I bought a new moisture meter today just to check some walnut lumber I have had stacked for about 8 months. I started checking some wild cherry firewood I cut up and split back in June. I have burned wood most all my life and know when wood is about right to burn , but it was interesting just to see. My splits average 22" long and are equivalent to about 5"x5" . Moisture content was on average around 18%. I split a couple in half and the center was around 21%. No real question or meaning here, I just thought it was interesting how fast a green cherry tree can season over 5 months being stored outside with no cover. By the way, the 1" walnut lumber that has been covered is down to 11%. I cut the logs when the sap was down and it really helped them dry.
Firewood moisture content
- Thread starter Bubster
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Gotta luv Cherry for quick drying. A few other specie's out there that dry quick and burn well also. Most guys pass them up. Re-splitting your test splits and checking the freshly exposed inside surface is the trick to getting a correct measurement. As you did. Most meters are calibrated to work best if the test stock is 70F to be most accurate.
Curious how your lumber is measured. Guessing end grain? Possibly?
Curious how your lumber is measured. Guessing end grain? Possibly?
I checked the end grain , and also checked the edges about mid ways of the boards. I am going to plane a couple of them soon and will check them again. I will be making base boards out of several of them and need them around 8% according to most wood workers.
Just milled some cherry, how long should I let it dry before I make something out of it,? What can I seal it with to avoid it cracking ?
Cherry drys quick and smells good but is kinda lousy firewood. Burns quick like soft maple and poplar. I keep mine for the smoker.
Depends on what you are making, but usually about 7 months to a year for 1 inch thick boards if they are air stacked and stripped. As far as the ends splitting, I just cut my logs about 8 inches than I think I will need and cut the ends off later.
We use a lot of cherry in our pizza oven. Gives any meat a sweet flavor . I like it for pork
Making a desk,I'll make the boards longer than needed, maybe paint the ends also ? Thanks for the quick reply,,any scraps I'll use in my smoker,,cut into small pieces and soak before using ?
mcbk
ArboristSite Lurker
I have found that waxing the ends works well for checking.
I don't run across much Cherry for lumber so it's a great find for me when I do. So I seal the ends of the logs as soon as possible if the log won't be milled for a while. I don't like checking waste. Most use AnchorSeal but I use Rockler Green Wood Sealer. Right after milling, I'll seal the ends, coating at least one inch up the sides. Sometimes I dip the ends in melted wax (electric skillet).
As for dryness, as stated by others, one inch per year (covered top). Then in a kiln to get down to 8%.
BUT, there are people here, like @Sawyer Rob that used lumber air dried only. So take my kiln drying with a grain of salt.
Sawyer Rob
Addicted to ArboristSite
I just want to add, I use dry lumber too, I just get there in a different way than you do. You finish off your lumber in a kiln, I move mine indoors to finish it off.
Lumber will go to what ever RH its's in, so moving it indoors to get the RH down takes longer, but it works just fine.
SR
One more thing to consider is when the tree was cut. Between mid -October and late January is the ideal to cut most any tree . The sap is down and the logs are less apt to split or check, and will dry much faster.
For a very long time, I used to think that moisture content of on-the-stump trees
was lower in the winter, but have learned that isn't the case - live tree MC varies very
little throughout the year. Sap doesn't "go back down" in the winter - the flow
just stops. Think about it like a garden hose. If the hose it running, and you snip/seal
a piece out of the middle, the hose will contain the same amount of water as it
would if you did the same when the hose was full, but water was not running.
Can only imagine the flack this will generate, but if you do your homework, you'll
find it's true.
In my area, the example was always that hard maple was cut in the winter
"when the sap was down" when in reality, it's cut then to reduce the chance
of staining. Maple is valued for its "whiteness", and the high sugar content
in spring/summer warmer temps bring on staining quickly.
was lower in the winter, but have learned that isn't the case - live tree MC varies very
little throughout the year. Sap doesn't "go back down" in the winter - the flow
just stops. Think about it like a garden hose. If the hose it running, and you snip/seal
a piece out of the middle, the hose will contain the same amount of water as it
would if you did the same when the hose was full, but water was not running.
Can only imagine the flack this will generate, but if you do your homework, you'll
find it's true.
In my area, the example was always that hard maple was cut in the winter
"when the sap was down" when in reality, it's cut then to reduce the chance
of staining. Maple is valued for its "whiteness", and the high sugar content
in spring/summer warmer temps bring on staining quickly.
The sugar content is highest in February with freezing nights and warmer days.
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