Homestead mailing list

[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

On Jan 15, 2009, at 3:10 PM, EarthNSky wrote:

> A question for you...
> What do you predict the moisture content of an unsplit white oak log 2
> feet in diameter after 2 years of being stored under a tin shed(no
> sides) VS a piece of split wood stored under the same shed for 2  
> years.
>  Bear in mind that our summers get quite warm, and tonight we should  
> get
> down to about 0, but generally we get lows in the teens...lots of
> freezing and thawing...lots of wind...lots of sun.

I just flat don't know. My gut feeling is that split wood after two  
years will be at the average 24-hour humidity for the last month. How  
much wetter the unsplit wood might be, I just don't know. Smaller  
pieces of wood react more quickly to ambient humidity.

Ron's a woodworker. Maybe he has or can borrow a moisture meter. Or  
you can do it the hard way: weigh pieces, then cook them dry in your  
oven, then weigh again, then do the math.
> > Here's my last thought for now: splitting and stacking wood during
> > cold winter weather is easier on the body than during warmer weather.
> <snicker>
> This I know, but I have to get the split wood used up before I start
> splitting more.  Limited room near the house.

Ahah! A new factor to be added to the equation.

Btw, again just for you I have been researching. Some people say that,  
yes, wood can be too dry to be good firewood. But it seems that too  
dry means kiln dried or in a desert area with extreme low humidity.

As with woodworking wood, simple air drying only takes wood moisture  
content down to about 20-30 percent. That is suitable firewood  
humidity. Area weather does make a difference. Weather in the  
Northwest can make wood too wet to burn. Weather here in Phoenix makes  
wood too dry. I brought back a big chunk of sycamore for my neighbor- 
friend here and in only a couple months it had already split too much  
to be used as a cutting block.

Gene GeRue
www.RURALIZE.com