Wrong to ask about moisture content in wood?

[Lakelivin]

emt

i too feel your pain with the seasoned wood lottery...i will pass on to you what i painfully learned last year...Truely seasoned wood will have a look you will always be able to spot very quickly...it will be grayish in color and the end grains will be cracked and splitting open and like someone else mentioned the bark will fall off the bone, And it will be very light when picked up, if you clang 2 pieces together it will sound like bowling pins ,if you see bright white wood and it's heavy to the touch good chance it's green.. no need for the meter, it will confirm what your eyes already know... the meter is a good tool when you are in question.. if you can get a look someones truely seasoned wood..remember what that wood looked like and felt like when your shopping for your own


i had a dealer welcome me to any meter or gadget i wanted and garnteed me that i would accept delivery it was that good...i knew as he was backing up he was leaving with it.. fresh cut yellow ends.. i asked why he thought that was seasoned , he said it's been laying log length on the ground for years and he spent all day yesterday splitting it for me.. i knew by looking it was green, but to satisfy him i broke out the meter and it was pegged.. he was very upset with me and jumped back in his truck and away he went with his wet wood

everyone has there own interpitation of the word "seasoned"

 

[emt1581]

emt

i too feel your pain with the seasoned wood lottery...i will pass on to you what i painfully learned last year...Truely seasoned wood will have a look you will always be able to spot very quickly...it will be grayish in color and the end grains will be cracked and splitting open and like someone else mentioned the bark will fall off the bone, And it will be very light when picked up, if you clang 2 pieces together it will sound like bowling pins ,if you see bright white wood and it's heavy to the touch good chance it's green.. no need for the meter, it will confirm what your eyes already know... the meter is a good tool when you are in question.. if you can get a look someones truely seasoned wood..remember what that wood looked like and felt like when your shopping for your own


i had a dealer welcome me to any meter or gadget i wanted and garnteed me that i would accept delivery it was that good...i knew as he was backing up he was leaving with it.. fresh cut yellow ends.. i asked why he thought that was seasoned , he said it's been laying log length on the ground for years and he spent all day yesterday splitting it for me.. i knew by looking it was green, but to satisfy him i broke out the meter and it was pegged.. he was very upset with me and jumped back in his truck and away he went with his wet wood

everyone has there own interpitation of the word "seasoned"

And this is why the guy tomorrow is going to break out the meter and test it for me. And I'm going to let him know if any of the three random pieces I pick show up over 30%, he's taking it with him or cutting the price in half.

-Emt1581

 

[Lumber-Jack]

Hmmm? Getting wood less than 30% MC is not much of a feat. It's not really considered seasoned until it's < 20% .
28% may not be cut yesterday, but it's not really "seasoned", My experience says wood much above 20% will still sizzle.

 

[North of 60]

Hmmm? Getting wood less than 30% MC is not much of a feat. It's not really considered seasoned until it's < 20% .
28% may not be cut yesterday, but it's not really "seasoned", My experience says wood much above 20% will still sizzle.

You can only help someone so much, my mom would say. :coolsmile:

 

[okotoks guy]

If she did not know the answer to "such questions" then I would say that wood is not
even close to seasoned. Some would say " Yes it is seasoned,it was cut in the
summer and now it's fall,it has been seasoned once.Come winter it will be seasoned
twice!" LOL

 

[emt1581]

Well I just got done stacking it all up...

They got here in a dump truck and had it in three stacks. I picked a few pieces out to test. He stuck the tester in and I said to wait that I wanted to split them open first. Boy was I shocked!! I was getting numbers like 12.5, 13, and 13.25 at the core! On the outside were numbers in the low 20's. However, we just had 2-3 days of real good rain and a week straight of rain before that. So that doesn't worry me much.

This guy will definitely get repeat business from me! He said this is his year round business and that he actually clears 50-200acre lots, cuts/splits the wood and then stacks it to sell. He also said I was the first person EVER to ask him about moisture content and the tester. That sucks because it means people really are ignorant to this and it's making things more expensive and frustrating for the rest of us.

I let my treeline be my wood stack holder. I have about 15-20 feet by 5.5 feet of stacked wood. I figure that should last me the winter or close to it. Either way I'll order another cord once this stack is halfway down...but I'll see if I can find any green stuff from this guy for cheap and then just let it season on it's own.

A few questions though...

A few pieces were really heavy. I mean these things were like cinder block heavy! Any clue what type of wood that might be? Could these few pieces be un-seasoned? I just couldn't get over the weight of these things!

I also noticed a bunch of these bugs. They looked/moved like grasshoppers but had shorter bodies and were brown. Any idea what those might be?

If you're in eastern PA, I'd highly recommend this guy though! WELL worth the $200 he charges!

-Emt1581

 

[geoffm24]

You will find that the higher BTU wood like Black Locust, Red and White Oak, Hickory, Black Birch will all weigh a lot more then white birch, silver maple etc.

 

[emt1581]

You will find that the higher BTU wood like Black Locust, Red and White Oak, Hickory, Black Birch will all weigh a lot more then white birch, silver maple etc.

Oh ok. Yeah I can't believe the heft of this stuff!

But I have the new wood burning now...and wow is it nice!! A few pieces has been burning for a while now while my ground pickup stuff and some older wood has all burned up quickly.

-Emt1581

 

[firefighterjake]

Good deal . . . remember that wood dealer and make sure you treat him right and let him know you appreciate his attention to detail . . .

 

[emt1581]

Good deal . . . remember that wood dealer and make sure you treat him right and let him know you appreciate his attention to detail . . .

That sounds good, but I thought about it as I was stacking. I told this guy how great he was for what he offered. What's to stop him from jacking up his price because he now knows he's got the prime stuff and is the ONLY one that does?

But by the same token...yes, I agree, but I think repeat business and referrals are the best compliment.

-Emt1581

 

[firefighterjake]

Good deal . . . remember that wood dealer and make sure you treat him right and let him know you appreciate his attention to detail . . .

That sounds good, but I thought about it as I was stacking. I told this guy how great he was for what he offered. What's to stop him from jacking up his price because he now knows he's got the prime stuff and is the ONLY one that does?

But by the same token...yes, I agree, but I think repeat business and referrals are the best compliment.

-Emt1581

True . . . but I tend to bet that most folks are decent . . . if he's been doing this all along and is setting the bar high by truly delivering seasoned wood it never hurts to thank him, give him referrals and even pay him a bit more if you find that his word is good when he says he will deliver X cords and the wood will be seasoned.

 

[OhioBurner©]

Sounds like you found yourself a good one! Lucky! Be sure to keep on good terms and let em know as long as they have good dry wood that you'll be back for more.

If the 'heavy' wood in question still has bark on it post a pic and I'm sure we'll be able to ID it for you.

 

[Got Wood]

Good deal . . . remember that wood dealer and make sure you treat him right and let him know you appreciate his attention to detail . . .

That sounds good, but I thought about it as I was stacking. I told this guy how great he was for what he offered. What's to stop him from jacking up his price because he now knows he's got the prime stuff and is the ONLY one that does?

But by the same token...yes, I agree, but I think repeat business and referrals are the best compliment.

-Emt1581

True . . . but I tend to bet that most folks are decent . . . if he's been doing this all along and is setting the bar high by truly delivering seasoned wood it never hurts to thank him, give him referrals and even pay him a bit more if you find that his word is good when he says he will deliver X cords and the wood will be seasoned.

IDK Jake.... pay him a bit more for selling what he advertised? Have we really gotten to the point in our society that we award someone for being fair? Like that is shocking? I can certainly see verbally appreciating him and giving him referrals but paying him more.... I dont think so. Maybe its just me....

 

[basswidow]

I don't see an issue with giving a tip for good service and delivery of wood. My first year, I had a high school kid and his grandfather deliver me two dump trailer loads of good wood. I tipped the kid.

The bugs could be anything..... sound like brown stink bugs. Theres a bunch out now. Nothing to worry about.

The heavier splits could be oak that may still be alittle green. See if they sizzle or spit when burned. You can always mix them in.

Congrats on finding a reputable supplier! I bet he was shocked at the moisture readings.

 

[firefighterjake]

Good deal . . . remember that wood dealer and make sure you treat him right and let him know you appreciate his attention to detail . . .

That sounds good, but I thought about it as I was stacking. I told this guy how great he was for what he offered. What's to stop him from jacking up his price because he now knows he's got the prime stuff and is the ONLY one that does?

But by the same token...yes, I agree, but I think repeat business and referrals are the best compliment.

-Emt1581

True . . . but I tend to bet that most folks are decent . . . if he's been doing this all along and is setting the bar high by truly delivering seasoned wood it never hurts to thank him, give him referrals and even pay him a bit more if you find that his word is good when he says he will deliver X cords and the wood will be seasoned.

IDK Jake.... pay him a bit more for selling what he advertised? Have we really gotten to the point in our society that we award someone for being fair? Like that is shocking? I can certainly see verbally appreciating him and giving him referrals but paying him more.... I dont think so. Maybe its just me....

I didn't explain myself very well . . . what I meant to say was when I get good service from someone because their product or service meets or even exceeds everything else that other folks are offering/selling than I am often a little more inclined to give them repeat business and not necessarily go with the guy who has the cheapest price . . . so what I was trying to say (but did not say very well) was to me . . . paying a little more than the normal, going rate for me is sometimes . . . oftentimes . . . .worth the bit of an added expense when I find someone who goes above and beyond what others providing the same service or product are offering.

 

[Got Wood]

Good deal . . . remember that wood dealer and make sure you treat him right and let him know you appreciate his attention to detail . . .

That sounds good, but I thought about it as I was stacking. I told this guy how great he was for what he offered. What's to stop him from jacking up his price because he now knows he's got the prime stuff and is the ONLY one that does?

But by the same token...yes, I agree, but I think repeat business and referrals are the best compliment.

-Emt1581

True . . . but I tend to bet that most folks are decent . . . if he's been doing this all along and is setting the bar high by truly delivering seasoned wood it never hurts to thank him, give him referrals and even pay him a bit more if you find that his word is good when he says he will deliver X cords and the wood will be seasoned.

IDK Jake.... pay him a bit more for selling what he advertised? Have we really gotten to the point in our society that we award someone for being fair? Like that is shocking? I can certainly see verbally appreciating him and giving him referrals but paying him more.... I dont think so. Maybe its just me....

I didn't explain myself very well . . . what I meant to say was when I get good service from someone because their product or service meets or even exceeds everything else that other folks are offering/selling than I am often a little more inclined to give them repeat business and not necessarily go with the guy who has the cheapest price . . . so what I was trying to say (but did not say very well) was to me . . . paying a little more than the normal, going rate for me is sometimes . . . oftentimes . . . .worth the bit of an added expense when I find someone who goes above and beyond what others providing the same service or product are offering.

Gotcha....and agree with that. Also, dont have any issue tipping a HS kid