed at which the wood seasons is not the most important part of the equation. How much moisture needs to be removed from a high quality piece of fuel is. The top 10 green rankings will season the fastest and give the highest heat output.
What else do you want?
Nobody could tell you how fast it will season, unless all the variable are consistent, size of spit, temperature, pressure etc. Its all realtive and there is always a compromise.
The MC doesn't tell the rate at what it seasons, just what MC the wood starts out at.

 

[Vincent]

I have found black cherry to season really fast if stacked properly

I always have good luck with black cherry also

 

[CountryBoy19]

This shows drying times for 4x4 lumber. I think most of us around here have proven more time is required then what is listed here, it's some type of reference though.

Here is a table from the U. S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service publication, "Dry Kiln Operator's Manual". It can be found on page 177 at the end of Chapter 7. You can download this manual in PDF form from the following website:


(broken link removed)


The publication relates specifically to kiln drying wood, but I'm sure the info in the table is based on the drying characteristics of the mentioned species. It's a start at any rate.

Thanks, that's what we're looking for. Granted, they aren't perfectly tailored to what we need, but that is a very good reference to have around. It gives us an idea of what to look for if we want quick seasoning wood.

Yellow-poplar FTW

I thought the poplar that I had to take in order to get the oak, maple, and ash as well was going to be a nuisance, but now I'll hopefully have some seasoned wood for this winter (first year burning wood and didn't have a whole lot stocked up).