Ash age hardening ?

[cornish wood burner]

Hi Cornish when did you take the moisture readings 2 1/2 years after you cut the logs up and stack them in the shed or after they were just rings up and then split them the most you're tested it would be a lot higher thanks John

Testing them now John. 2 1/2 years after being ringed up and almost 4 years after felling. Split today for testing. Weighed, now oven drying so I won't know the results until tomorrow.

[mendiplogs]

Testing them now John. 2 1/2 years after being ringed up and almost 4 years after felling. Split today for testing. Weighed, now oven drying so I won't know the results until tomorrow.

 

Hi Cornish let us no mate thanks Jon

[Aunt Maud]

He hasn't taken a moisture reading yet, as he's doing it the proper way and weighing them first, drying them in an oven and weighing them again. The difference between the two weights of the same piece of wood will give the weight of water it contained.

 

Then he'll do some sums to produce a percentage and average it out between the pieces that went in the oven.

 

I reckon I've lowballed it and it'll end up being even higher, because its been a wet year.

 

Those hand held MC reading gizmos only give a reading at the surface or a millimetre or two under it. Oven drying samples and weighing them will give a more accurate measurement.

Edited December 30, 2015 by Aunt Maud

[Aunt Maud]

Ooops!...missed page 4 of replies.

[openspaceman]

Anyone care to guess what moisture content will be for this ash.

8 inch diameter air dried for a year or so outside then logged in the summer and stacked at the back of an open shed for 2.5 years

 

15%wwb

[mendiplogs]

15%wwb

 

Hi OPEN there you go well done thanks Jon

[RTFM]

All wood does this to a certain degree . Try some 5 year old eucalyptus with an axe .....What a hoot !

 

Had a demo on a splitter doing this I bought it 😉

[cornish wood burner]

Just taken the samples out of the oven and weighed for the last time. The largest 480g sample lost a couple of grams over the last hour but close enough now. Scales were checked for accuracy with increasing weight and were within 2 grams over 800.

Two sample logs one 7 inch dia 6.5 long other 9 inch dia and 8 inches long.

Large log had 16.9% mc in the centre sample

17.5%mc in the outer sample inc bark

Small log. 18.77% mc centre

19.1% mc outer

The small log didn't split suddenly like most of the larger ones so I can only assume the extra moisture made it less brittle. All logs were stacked with gaps to allow for air circulation. As I've said previously 15 months open air seasoning and 30 months in the shed. As the smaller one was wetter and the outsides of both wetter than their centres it suggests to me that both are gaining moisture from the air.

Moisture % calculated on a wet basis as normal

Looks like Aunt maud has won the coconut.

[Aunt Maud]

Wooo! That's a first ever......Does a small dance.

[openspaceman]

As the smaller one was wetter and the outsides of both wetter than their centres it suggests to me that both are gaining moisture from the air.

Moisture % calculated on a wet basis as normal

Looks like Aunt maud has won the coconut.

 

 

Could well be so, I'm watching my test logs gradually increase in weight since oven drying, I burned the birch for Xmas, cracking timber the way the bark lights up as soon as on the fire. The ash log is gaining 2 grams/day and plainly the centre will be lagging the outside whichever way it goes.

 

I have never won a coconut, not even throwing wooden balls at one.