Cedar Dry then Resaw or Resaw and Dry

[rcflyer23]

I just found out I am going to get probably close to 4 trees worth of Cedar from my inlaws yard they just cut them down. I don't know if he has sealed it yet or not but I will get that taken care of. My question is should I have it resawn and then let it dry or just let it dry in log form. I would think resaw then stack and dry. If that is the case what is the best way to stack it for drying just use spacers in between each board. It is going to have to dry in my garage since I can't leave it stacked outside because of the HOA which is okay with me.

 

[Ken Massingale]

I resaw then sticker. Eastern Red Cedar is oily so it's dang near dry enough to use when cut. Be aware that as soon as you finish resawing to 5/4 or whatever, you'll realize that you want some 8/4 or bigger!:gar-La;

 

[rcflyer23]

I resaw then sticker. Eastern Red Cedar is oily so it's dang near dry enough to use when cut. Be aware that as soon as you finish resawing to 5/4 or whatever, you'll realize that you want some 8/4 or bigger!:gar-La;

Okay newbie question What do you mean by sticker, just label species and size? I will probably do several different thicknesses depending on how much I really get. I will be building a Cedar chest for my Wife and a something for my MIL. The trees are from my wifes Childhood home so I want to use as much of it as possible. Well this begs the question do I buy a bandsaw to do it myself or have someone do it for me. I guess it depends on what some would charge to resaw them. I have no idea what lengths or diameter they are. I haven't had a chance to go up and look at them.

 

[DaveO]

Technically you have the logs sawn first. Then as suggested stack and sticker them. That consist of placing ¾" square dry pieces of wood (stickers) at ~16-24" intervals between the boards to allow air flow to all surfaces. Your boards should be stacked so that the stickers are directly aligned on top of each other. If you're drying in your garage you might want to place a few fans to keep air moving around the wood, as you will have no natural air flow. Drying in the log form would take way to long...many years depending on the dia. of the log. Re-sawing is when you take a already sawn board and saw it again to make two thinner pieces. You always can have the log sawn into 8/4 and then re-saw it to get the thinner stock needed, but the 8/4 will take much longer to dry.
How big are these logs?? Unless you are thinking of buying a really big bandsaw you probably won't be able to saw the logs yourself. You'll need to take them to, or have someone with a bandmill come to you and do the milling. Then you will be able to use a bandsaw to resaw the boards.

Here's a good picture of a stacked and sticker pile of boards waiting to air dry outside -

If you are doing it inside your won't need the top cover, but I do recommend good air flow.
Also make sure you end coat the logs ASAP with something like Anchorseal to prevent end checking.

HTH,
Dave

 

[scsmith42]

Technically you have the logs sawn first. Then as suggested stack and sticker them. That consist of placing ¾" square dry pieces of wood (stickers) at ~16-24" intervals between the boards to allow air flow to all surfaces. Your boards should be stacked so that the stickers are directly aligned on top of each other. If you're drying in your garage you might want to place a few fans to keep air moving around the wood, as you will have no natural air flow. Drying in the log form would take way to long...many years depending on the dia. of the log. Re-sawing is when you take a already sawn board and saw it again to make two thinner pieces. You always can have the log sawn into 8/4 and then re-saw it to get the thinner stock needed, but the 8/4 will take much longer to dry.
How big are these logs?? Unless you are thinking of buying a really big bandsaw you probably won't be able to saw the logs yourself. You'll need to take them to, or have someone with a bandmill come to you and do the milling. Then you will be able to use a bandsaw to resaw the boards.

Here's a good picture of a stacked and sticker pile of boards waiting to air dry outside -

If you are doing it inside your won't need the top cover, but I do recommend good air flow.
Also make sure you end coat the logs ASAP with something like Anchorseal to prevent end checking.

HTH,
Dave

+1 on everything that Dave stated. I'll add that any sticker thickness in excess of 3/4" is acceptable for garage drying, and that 12" - 16" sticker intervals are better than 24".

Cedar dries very quickly, so I would not be afraid of having it milled (sawn) at 8/4 - 9/4. Actually I'd suggest 9/4, because then you can resaw into 4/4 and plane down to 3/4.

A band mill will provide you with a higher yield than a circular mill. I'd also suggest flat sawn as opposed to rift or quartersawning.

Apply end sealer to the cut ends of the logs ASAP after logging - preferably the same day. Apply at least two coats (and three is better).

What are the diameters of the logs?

 

[CrealBilly]

+1 on everything said here and I'll add ERC is by far the easiest to air dry. Watch for dote on logs larger the 14" diameter, it starts at the butt and works it's way up.

 

[rcflyer23]

I might go up there this weekend and see if he sealed them. I know I told them they would need to be. Hopefully he did. If he didn't is there anything i should to if it has started to check? I will find a sawyer once I have them all in place. I think Kyle is in Iron Station which isn't to far from me. I will have to ask him once I get everything. I think he is the closest to me. I like the idea of having 9/4 and then resawing. Now I have an excuse to get a bigger bandsaw, now I just need to come up with the funds.

I do appreciate all the information. I have learned alot from this. I am sure they will be cutting more trees down in the future some are pine which that would be nice to get as well. I will let you know the diameters etc once I can get to the logs.

 

[scsmith42]

Kevin, if they have only been sawn a few days or so, go ahead and apply the end sealer to the existing ends.

If checks are very visible, take a chainsaw and trim the ends of the log off - a good guide is 1" plus 1/2" per month that they've been logged.

 

[rcflyer23]

Scott thanks for the rule of thumb there. I think they have only been down for a week at this point. They have a neighbor who is a woodworker as well so I am hoping that he influenced them to seal the ends for me. If not then I will just slice off the ends a little extra thick flip the good side up and make some outdoor drink tables for our backyard.

 

[rcflyer23]

Well in talking to my MIL it sounds like the logs are probably no bigger than 6 - 10" Round(Diameter) so they are fairly small logs. I guess it was a smaller tree. I will have to investigate this a little further. They have not been sealed so I am going to have the FIL seal them for me since I can't get up there. I guess my question no is something that size to I still need to take it to a sawyer or would a bandsay take care of it something with a 12" resaw capacity? I figure I can make some small boxes out of it. I think he cut the logs into about 2-3" Lengths.

 

[Matt Furjanic]

I think you got some very good advice...
Here's a pic of a porch I recently completed - the cedar is absolutely awewsome!
The tree was freshly cut locally. We sticker-stacked the cedar in the garage (with a fan as recommended). It stayed there for a couple months before we started. Everything was freshly surfaced planed (man, we made a bunch of cedar shavings!), then sprayed within a couple days with spar polyeurethane to retain the color. The sun will kill the color in short order if you do not finish it quickly. One coat was all we needed to maintain the color. Two additional coats were sprayed on later.
Good luck with your cedar project.

 

[rcflyer23]

Matt that is beautiful. I am looking forward to getting the logs. She said she has about an F150 Load full of logs. Should be fun. Maybe an excuse to get a nice bandsaw.