Wet wood concerns

[Backwoods Savage]

Right on Shawn. Like I've stated, wood is not a sponge so will not soak up rain. The one fly in the ointment though is if the wood is punky, which, in that case should probably have been left out in the woods to begin with. Some do burn punky wood but we don't. I have quite a large pile of oak punk and anyone is welcome to come help themselves to it. I won't burn it.

 

[Kenster]

I'll keep otherwise good wood it's no more than an inch or so thick with punk. Assuming I've got at least 8-10 inches or more of good heart wood.
When it's dry, punk is like having a built in fire starter. I don't mind that at all. I'm working on getting three or four years ahead, then I can be a wee bit more picky, I suppose.

 

[woodsmaster]

If there is rain forcasted all week I somtimes cover my stack. It only takes a couple minutes to throw a piece of rubber roofing on top with a couple rounds on top so it don't blow off.
Probably not nessacery but if I want to make a camp fire my wood is ready.

 

[Woody Stover]

Right on Shawn. Like I've stated, wood is not a sponge so will not soak up rain.

We've got a couple of wooden doors in our house. When the humidity goes up (we don't have A/C,) the wood expands and the doors stick in their frames. I would think that the moisture has got to be penetrating the wood to some extent in order for the wood to expand...how much, I don't know.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Woody, I think it was last summer I looked at that. A neighbor claimed that although our wood stacks shrunk a lot when drying over the summer that we'd find they would grow again come fall with the rain and all. He was using the same type of example as you. However, that wood in the stack is a whole lot different than your wooden doors in your house. And our stacks did not grow either. Oh yes, I also have some wooden doors on a barn that tend to change shape during wet or dry weather but again, not the wood stacks.

 

[Woody Stover]

Woody, I think it was last summer I looked at that. A neighbor claimed that although our wood stacks shrunk a lot when drying over the summer that we'd find they would grow again come fall with the rain and all. He was using the same type of example as you. However, that wood in the stack is a whole lot different than your wooden doors in your house. And our stacks did not grow either. Oh yes, I also have some wooden doors on a barn that tend to change shape during wet or dry weather but again, not the wood stacks.

OK, appears the moisture can't penetrate all that far on a split, as opposed to a small piece of door wood, or thin wooden jamb or threshold piece.

 

[PeteD]

Woody, I think it was last summer I looked at that. A neighbor claimed that although our wood stacks shrunk a lot when drying over the summer that we'd find they would grow again come fall with the rain and all. He was using the same type of example as you. However, that wood in the stack is a whole lot different than your wooden doors in your house. And our stacks did not grow either. Oh yes, I also have some wooden doors on a barn that tend to change shape during wet or dry weather but again, not the wood stacks.

OK, appears the moisture can't penetrate all that far on a split, as opposed to a small piece of door wood, or thin wooden jamb or threshold piece.

I think the other issue is that wood inside swollen from summer humidity will still be very good for burning (well below 20% moisture). I have measured inside wood with my meter and years old dry 2x4s typically measure at 10% or less (assuming my $25 meter is at all accurate). When they swell with moisture, they are probably just a couple percent higher, but enough to swell. They are certainly not absorbing enough to become too moist for burning, or else you would have a large mold problem. Mold needs 19% to grow.

 

[mesuno]

If it is simply a surface moisture issue I'd suggest splitting some of those logs down again once you get to camp to get a few properly dry surfaces exposed. Also, if you can find some dead, dry and standing timber you can always get dry wood out of the centre of a piece by splitting. With a sharp knife I'd then make a dozen or so feather sticks then put a match to it. Should go like blazes if you lay it properly and the wood is actually seasoned (not just surface damp).

I gathered some logs at camp back in february from a fallen trunk - despite being down for year it was still "too wet to burn" but by splitting it down nice and small and mixing in a few truly dry pieces we got it going fine. Those splits have had a few months split and stacked now and are much better.

Mike

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Hey, Super Cedars will burn in water! They ought to be able to light off that wood if anything will.