How do you air dry your wood down to 20% ??

[cessna]

I would be very interested to know how one air dries wood down to 20% bearing in mind our summers are not usually that hot!! Do you semi season it while stacked in long lengths  eg 2.3 /2.4 /2.5mtrs ,and then process it into logs during the summer months and store it in a shed or crates?

For the last 2 summers I have split the above lenghts with my newly acquired  cone splitter during April/May ,but even some nice Ash that was split and seasoned in the hot summer of 2018 , is still reading   around 25% (Extech moisture meter set at A) !!!! 

I find it hard to believe that any one can guarantee that every "air dried"  log they sell will be 20% or lower, especially with the humidity of the air being so high during Autumn and  Winter.

[renewablejohn]

Simple just use a solar kiln. Have been doing this for over a decade now.

[cessna]

13 minutes ago, renewablejohn said:

Simple just use a solar kiln. Have been doing this for over a decade now.

I keep trying but obviously not quite got the knack of using it correctly. Think I need a few tips but I dont blame anybody for not giving away  trade secrets acquired over a decade.!!!?   

Edited February 21, 2020 by cessna
word missing

[Rough Hewn]

Polytunnel.
[emoji106]

[Alycidon]

Semi season for a couple of years,  split and process into vented bags March, store under cover in a pole barn with three open sides,  fairly sheltered,  will be ready to go by October at about 12% if you have done your semi seasoning correctly.

 

A

[Rough Hewn]

How do you calibrate your mc meter?
Is it correct?
I had failing batteries once,
Highly inacurate readings.

[renewablejohn]

24 minutes ago, cessna said:

I keep trying but obviously not quite got the knack of using it correctly. Think I need a few tips but I dont blame anybody for not giving away  trade secrets acquired over a decade.!!!?   

No secrets on the solar kiln described on here over a decade ago using a polytunnel the key element being the ridge not being horizontal.

[Steven P]

I split it as soon as I can and stack it at the end of the drive - it gets afternon and evening sun for the wgile summer and any wind that comes down the drive, that seams to do the trick. I can tell, if I stack it on the north facing wal, it won't dry as quickly, on the south facing wall it is done within the year

[Big J]

2 hours ago, Alycidon said:

Semi season for a couple of years,  split and process into vented bags March, store under cover in a pole barn with three open sides,  fairly sheltered,  will be ready to go by October at about 12% if you have done your semi seasoning correctly.

 

A

That's a lot of capital investment, both in terms of the barn and stock for almost three years.

 

If firewood customers weren't idiots, then we'd have them all trained to take unseasoned timber in spring to season themselves over summer. No storage costs, no capital outlay. We'd save a fortune, they'd save a fortune and we'd be doing it like the rest of Europe. 

[Squaredy]

Another thing to consider.  Softwood dries really quickly.  Easy to get under 20% in a summer.  Genuinely dry softwood is much better firewood than semi dry hardwood.