I'm with you on the Fiskars, Chris. I bought an X27 a couple years ago and it's been, by far, the best splitting axe I've owned in the 45 years I've been splitting wood. I'll attempted rounds with that axe that I would have previously just chucked aside and chunked up with the chainsaw. Handle is bullet proof, light and quick. Yep, I'm a fanboy as well.
Some people around me in SE Georgia, cut and sell as dry wood. I don't sell anything over 20% I like it drier but late season we push the 20 mark. If my wood is over, I have to tell people I'm out! Really dislike smoldering firewood. Stay Hydrated and Have a Safe Day
I have access to millions pf acre's of hardwood s. I only cut dry dead standing or resent blowdown dead. I cut a dead standing beach the other day . A piece that would weigh 10#, maybe weighed half pound. When i split ot dist was flying off of it. It burned long and hot. Best firewood so far.
Last year I checked the resistance profile of the generic meters against various 1MΩ resistor combinations and found the meters singular burned in resistance profile was based on construction grade pine. When measuring oak, which has a different resistance profile, you are actually a reading a point or so higher than it actually is. …splitting red headed frog hairs I suppose then, yeah, OK then.
Thank God for a moisture meter. I did use the ole klink togeather, its so so. But that meter works great. I picked mine up at lowes. Im like you under 20 is great. But dryer for kindling. An l use so heart pine also, l have plenty of that. Im sure many could use this.
Another great, informative video. Thanks for your time and hard work to make these wonderful productions, Chris. I test multiple pieces feom every batch and often get quite a variety of results. I burn anything under about 23% but definitely shoot for mid teens when I can get it there. I have gotten luck this year and got a lot of red oak, white oak, and beech tops from a logging job that happened in the spring of '22.
Ive done your "lip testing" and I can tell if theres moisture. I have a couple different moisture meters and one thing thats frustrating is both read different and not by a percent or two but sometimes by a few percent so for me if it's in the mid to low teens it's good to go. I have a couple Fiskars splitting mauls and while I haven't used them much they seem to hurt like hell for me but they do go through the wood much better than anything else Ive used.
I had a feeling those logs were about ready to go. I’ve got a question about your bins. Have you noticed if it helps the drying in the bins where you have the center pallet set up on top of the outside pallets?
Chris - How well does split wood dry in the Winter time with less Sun available compared to other Seasons. I know the air can be “drier” in the colder temps. The wood is stacked and covered on the top with empty plastic mulch bags, and in a fairly windy area. Thnx…
It would be interesting to hear what the lowest reading could reasonably be if the wood continued to sit in a bin or stacked. How low could it go before it goes bad?
It will achieve EMC (Equilibrium Moisture Content) and is dependent on the climate in your area. www.fpl.fs.usda.gov/documnts/fplrn/fplrn268.pdf As long as it's kept dry, it won't go bad. I'm burning 8.5 year old oak now that was stacked in a row on pallets and top covered with rubber roofing in Spring '15. Based on my experience, the EMC of my stuff seems to be right around 14% or so. I live in WI. Seeing wood is hygroscopic it will fluctuate based on humidity. I have all my firewood stacked in the woods down in a valley and I cut to 21" long and split large, so my oak splits takes awhile to get down to sub 20%.
Most likely your wood was either on the ground where it will absorb moisture or it got rained on and is stacked tight so that it can not breath and dry. Cover the top (only) if that is the case or loose pile it off the ground in the open.
@@InTheWoodyard - Hi , thanks for replying . This is our first time using wood burner. As im still a novice , i bought wood from someone who said it was dry. Only after seeing my wood is struggling to burn and doing research on the net about moisture levels etc, i purchased a moisture meter and saw the reason.. most of my wood logs (that's already split by the supplier) have high moisture , but there are some with ok moisture readings on the logs (EXCEPT for the bark that's still attached to the logs) , my question is, do we consider a log "wet" if the whole log is dry or mainly just the inside of the log - should we ignore the bark reading? PS: im from south africa, we mainly use blue gum wood - but to counter the moist wood, what im doing now is use Namibian hardwood called "kameeldoring" or "Camel thorn" which had almost no moisture to heat the wood stove high, then use these "wet" blue gum , so I mix the my burn
@@waynetharp I guess I’m not super concerned my friend, this is for next season. So in all honesty it will be split/stacked in my wood shed for over a year. I was just surprised that it was at 30+%
@mikesherman2612 I hear ya...I am a firm believer that what time of year they are cut,with sap up or down, is a major factor in how fast they dry in log form. Either way, Elm seems to dry fairly fast for me once it is busted open. It will definitely be great wood by next winter!
66 and flooding here in East Feliciana parish. Looks like we are sharing the same rainy front. Our drought should be almost broken after by Sunday. Have a great day.
@@InTheWoodyard we will take icky right now. We need all the wet and nasty we can get. Expecting 3 more inches on top of the 3 we received the last 12 hours. 👍👍
Looking to be a great weekend for cutting and splitting firewood with highs in the upper 30s, now if it just stayed daylight longer it would be perfect.
I know you know this, at least you should. Taking moisture readings at the end grain is NOT accurate. I was yelling at my computer....did you hear me? The only proper way to test for moisture is to re-split a split (or split a round) and take the reading from the middle of the fresh split face. Showing people how to test the end grain is not doing the wood burning community justice. End grains will always test lower. One wants to test the INTERNAL moisture of the split, not the surface moisture.
@@InTheWoodyard Yep, I did, but some people may not watch the whole video and see you checking the end grain and think it's the proper way to do it. No reason to even do it that way, as it's not accurate. It would be like showing someone how to check the oil in their car while it's parked on a hill and then later on showing them how to do it while parked on a flat surface.
@@WPRJersey Yeah, kind of like the best way to check the oil in your car is on a flat surface. LOL Why even bother if the results are completely wrong.
That sounds like an excellent idea. Every time I've got wood I'm always looking for a moist spot to stick it🍻
Good one.
I'm with you on the Fiskars, Chris. I bought an X27 a couple years ago and it's been, by far, the best splitting axe I've owned in the 45 years I've been splitting wood. I'll attempted rounds with that axe that I would have previously just chucked aside and chunked up with the chainsaw. Handle is bullet proof, light and quick. Yep, I'm a fanboy as well.
yes!
It’s cool to see how good you can assess the moisture level by looking at the wood. :)
A moisture metrer is a great invention!
Hi, Chris I'm John from Texas thanks for the Moisture testing video, and the model that you use. something i needed for a new firewood business
You are welcome ...now get cuttin'!
Nice video Chris. Glad the wood is ready or close to ready. Not much daylight (Sun) these days to finish the dry down. GNI
Yup, I want more daylight!
Good morning from the Wet Coast😊
Hello there!
Awesome vid that day Chris! Enjoyed the video 🔥💯👍. See you soon! Andrew from NB :)
Glad you enjoyed it!
Some people around me in SE Georgia, cut and sell as dry wood. I don't sell anything over 20% I like it drier but late season we push the 20 mark. If my wood is over, I have to tell people I'm out! Really dislike smoldering firewood. Stay Hydrated and Have a Safe Day
I agree!
Good morning Chris!!😀😀
Morning!
that red tabby that kept following you around is so much prettier than you are LOL
Yup!
Good explanation on how these work. 😁👍
Glad it was helpful!
Bought moisture meter worth it
Awesome!
G’morning Chris. Sweet action wif da splitta. No moist dumps, that’s good.
GoodNightIrene
Good morning! Ha good one!
I have access to millions pf acre's of hardwood s. I only cut dry dead standing or resent blowdown dead. I cut a dead standing beach the other day . A piece that would weigh 10#, maybe weighed half pound. When i split ot dist was flying off of it. It burned long and hot. Best firewood so far.
Nice!
Last year I checked the resistance profile of the generic meters against various 1MΩ resistor combinations and found the meters singular burned in resistance profile was based on construction grade pine. When measuring oak, which has a different resistance profile, you are actually a reading a point or so higher than it actually is. …splitting red headed frog hairs I suppose then, yeah, OK then.
Yup, splitting hairs!
Watching it in class today love the video😊😊😊
Thanks for having your priorities in order!
Thank God for a moisture meter. I did use the ole klink togeather, its so so. But that meter works great. I picked mine up at lowes. Im like you under 20 is great. But dryer for kindling. An l use so heart pine also, l have plenty of that. Im sure many could use this.
Yup, under 20%is good!
Great vid. I remember you covering the tops of your stacks. Do ya think your big piles under snow will be a problem?
I will cover a bunch of them.
Good morning all!
Hello Kurt!
@@InTheWoodyard good morning Chris, thanks for the videos!
Do your saws miss you? Not much cutting anymore since the processor showed up. :-( ;-)
Nice video. Even a bit of electrode electrical info.
Glad you liked it!
6:19 Kitty thinks about using one of her nine....
Another great, informative video. Thanks for your time and hard work to make these wonderful productions, Chris. I test multiple pieces feom every batch and often get quite a variety of results. I burn anything under about 23% but definitely shoot for mid teens when I can get it there. I have gotten luck this year and got a lot of red oak, white oak, and beech tops from a logging job that happened in the spring of '22.
Yup, it is good to know your wood!
Another great 👍 job and video 😮😊❤
Thanks!
I agree with you about fiiskars. I break hickory handles in a day or 2.
I have broke a lot of wood but not a Fiskars.
@@InTheWoodyard yessir, I love my fiiskars 8lb maul!
The orange Tom is the star of the show.
He likes the camera!
Ive done your "lip testing" and I can tell if theres moisture. I have a couple different moisture meters and one thing thats frustrating is both read different and not by a percent or two but sometimes by a few percent so for me if it's in the mid to low teens it's good to go. I have a couple Fiskars splitting mauls and while I haven't used them much they seem to hurt like hell for me but they do go through the wood much better than anything else Ive used.
Good to hear! Keep cuttin'!
Have you ever sharpened your fiskars axes? Just bought the x27 and the 8 lb fiskars maul. Love the maul so far, haven’t swung the x27 yet.
Nope, they just work.
You need to split it and then moisture check the new cut. Saw ends are exposed a long time.
You obviously did not watch the video.
@@InTheWoodyard I made the comment before you started doing it. I jumped the gun when you were testing the end grain.
I see you are still sporting keens. They are comfortable. Have you switched over to merino wool socks yet?
I like the the Haix boots a lot!
I had a feeling those logs were about ready to go.
I’ve got a question about your bins. Have you noticed if it helps the drying in the bins where you have the center pallet set up on top of the outside pallets?
All the wood in the bins has died really good and fast. Better that any other method or place I have had wood.
Lots of wood in your trailer stacked. Real nice wood.
yup
Chris - How well does split wood dry in the Winter time with less Sun available compared to other Seasons. I know the air can be “drier” in the colder temps.
The wood is stacked and covered on the top with empty plastic mulch bags, and in a fairly windy area. Thnx…
I still dries a lot, but slower for sure, the long hot windy summer days do a great job.
It would be interesting to hear what the lowest reading could reasonably be if the wood continued to sit in a bin or stacked. How low could it go before it goes bad?
It will achieve EMC (Equilibrium Moisture Content) and is dependent on the climate in your area. www.fpl.fs.usda.gov/documnts/fplrn/fplrn268.pdf As long as it's kept dry, it won't go bad. I'm burning 8.5 year old oak now that was stacked in a row on pallets and top covered with rubber roofing in Spring '15. Based on my experience, the EMC of my stuff seems to be right around 14% or so. I live in WI. Seeing wood is hygroscopic it will fluctuate based on humidity. I have all my firewood stacked in the woods down in a valley and I cut to 21" long and split large, so my oak splits takes awhile to get down to sub 20%.
Dry wood lasts longer that us.
Yup, 12-14 % is really low. 15-17% is pretty normal for a good low.
Morning all, keep cuttin 🔥
Same to you!
When will you be back ?? Hope you are well.
I am here every day just for you.
Good morning Chris have a good day ( ty Ron
Hello Ron!
Good Morning Woodhounds!!(-:
Hello!
Just think if the oak was split smaller it would definitely be dry dry dry!👍👍
Great point!
I heard that you are meant to test across the grain, I think it is so your reading is from a larger are of wood instead of just on grain?
I test it all over and it is usually the same or very close.
what do you do if inside the split logs are dry, dry on the edges, but the bark attached has high moisture - 40-50% on the bark
Most likely your wood was either on the ground where it will absorb moisture or it got rained on and is stacked tight so that it can not breath and dry. Cover the top (only) if that is the case or loose pile it off the ground in the open.
@@InTheWoodyard - Hi , thanks for replying . This is our first time using wood burner. As im still a novice , i bought wood from someone who said it was dry. Only after seeing my wood is struggling to burn and doing research on the net about moisture levels etc, i purchased a moisture meter and saw the reason.. most of my wood logs (that's already split by the supplier) have high moisture , but there are some with ok moisture readings on the logs (EXCEPT for the bark that's still attached to the logs) , my question is, do we consider a log "wet" if the whole log is dry or mainly just the inside of the log - should we ignore the bark reading?
PS: im from south africa, we mainly use blue gum wood - but to counter the moist wood, what im doing now is use Namibian hardwood called "kameeldoring" or "Camel thorn" which had almost no moisture to heat the wood stove high, then use these "wet" blue gum , so I mix the my burn
I just split some Elm rounds from Oct of 2022…still at 32%
Hope they are good for next season haha
You may be surprised how fast it dries out now that it's busted open! If covered, it might just be ready come late Feb or March.👍
@@waynetharp I guess I’m not super concerned my friend, this is for next season. So in all honesty it will be split/stacked in my wood shed for over a year. I was just surprised that it was at 30+%
@mikesherman2612 I hear ya...I am a firm believer that what time of year they are cut,with sap up or down, is a major factor in how fast they dry in log form. Either way, Elm seems to dry fairly fast for me once it is busted open. It will definitely be great wood by next winter!
Once it is split open it dries much faster for sure!
yup!
Suggestion for your channel for more content have none you tubers send you pics and content
Yes! I have some ideas for just that!
45°F and Heavy rain here in Ashville Ohio this morning folks!!
The woodyard's a muddy mess tday!
66 and flooding here in East Feliciana parish. Looks like we are sharing the same rainy front. Our drought should be almost broken after by Sunday. Have a great day.
@@saltrock9642 My Pop's always said on days like these.... They'll be better days to cut wood!
Winter rain make a sloppy mess!
icky!
@@InTheWoodyard we will take icky right now. We need all the wet and nasty we can get. Expecting 3 more inches on top of the 3 we received the last 12 hours. 👍👍
Have you considered the temperature dependence of moisture meters
No, good point!
Wonder how it does on frozen wood? Would it be the same? Here in Idaho everything is frozen solid
Yup, it works, water frozen conducts electricity the same.
@@InTheWoodyard thanks for the reply
I don't need a damn meter to tell
Haaaa! Do you use you bare hands to rip trees into rounds and split them too??? Haaa!
Cement is one ingredient in concrete.
Common knowledge
YUP
Okay
We enjoy picking on you.
Mornin
hello!
Not a good day to be checking moisture in my woodyard unless it has a soggy setting!
☂️⛈️🌧⛈️🌧☂️
You can still check the inside but it is harder when it is raining!
-Ohio law under 50 is seasoned😐-
Under 30 will burn, under 25 we sell, under 20 will burn well!
interesting!
Thanks for the videos chris
Glad you like them!
I’m sure you’d have more Testers than Cays Chris😊
Maybe??
Looking to be a great weekend for cutting and splitting firewood with highs in the upper 30s, now if it just stayed daylight longer it would be perfect.
Yup, I want 8 more hours of daylight please!!
🤘
Thanks!
Wet wood can be good….
It’s circumstantial 😉
Good one!
nice day for work outside ,, mid 50 s
Yes it was!
Good morning everybody
Hello Sir Stanley!
👍👍👍
Thanks!!!
Glad your wood is dry and you are moist. 😂
Me too!
Like 500…..
Thanks!
I know you know this, at least you should. Taking moisture readings at the end grain is NOT accurate. I was yelling at my computer....did you hear me? The only proper way to test for moisture is to re-split a split (or split a round) and take the reading from the middle of the fresh split face. Showing people how to test the end grain is not doing the wood burning community justice. End grains will always test lower. One wants to test the INTERNAL moisture of the split, not the surface moisture.
Yes I know that and I did that too, did you watch the whole video???
@@InTheWoodyard Yep, I did, but some people may not watch the whole video and see you checking the end grain and think it's the proper way to do it. No reason to even do it that way, as it's not accurate. It would be like showing someone how to check the oil in their car while it's parked on a hill and then later on showing them how to do it while parked on a flat surface.
I was saying the same thing. Misleading for the beginners.
Man you guys are tough. He actually says the best way to get a reading is from a new split. Geezer
@@WPRJersey Yeah, kind of like the best way to check the oil in your car is on a flat surface. LOL Why even bother if the results are completely wrong.
👍👍
Thanks!