Thread: Fire!

My meter will not display anything lower than 5%. The last batch I dried will not light the lowest number on the scale, so I'm assuming it is less than 5%. Now, if I had a $250 meter, instead of a $35 meter.........., and we all know the "assume" joke. My goal is, no lights on the scale.

Sort of off topic but I have been having fun carving walking sticks. Green to dead and "dry" in the woods. I am having problems with them cracking from the ends. They are round like brush handles. Or at least most! That is my connection. In my application a crack even can give character to the stick but what if I tried to dry a stick to make a brush handle out of it? Some woods like Box Elder, Lilac, etc. have fun layers of color so making a handle out of a stick would allow the color variation.

Have you tried drying them in the oven? I have done a couple different projects like this, an hour or two at 150-175 works well.
Anyone else use the oven?

Originally Posted by 32t

Sort of off topic but I have been having fun carving walking sticks. Green to dead and "dry" in the woods. I am having problems with them cracking from the ends. They are round like brush handles. Or at least most! That is my connection. In my application a crack even can give character to the stick but what if I tried to dry a stick to make a brush handle out of it? Some woods like Box Elder, Lilac, etc. have fun layers of color so making a handle out of a stick would allow the color variation.

I have dried and carved many walking sticks. If the are still green cut them to the length you want them in the end plus 3-4 inches and dip the ends in paraffin wax. I then store them where the bugs can't get them, unless it's cedar because the bugs don't want anything to do with that wood.

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but I'm a retired firefighter and I can't resist
making a comment.

Originally Posted by 32t

This reminded me to check the gauge on mine. Still in the green!

Checking the gauge is good, and there are a couple more things you can do periodically:

1) turn the unit upside down and give it a couple of whacks; the dry powder
tends to compress at the bottom over time, and this loosens it up.
2) Take a look at the nozzle and make sure that some insect hasn't
plugged it up.

Dry chemical extinguishers can be very effective, but they sure do leave a mess,
ie powder residue all over everything in the vicinity. A CO2 (carbon dioxide)
unit leaves no residue, and they are pretty effective on electrical fires.

I hope that you never need either type.

Does any one let their wood dry on a rack? I wait until the log ends split before turning, so have no idea what the moisture content is.
I store my logs on a shelf in my shop, and wait patiently....

Originally Posted by Trimmy72

Does any one let their wood dry on a rack? I wait until the log ends split before turning, so have no idea what the moisture content is.
I store my logs on a shelf in my shop, and wait patiently....

depends on what type of wood,if it is wet,moisture content > 14% the ends will check in a matter of hrs
some of the extream hardwoods take 10 or more yrs to air dry.
I used to heat my house with 3 wood burning stoves,always bought green almond from here in the valley,properly stacked covered and ricked it took two yrs to be stove ready.