Mold or something else?
- Thread starter dave
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Your right its called blue staining and i believe is a sort of fungi or mold but IDK for sure. It happens during high humidity and or not enough air flow through the stack when drying. It may only be surface deep and can usually be eliminated completely with bleach.
Jeff (CrealBilly) may be right and I can't get a good look at it from your pic. What kind of wood is it and how have you been storing it since it was sawn?
http://www.southernpine.com/using-southern-pine/blue-stain-faqs/
http://www.southernpine.com/using-southern-pine/blue-stain-faqs/
There's a photo is another thread I posted.
http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=58869
The pallets and other items are usually not sitting around like they are in the photo. We've been cleaning up/rearranging a few things and stuff was moved under the lean-to while this is going on.
It was green, but I didn't air flow would be a problem. We butt up next to a field and with no trees around, we have nothing restricting the wind.
http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=58869
The pallets and other items are usually not sitting around like they are in the photo. We've been cleaning up/rearranging a few things and stuff was moved under the lean-to while this is going on.
It was green, but I didn't air flow would be a problem. We butt up next to a field and with no trees around, we have nothing restricting the wind.
Hi Dave. Actually, you do have something restricting air flow, and that is the building that is adjacent to your stickered stacks. Additionally you have a second stack of lumber placed immediately adjacent to your taller stack, which is also restricting airflow. The good news is that you can easily resolve your problem simply by restacking the lumber.
Your mold is a surface mold (that sometimes can go deep into the lumber) that is developing due to lack of airflow.
The drying rate of lumber is influenced by three factors; temperature, relative humidity, and airflow. Drying does not occur much below 50 degrees, but surprisingly lumber will dry even in RH% as high as 95% provided that it has adequate air flow.
When you air dry lumber, if at all possible you need to align your stacks so that there are no obstructions along the "long side" of the stacks, as that is the direction that air will flow through them. In your photo, the long side of the stacks are aligned parallel with the wall of the building, and only placed a few inches away. Air flow is negatively impacted because of the restrictions on the exit side of the stack (ie - the building wall).
If you have no choice but to stack lumber with the long side adjacent to an obstruction, then as a rule you need the stack to be at least as far away from the building as the sum total of all of the stickers. Let's say that you have a stickered pile of boards that are 20 layers thick, and utilize 1" thick stickers. That means that you need to have the stack at least 20" away from the closest obstruction (and even this is not ideal).
To resolve your drying problem, reorientate your stacks so that the long side of the boards run perpendicular to the building, with no obstructions on either side of the stack. It is better to make your stack higher than to place two shorter stacks adjacent to one another (unless they are end to end), as the adjacent stacks will also restrict airflow.
Thanks Scott! I didn't realize having the stacks close together or close to the building would have a negative impact. It's the first time I'd gotten my hands on green lumber to dry myself.
Fortunately, I'm very close to getting a small tractor, so I will be able to move these without too much problem.
Fortunately, I'm very close to getting a small tractor, so I will be able to move these without too much problem.
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