Oak wood is particularly hard and has a high durability. Easy to split and very easy to process, but still has a certain elasticity, it can be processed excellently. Like all types of wood, oak needs some time to dry before use. Correct storage is also important so that the beams do not warp or even tear.
The sun helps oak wood dry faster
Drying oak wood for DIY projects
oak wood you should always:
- in one piece or as long planks as well
- in a place sheltered from rain
dry.
Drying oak wood is relatively time-consuming. As a rule of thumb, you have to reckon with a drying time of about one year for each centimeter of wood thickness.
method
When stacking the wood, you should use stacking strips that are two centimeters thick. These are inserted between the boards at a distance of 50 centimeters so that air can circulate freely.
Cracks are almost always caused by improper storage and drying, for example when the oak is stored at high temperatures and low humidity. The reason: the loss of volume caused by this process is many times greater in the outer annual rings than in the core.
Always cover the end-grain surfaces, these are the sides cut across the grain, because the water evaporates much faster here than on the long cut edges.
Oak wood as fuel
Due to its density, oak wood burns very slowly and has a high calorific value. Since it is not resinous, it causes few sparks and forms a nice ember. However, the flame picture is disappointing and you have to do without the homely crackling and crackling of the fire. That's why oak wood is more suitable for the closed tiled stove.
If you get fresh oak wood as firewood, you have to reckon with a comparatively long drying time. In contrast to spruce or pine, which you can burn after about two years, you have to be patient with oak firewood for three to four years.
Let the oak firewood dry as follows:
- Store the logs in a sunny and dry place.
- The wood should be well ventilated from all sides.
- Protect the fuel from rain, for example with a canopy roof or a metal cover.
- So that the wood does not draw moisture from the ground, you should store it on a stone surface or on Euro pallets (€29.99) or squared timber.
- If there is no protected storage space, you can pile up the firewood in the form of a wood pile.
tips
In the wood processing industry, oak wood is dried in drying chambers. The air conditioning accelerates the drying process to a few weeks and prevents cracking. Chamber-dry wood has a low residual moisture content and is usually cheaper than air-dried oak wood, since there are no long and time-consuming drying times.