10years Maple tree downed by Isaias hurricane (NY) was cute by the Park & Recreational Dept. ~Eric. Don't panic when you hear the word kiln, because it is easy and inexpensive to construct one. Then I put two heavy timbers running the length of the pile. They’re 2.5 inches thick, 2 metres long 900 wide. It is responsible for... Pouring water on drying myths. Sticker and stack with 1 dehumidifier and 2 box fans to move air. November 28, 2006. I want to apply a good penetrating preservative/sealer prior to building the structure, and have selected Menco 200. If you want to dry smaller quantities or don't want to complicate your life by constructing a kiln, there are other, simpler strategies for finishing off your lumber. Finding great logs or salvaging those destined for a less noble fate, knowing where your lumber came from, having it cut the way you want, nurturing it to a usable state, and maybe finding something very special that you don't have to battle the hordes to pay a fortune for, are just a few reasons to give it a try. In situations where green wood is to be processed into usable boards, (especially in the case of thicker lumber), a kiln is frequently used to control the drying process. I air dry in a room off my shop. If you decide to go down this road, you will gain a very healthy respect for the amount of work it takes to get logs and/or green lumber to a usable state, and an appreciation for the true value of lumber and the people who produce it. Leaves room for movement and warping. The key here is designing a means to automatically vent the kiln on the sunniest summer days to keep it from overheating and damaging or destroying your lumber. My first kiln was a solar one, and it worked very well from spring through fall, with the added benefit of lower energy costs. Should I plane the boards for uniform thickness before stacking? The goal for commercially dried lumber is 6-8 percent, but it isn't necessary to achieve that number with your lumber. These cycles can ruin good wood. Walnut color is highly variable depending on growing conditions. They cut down my grandfathers old oak tree on Friday. I fasten the roofing to the bunks with screws, which will make the disassembly much easier, and then pile some slabs or timbers on the top to help weight the top. The extremely dry air of a cold spell often follows humid and wet conditions. He got it from a flooring company that went out of business. Air movement is the key to successful drying, and you need enough air to move the moisture. If, in the end, you aren't happy with the way your wood was dried, you will both be very upset. Cheers Maple has pores that are just small enough to cause them to become plugged up with sawdust during the building phase. Proper drying … Thanks for any recommendation. They won’t stain any wood. I have someone offering for sale some raw ( never stained or varnished) hardwood flooring that has been stored in his garage for years ( 10 plus). This three-tier system also keeps the lumber higher off the ground and farther away from moisture. I do not believe that simply drying them (or otherwise adjusting the moisture content) will be the standalone solution. I know because I’ve felt it. I’m curious, what diameter and thickness were the wood disks you were drying? Pour denatured alcohol onto the surface of the pieces and let it flow trough to the bottom side. You definitely want to research this well before beginning. They should be from a harder wood and shouldn't contain a lot of knots, since they are so narrow they can easily break. It is best to take your trees down after the sap is down in the fall and through the winter before it rises, and also to try to have your lumber sawn and on sticks for a while before the weather gets warm so the lumber isn't shocked by the extremes of summer heat. I went looking for a walnut crotch panel for a clock I was building back in 1972 and ended up in the lumber business, so it can be very consuming. And now, after waxing up these discs, I’m reading bark on is a bad idea for what may turn out to be coffee tables (that is if I dont break them first lol). Also, should I dry these babies out before putting on legs? Green lumber is softer than seasoned wood, it can be cut more easily, is not as likely to split and nails drive into it more easily. How To Air-Dry Lumber: Turn Freshly Cut Stock Into A Cash Crop Of Woodworking Woods. Up to 30ft . This might sound like a lot of work, but the alternative is lumber that looks like someone laid railroad ties across it, ruining the appearance. Green would does not like to feed in a planer. To use rough cut lumber as traditionally cut lumber, you must apply appropriate finish and varnish. Videos Length: 00:09:01. I am remodeling my house and bought red oak retreads for my steps and they are 1 inch thick. The time of year is another consideration. But too much wind can be detrimental to the lumber. I have a concrete room I can seal off with plastic on one side. Without heat and lower humidity, you aren't creating an environment where the wood will give up much more moisture than if it was outside. Fluorescence: A Secret Weapon in Wood Identification, Bow Woods (from a mathematical perspective), Brazilian Rosewood, East Indian, and Other Rosewoods, Genuine Lignum Vitae and Argentine Lignum Vitae, BOOK: WOOD! Maybe just bring a moisture meter along and test some of the middle/inside boards in the stack to see what moisture level they’re at. Or should I just give it a shot and see what happens. Lay out a row of stickers on which to dry the wood. Will this work? I have acquired 1000 board feet of Malave hard wood which is 6’x2″x12″. A very short time, I know. The forest products industry spends a lot of time and money to dry lumber and this video explains the reasons why. Thickness is very uneven throughout the boards, and frankly, some have bulges and some are wedge shaped. I like to use a three-tier system for the base, putting down three or more cross pieces — depending on the length of the lumber — on the levelest ground I can find or create. First of all, the second your saw gets taken from the wood, the wood begins to dry. If your heavier lumber is cut into squares and can dry evenly from all sides, you can definitely speed up the process, but wide thick planks will pretty much take the required time, and your local climate also will have an effect. I should note most of this Burl is air dried in the whole from 3yrs-40yrs, it’s very stable but I worry that the high heat may be harmful… Read more ». Is there any comeback? I double coated the topside (not the underside) with polyurethane and left them in the garage (about3 weeks ). Fungus is probably the most over-looked drying defect in wood. When I first started drying lumber 30-plus years ago, the stickers were typically placed on 2' centers, but over time I have switched to placing the sticks on 1' centers for lumber that is 4/4 to 6/4 thick, although I still sticker my thicker lumber on 2' centers. Rough cut lumber sells for a lower price than traditionally cut lumber. Previous articles covered log procurement (June 2006) and the different strategies for sawing logs (October 2006). Run through a planner/jointer when your done. how long to dry fresh cut lumber WoodStore.Net. We are in… Read more », Hello, I inherited a garage full of miscellaneous wood from a fellow who had a custom furniture shop. Thank you, Jim Hi Jim, Thank you for your question, the answer is it depends. Finally, I put 3" to 4" square bunks across the timbers ready to receive the layers of lumber. Using stickers & blocking, you are allowing air to flow under and through your lumber stack. Any other advice about drying or working with these planks is appreciated. It’s literally coming right out of the jungle to be delivered in a week or two. 2. But most species would take years to dry that size. I am interested in using the wood for projects (nothing specific yet). While there are various types of … What’s the best course of action to harvest this wood? Moisture will get trapped between the green sticks and the green lumber, creating an environment where mold and fungus can flourish and damage the lumber. Thankyou. Very helpful. Since we are planning to use these resources, the idea is to air-dry the lumber until it will give up no more moisture without assistance, and then look at different ways to complete the drying process. But why not used compressed air, or just a broom? How to Dry Wood Slices and Discs Prior to getting started, we recommend picking up a moisture meter at your local hardware store or online. I also have used steel banding like you see being used to band packs of lumber together for shipping, driving small wedges along the edge of the board as the lumber dries to keep tension on the board. Would it be possible to steam the boards, the lay them on a flat surface with good stripping and weight on the top to force them back straight? Consider saying “thanks” and helping to support the project. While traveling the Great Lakes, I visited a colonial style boat building display. any information is greatly appreciated, We are currently slabbing Norfolk pine and we’re wondering what the recommended drying time for the slabs would be? Anytime you attempt to just air-dry wood without sealing the ends, you’re asking for trouble. With open windows and no air conditioning in the summer and a woodstove as a heat source, the moisture content of the furniture ranged between 9-11 percent over the course of the year. I will be sawing beams from sourthern pine for timber frame . You can also tack thin strips of wood across the end of the board, using several nails to keep the board from spreading. by Jim Taylor (New Hampshire) I'm interested to find out if I can build a post and beam barn out of fresh cut timber harvested on sight. If I want a 15” log how big does the green size have to be? Identifying and Using Hundreds of Woods Worldwide, POSTER: Worldwide Woods: Ranked by Hardness. Using the data you present for wood species, how do I determine if a particular wood is open grained and unsuitable for cutting boards? Did you find a solution to this? It is 3 feet in diameter and at least a foot thick. I am certain I haven’t dried it out properly over the years as I just kinda piled it up out of the way. Darker woods such as cherry and walnut are not as susceptible to staining, but immediate exposure to warm weather will stress any wood and increase the degrade. Step 2: Wood & Moisture. Pine suffers from blue stain when cut too late and can affect the whole pile, so I never cut pine after March. Reduced to its basics, drying wood is simple. Will then cut and seal the ends. I get my sticks from a mill that stacks their lumber in 6' wide packs, and I take the broken sticks they can no longer use and cut them down to the 4' lengths I use. Have dehumidifier room set up for short lumber up to 10’ what would be the best plane of attack to bring this size timber down to a workable moisture level ? You can get a house dehumidifier for $100-$200 as opposed to commercial wood dehumidifiers costing a minimum of $2,500, so you can go through quite a few inexpensive ones before you approach the cost of a regular unit. Any ideas on an alternative choice of sticker material? Do I turn off fan to let them just dry slower? Working with wood that’s too wet is like falling into a pit. I (very) rough cut the logs with my chainsaw. I recently cut 4 white paper birch trees to use as braces from my cabin’s gable end to the loft approximately 10-12 feet. Pieces are variable lengths but is 3/4″ thick x 3 1/4″ wide. A little water drips through the old holes, but the cover boards take the brunt of the moisture. I’d think about cutting out strips from your eventual dry timber, skirting the blemishes and laminating up the guitar from this plus another timber. You also can use portable buildings that have a metal frame and a plastic cover as long as the ends are open to the air and there is good flow across the pile. And maple, ash and other light woods can suffer from sticker stains when the lumber stickers trap moisture where they are set, which can result in shadow marks on the lumber. When the pile is complete and I plan to leave it outdoors, I like to cover the top of the pile with longer bunks placed perpendicular to the pile, usually 6' or longer and placed on top of the rows of stickers to concentrate any weight over them. One thing you don't want to do is use green sticks on your lumber. When you decide that the lumber has air-dried enough and it is time to take the pile down, you then need to determine how to complete the drying process to remove the remaining moisture, which is usually only 2-6 percent. The best spacers are pieces of already-cured scrap lumber cut to match the width of the drying platform, but rows of bricks can be used as well. I live in London,Ontario Canada. A heat source is necessary and can be as simple as a portable electric heater, but be sure to isolate the heater in a way that you aren't creating a fire hazard. Keep rough turned bowl inside a paper bag (or double bag for sensitive species) and then weigh it intermittently until the piece stops loosing (water) weight. Unwisely, I had relied on local expertise. I have been reading recently that ash doesn’t make very good cutting boards because of the “open” grain, but I really like these boards. But really the best metric for finding suitability is found in pore size. The more you are involved in producing the lumber you are using, the more meaningful the whole woodworking process can be. After that, it should be ready for final turning. Length x Width of body: 20.500″ x 13.875″ (520.7 mm x 352.4 mm) They are 3 inch thick and kiln dried aggressively for 3 weeks. :). I had to sand off finish and sand deeper than desired. I was… Read more ». Mixed blessing with all that lumber; cedar is a softwood which will be surprisingly light once fully dried, which a 1″ board will take less than 1 year, however cedar has so many knots and grain curve that your dried finished pieces likely will all have natural twists and bends to it. I’ve straightened tons of wood up to 2 inches thick by soaking then then re drying with weight. Obviously this is difficult to apply to a large commercial operation, but I am assuming such an outfit probably isn't going to pursue backyard lumber production, either. Also a good idea, if you do end up getting them, to let them acclimate to your humidity level indoors for a while in the same location where they will be installed. How to store/dry freshly cut lumber (white oak) Ask Question Asked 2 years, 8 months ago. wide and 4 feet long, the wood is sycamore. The stickers between rows can cause staining that can run quite deep and ruin your wood for some “high end” projects so make sure they are kiln dry and use your router to cut grooves every half inch at 45 degree angles on both sides of the sticker. There are other precautions you can take to minimize the damage to the lumber during the drying process. Bark on looks great for synthetic wood-looking displays at restaurants and outdoor living stores, but my advice is to keep away from leaving the bark on. This is due to the circumrferential shrinkage (tangential) being greater than the radial shrinkage. Do you think the logs will be alright stored in my garage for a few weeks/months in log form before I can get to them all with a chainsaw? this article is in reference to green lumber that’s been cut from a recently live tree. Regarding the pile that you have, you might want to cut a foot or two of the ends and dry it all as slowly as you can, though in all honesty, this is a very stable wood. Then, cut your wood so it's slightly bigger than you want it to be since it will shrink when it dries, and seal the ends with latex paint so the wood doesn't dry too quickly and end up cracking. In warmer weather, you can either use grooved sticks that allow some moisture to escape from under the sticks or you can sticker the lumber for a few weeks until the surface dries, then re-sticker the pile with the sticks in a slightly different location. It is best to try to keep the pile one length. 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