Drying Timber Logs: Surprising Ease & Benefits

[geordief]

I am a bit surprised (pleasantly surprised) at how easy it is to dry out logs of timber in the fairly damp ,outdoor and uncovered conditions I leave them out in.
And I am wondering if there is something to the drying that I am not aware of.
Now I am talking of logs that have the bark on and I assume that this is very helpful.
But is there some kind of a ratchet system involved that makes it easier for the logs to lose moisture than to regain it?
Is it a bit like blowing up a balloon where it is hard to blow up but easy to let the air out?
Does the fact that the wood shrinks as it dries mean that , when it gets wet with rain it is much harder for the wood to absorb the new source of moisture?

 

[cragar]

you could do an experiment, get some bark and wet is some how, and see if it is harder to get water through it from one side or the other.

 

[Danger]

I've always relied upon Thermite, but I'm just lazy.

 

[Ranger Mike]

Danger, anyone who uses C4 to down the tree is bound to take the termite route in drying it..LAZY! you must have been in the Combat Engineers in a previous life!

 

[Danger]

you must have been in the Combat Engineers in a previous life!

Not personally, but all of my 20 or so uncles were in WWII (even a couple at Normandy), so I guess that part of that is in my blood. I am as proud of belonging to my Legion as I am of belonging to PF.

 

[Ranger Mike]

me too!

 

[Danger]

me too!

Then we have something in common beyond our shared love of automobiles.