Wood dries through the end grain?

[hardpan]

I wouldn't expect that. Most cases I see my firewood is holding a significant amount of moisture under the bark. The exposed cut ends are significantly more dry.

I remove the bark whenever I can. The worst case for me is medium or large round wood (not split) that still has its bark and not under a roof. I expect it to rot instead of dry. Unfortunately it is almost impossible or ridiculously difficult to remove the bark many times.

 

[Gypo Logger]

Drying time varies with species. Some hardwoods are ring pourous like ash, but some oaks, which are also ring porous have blocked vascular bundles like stave oak which is used for whiskey barrels because the liquid wont migrate in or out of the wood.
Wood dries only after the cellular structure of the wood colapses.

 

[hardpan]

Drying time varies with species. Some hardwoods are ring pourous like ash, but some oaks, which are also ring porous have blocked vascular bundles like stave oak which is used for whiskey barrels because the liquid wont migrate in or out of the wood.
Wood dries only after the cellular structure of the wood colapses.

I cut mostly White Oak and that is what is used for staves here. That explains why it dries so damn slow. How long does it take for the cellular structure to collapse? Thanks for the info.

 

[ropensaddle]

I remove the bark whenever I can. The worst case for me is medium or large round wood (not split) that still has its bark and not under a roof. I expect it to rot instead of dry. Unfortunately it is almost impossible or ridiculously difficult to remove the bark many times.

Ehhhhhhhh whacha talkin bout willis

I cut mostly White Oak and that is what is used for staves here. That explains why it dries so damn slow. How long does it take for the cellular structure to collapse? Thanks for the info.

Lol yeah white oak is slow but its also great wood, if I cut it green it sets unmolested 3 years. Thing is it wont rot except for the sapwood! Hypoxylon canker killed many here during drought 3 years back. Lots of them seasoned on the stump which is what I'm usually scrounging as the cold gets here! Right now I'm cutting green hickory as green is easier to deal with when the ants scorpion and widows are crawling! Black widows love dead white oak many times when i split dead white in summer i have found widows so now i await frost! Removing bark really don't help as the sap wood is the insulator and as gypo said the tyloses give the wood a closed cellular structure. That is why i just let them sit until year 3 then i split them and they dry very fast after the long cure time.

 

[Gypo Logger]

Drying time is a very subjective question, but if you fell a hardwood and dont limb it, it will be asdry as its gonna get in 2-3 weeks this time of year.
A tree gives up its moisture and the cells begin to colapse only when the tree realizes that it is dead from moisture deprivation. When the tree has been severed from its stump moisture migrates rapidly by transpiration through the leaves.

I cut mostly White Oak and that is what is used for staves here. That explains why it dries so damn slow. How long does it take for the cellular structure to collapse? Thanks for the info.

 

[Greenthorn]

Drying time is very subjective question

Ain't that the truth...then there's temperatures....sunlight...shade....wind no wind.....humidity......etc...
John you get my pm?

 

[Gypo Logger]

Thanks for the heads up, I shall reply.
John

Ain't that the truth...then there's temperatures....sunlight...shade....wind no wind.....humidity......etc...
John you get my pm?

 

[hardpan]

Ehhhhhhhh whacha talkin bout willis

Lol yeah white oak is slow but its also great wood, if I cut it green it sets unmolested 3 years. Thing is it wont rot except for the sapwood! Hypoxylon canker killed many here during drought 3 years back. Lots of them seasoned on the stump which is what I'm usually scrounging as the cold gets here! Right now I'm cutting green hickory as green is easier to deal with when the ants scorpion and widows are crawling! Black widows love dead white oak many times when i split dead white in summer i have found widows so now i await frost! Removing bark really don't help as the sap wood is the insulator and as gypo said the tyloses give the wood a closed cellular structure. That is why i just let them sit until year 3 then i split them and they dry very fast after the long cure time.

Interesting and educational. Thanks.
I agree white oak is great wood and now I can manage it better.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Don't forget that some species will rot before they dry if left in the round. Split those that do or say good bye in a year or so.

Rule of thumb: split all when the bark comes loose and split those that can be split ASAP.

 

[svk]

Don't forget that some species will rot before they dry if left in the round. Split those that do or say good bye in a year or so.

Rule of thumb: split all when the bark comes loose and split those that can be split ASAP.

Surprisingly birch dries faster in the round than maple. I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it.

 

[cus_deluxe]

took this pic about 2 weeks i think after this white birch was cut green in the fall. I know its not in the round but its amazing how quickly big cracks develop in birch.

 

[cus_deluxe]

still takes a good year to be ready to burn, but visually it looks encouraging.

 

[svk]

still takes a good year to be ready to burn, but visually it looks encouraging.

Split birch dries pretty fast though. I cut some green in July, split in late August and it was 22% by Christmas.