How long does split wood take to dry?
It can take 3-12 months or longer to season firewood. On average, it usually takes around 6-months to dry out the cut-firewood that you purchased from a store or supplier. Depending on the original timber's moisture content, it can take more or less time to season.
Let the wood dry at least six months and preferably longer
The hardest lesson: firewood takes a very long time to season Most folks who split their wood and stack it in well-spaced rows find that they can dry their wood in about six months.
Leaving wood exposed to the outdoor air will typically dry it out within six to 12 months, assuming it's properly stacked and covered. Splitting wood, however, can speed up this process so that wood dries more quickly. Again, this is because splitting lowers the surface area of bark.
Is It Easier? If you are splitting green wood by hand, the general consensus is that wood is easier to split when it is green. Live wood contains a lot of moisture, so it is softer and more yielding to your maul. This is especially true of deciduous trees, such as oak and maple.
If you dried the wood over the summer (and if it is indeed dry), you can leave it in the rain and once you bring it inside by the stove, the moisture will be gone in one or two days. But best method is cover the top, let the air circulate from the sides, and you'll be good to go.
Stack firewood in a single row up off the ground so the sun and breeze can draw the moisture out the cut ends – most wood has a 30-50% moisture content when cut and you'll need to get it down to around 15-20% before you can burn it efficiently.
To Cover or Not to Cover
Ideally, firewood should remain uncovered so it can be properly dried, but this is not practical when rain, snow and ice can quickly coat winter firewood. A good cover over the top of your woodpile will protect it, and be sure the cover is slanted to shed moisture away from the pile's base.
It is a good idea to split pieces less than 6 inches in diameter because this increases the exposed area of the wood. The greater the surface area, the faster wood dries and the better it burns. Pieces 3 inches and smaller should be used unsplit.
Should you split wet wood? Yes, splitting wet firewood can be done safely so long as you are cautious. Certain species of wood might be slightly harder to split when wet, but the greater danger comes from working in wet conditions.
The ideal time to cut firewood is in the late winter or early spring months. This allows for maximum drying time. Next, the shape: cut the ends of the logs as flat and square as possible so that they can stand sturdily for splitting. For this, we recommend the STIHL Pro Splitting Axe or STIHL Pro Splitting Maul.
Is it better to split wood in winter or summer?
There's a reason why everyone splits firewood in the fall: it's way too cold in the winter. In fall, the temperatures are comfortable, the bugs aren't biting, and if you bucked your firewood in the early spring (or even in the previous year), it will be properly cured and seasoned come October or November.
Know the What Type of Wood You're Using
For example, pine and other types of softwoods may only need 6 months to properly season, while hardwoods like oak require at least a year.
1. Australian Buloke – 5,060 IBF. An ironwood tree that is native to Australia, this wood comes from a species of tree occurring across most of Eastern and Southern Australia. Known as the hardest wood in the world, this particular type has a Janka hardness of 5,060 lbf.
First things first you must split the wood, Splitting the wood before seasoning increases exposed surface area which subsequently speeds up drying time.
The consensus is that when you are looking to split logs with an axe or maul most wood species will be easier as there is less moisture which means less resistance when cutting.
Avoid covering all of the firewood with a tarp, and instead, opt to only cover the very top layer of your stack of wood. If your firewood is trapped beneath numerous layers of a tarp, it will not dry properly, which may cause the rotting process to expedite.
Can Wood Be Too Old to Burn? Firewood that's properly stored should be good for use for about 3-4 years. After that, you'll want to invest in some new wood, as old wood will not burn well for you.
Avoid: Green/Wet Wood
Why is this important to do? Because wood that contains too much moisture (called green wood) doesn't produce the kind of warm, roaring fire with tall flames that you might want. Instead, it results in a low, smoldering fire with long-burning embers that produces a lot of creosote.
Building with green lumber for timber frame construction can save time, money and energy. With green timber, you can begin building right away without having to wait for the wood to dry, or having the added cost for kiln drying, which uses environmentally damaging fossil fuels during the drying process.
Most softwood lumber kilns operate below 115 °C (239 °F) temperature. Hardwood lumber kiln drying schedules typically keep the dry bulb temperature below 80 °C (176 °F). Difficult-to-dry species might not exceed 60 °C (140 °F).
How long does it take split oak firewood to dry?
Unlike softwoods (such as fire, alder, and spruce) that can fully complete the seasoning/drying process in a time span of around 6 months, hardwoods such as oak wood can take upwards of 12-24 months to fully season, which is something to keep in mind if you are planning to season your own oak wood rather than ...
Depending on outside conditions and lumber species and size, air-drying to a desired MC can take from several months to almost a year. Wood stored outdoors and under cover will dry to an approximate moisture content of 12 to 14 percent in western Oregon and 8 to 10 percent in eastern Oregon.
In order to be usable for a construction project, wood must be kiln or air-dried to a moisture level of 19%. But wood that is intended for indoor use— that is, wood intended to be used for woodworking— must have a moisture content level that is less than half that amount, at only 9%.
Does green wood cut harder or easier than seasoned wood? Green firewood is for the most part easier to split than dry, so try to split the wood as soon as possible after felling trees. And splitting the green wood speeds the process of “seasoning” (drying out) the firewood, which ensures more efficient burning.
Cut it to Size - Cut your logs down to the size you'll want in your fire. Split the logs. The more exposed wood, the faster it'll dry out. Let the Air Flow - When stacking wood, make sure there's plenty of airflow around every log.
- Color Test. As the moisture content in wood lessens, the wood becomes a lighter color. ...
- Smack Test. Wood with high moisture makes a thudding sound when two pieces are smacked together. ...
- Bark Test. When cordwood is dry and devoid of moisture, the bark starts falling off.
Just as drying wood shrinks, wood that is absorbing moisture from its environment will swell in size. While that might cause a tight fit or even a potential split, in some wood projects and in wood floors it can also cause crowning or buckling.
Building with green lumber for timber frame construction can save time, money and energy. With green timber, you can begin building right away without having to wait for the wood to dry, or having the added cost for kiln drying, which uses environmentally damaging fossil fuels during the drying process.
Ideally, firewood should remain uncovered so it can be properly dried, but this is not practical when rain, snow and ice can quickly coat winter firewood. A good cover over the top of your woodpile will protect it, and be sure the cover is slanted to shed moisture away from the pile's base.
Finally, drying increases the stiffness, hardness and strength of wood. Most species of wood increase their strength characteristics by at least 50 percent during the process of drying to 15 percent moisture content.
Does wood dry faster in hot or cold?
Is it Possible to Dry Firewood in Winter? Yes, but firewood dries slower in winter. Sunlight—one of the key ingredients for drying wood—is in short supply in winter. Though drier winter air helps extract some moisture from the firewood, the process is much slower than in warmer weather.
