Leon wrote:

Good burning wood is typically horrible for building. It has been
split and cracked and lost its moisture way too quickly. That is why
it has cracks and splits.


Yup - I fully get the difference between the two pieces of wood, but you're
missing my point. If a hunk of maple can dry to 10% (or whatever it may
be...) in chunk form within 3 months or so, then a 1" slab should not take 1
year to dry the same way. It does not matter what the intended use of the
wood is, it's still just a piece of wood. The same kind of wood. If
anything, the 1" piece should dry faster.

I question why you say the split piece has lost its moisture too quickly.
Maybe I'm missing something here, but it can only lose its moisture at a
given rate. It can't lose it it any faster than a board of the same wood.
In fact, I would think the board would lose it faster, given the surface
area of the board.

--

-Mike-