Properties of Ash -attn. Bill Tindall

puzzling

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

Winter conditions, 150F should take the moisture content to near zero. Ambient after equilibration the wood will be in the 5-10% range to start. So at the very least you should be seeing some moisture loss even if the wood was equilibrated with living conditions. Missing from discussion is what is the history of these pieces before they went in the kiln? Tree dead before it was cut? How long and what conditions were blanks before KD?

Put a piece in the oven at 210 F and see if it shrinks, cracks, or looses weight if you have a sensitive enough scale. Or in MW for 2 minutes and see if it is hot steaming when you take it out (indication at least a moderate moisture content).

Re: puzzling

Jack Guzman from Maine

Tree was alive and healthy,dropped a few months ago. anchorseal coated on ends of cut logs. The spindles were riven and sized and then sat for about a week in the shop.

Re: puzzling

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

Ash is not a wood that has a high "green" moisture content. Still, I would have thought the billets would have been at least 30% MC when they went in the kiln. I remain puzzled.

Re: puzzling

Jack Guzman from Maine

I didn't weigh them for the first time until they had been in the kiln for 24 hours. With red oak this works but I think the kiln removed all the moisture in that first 24 hours. Just wondering if this sounds likely.

Re: puzzling

Larry Barrett

What do the spindles sound like when you rap two together? Bright clear sound is what you get when really dry, dull thud when there is moisture.

Now you tell us

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

Oak gives up its moisture about the slowest of any domestic hardwood. I am not at all surprised ash would dry in 24 hours.

Re: Properties of Ash -attn. Bill Tindall

Oskar

How thick are the spindle blanks?

I´ve heard that ash burns even as it is green (if I don´t remember wrong), this would support the statement above that ash is not very wet even when green.

drying oak

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

A typical accelerated drying schedule for 4/4 oak, green to KD, is about 30 days. For poplar 3. This comparison reveals how much slower oak releases water. Ash will be in between, but closer to poplar. Only once did I ever dry ash and my recollection was that it went from green to air dry in an outdoor stack surprisingly quickly. For one thing it begins at a lower MC than poplar.

1" square

burning ash

Jack Guzman from Maine

Green ash is sold locally for springtime burning when your firewood pile dwindles.