Red oak ~ even the branches don't dry.

[Fred Wright]

Folks,

Fired up the stove for the first time this morning; last night got down a mite cool. Around freezing, actually. Anyhow, I figured I better get busy with the limbing saw and cut up some branches for starter wood before we need it.

This is a small round from a pin oak I cut over a year ago. The twigs from this are dry and make good kindling... used a handful of it this morning. Just for curiosity's sake I split a piece at the butt end and checked it with the moisture meter. It gave a MC reading of 32%.

Didn't expect it to be real dry but I also didn't expect it to be this wet after more than a year of laying around.

Thoughts?

 

[mainewoods]

Perhaps a bad moisture meter. Wood looks drier than 32%

 

[blacklocst]

It was probably at 30% when you first cut it, theres a reason it goes by the alias of Piss Oak.

 

[brenndatomu]

I go two years on Red Oak. I had 3 year CSS White Oak that I burnt last winter, still sizzled!
Any chance it was just a few pieces like that?

 

[sunfish]

Small un-split red oak rounds take a long time to dry. I've had em sizzle on the ends after 2 years in the shed.

 

[chadihman]

Darn just got 3 cord of oak for next year.

 

[mainewoods]

My bad, thought you split a piece that had been split once before. If it had been sitting on the ground, 32% is not surprising.

 

[bayard]

the red oaks all take a long time to dry.

 

[zogger]

Darn just got 3 cord of oak for next year.

You can still use it next year, just process it better. Split the bark off in as thin of slabs as you can aim for and do. Those thin slabs will dry, just put them on top of the stacks shingle fashion.

The inner wood, no more than around 3 inch splits. Now, criss cross stack the whole three cords, up off the ground, for max airflow, and single rows.

And if it isn't bucked yet, just cut shorties, then do the above.

 

[unclemoustache]

So let me get this straight - you cut the tree a year ago, but never cut it up or split it?

I think that would explain the high moisture. Just because it's dead doesn't mean it's going to dry out. You need to cut and split for it to season properly.

 

[spudzone]

Two to 3 years til no sizzle on green cut red oak (same sub-group as pin oak) on my property with no full-sun stacking areas. Humidity and shade easily double drying time here. I need find a windy parking lot to store my finished wood ;-) I'm amazed at how fast green cut soft maple and birch dry under the same conditions. I do know that they can dry laterally and not just from end grain. One year is fine for those and and soft stuff like popple, basswood, pine, etc in my experience. The upside with red oak species is it's great decay resistance if you're a scrounger or if takes one a while to get to the wood pile.

 

[Marine5068]

My Red Oak was the same. Took two years to season and dry before burning, after splitting it that is.

 

[Fred Wright]

So let me get this straight - you cut the tree a year ago, but never cut it up or split it?

I think that would explain the high moisture. Just because it's dead doesn't mean it's going to dry out. You need to cut and split for it to season properly.

Dropped and bucked the tree little over a year ago. The rounds laid out in the woods over winter, it was too muddy to get 'em out. It's all split and stacked now.

What I've got here is a piece from the brush that was dragged to the yard where I cut/break it into kindling and starter wood. Wasn't in contact with the ground but it is has been stored outside. I'd have thought a piece this small would lose some internal moisture having been cut over a year ago.

 

[Marine5068]

I have my eye on a red oak up the road that fell in a wind storm two years ago.
It's main trunk is well up off the ground, about four or five feet.
Have to contact the property owner to see if I can get to cutting it.
I hope so, it's a biggun.

 

[CTYank]

Red oaks are a good reason for the advice to get X years ahead on your wood-processing. (As in, completely c/s/s.)

If X >= 3, you won't have worries, long as you don't try to burn it out of sequence.

Then too, indoor storage for a few weeks near the stove can't hurt.

 

[flotek]

Remember this rule :
Wood doesn't truly begin to season and dry up till it's cut to length and split ! I've had a dead cherry that was on the ground for 3 full years. I figured it was as dry as a bone. . When I cut into it. . It literally squirted me in the eye .. Sopping wet

 

[brenndatomu]

It literally squirted me in the eye

The image of that happening is hilarious!

 

[angelo c]

We had some big red oak rounds on the farm that were two years old. Cut not split stored on 2-3" rip rap stone. Split it last week. Was not dry yet. Must be c/s/s for red oak to season. It is like a sponge if it's any where near moisture. The good news is it's worth the wait. Mixed with some ash and cherry or maple and you got a great mix of heat, speed and ease.

 

[haveawoody]

I think northern red is the slowest thing to dry on the planet in log format.
Fallen trees even sitting of the ground for 4-5 years when cut into rounds were still damp inside.

Cut and split green it's a 2-3 year wait until it's really ready to burn, worth the wait though.

 

[Dale]

Funny, as hard as Oak is, it will "punk up" fast when left in rounds, uncovered, for even a short period of time.