How long (I know you can't say for sure) does it usually take for lumber to air dry once it has been milled. I am looking a having some trees milled and didn't know how long that I would have to store them before I could actually use them. I have poplar, oak and maple that I am looking at milling.
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I've always heard one year per inch of thickness. I believe you can decrease this time somewhat by stickering it after it's milled, covering with a tarp, and placing fans to blow air through it. Not sure how much that would cut it down though.
Scott
Scott
Kevin, air drying time depends upon species, thickness, geographic area and time of year. In our area, if you mill 4/4 oak this week, it will air dry down below 20% in about 65 days. That same oak, milled in November, will require about 120 days. 8/4 oak milled this week will require about 280 days, milled in November 8/4 oak will require about 270 days.
4/4 Poplar milled this week will air dry below 20% in about 12 days. 8/4 poplar milled this week will require 45 days. 8/4 poplar milled in November will require 112 days. Maple is in-between the two.
4/4 Poplar milled this week will air dry below 20% in about 12 days. 8/4 poplar milled this week will require 45 days. 8/4 poplar milled in November will require 112 days. Maple is in-between the two.
It depends.:gar-Bi
Where are you planning to store it? Stacked and stickered outside in the open (but protected from rain) you can take it down pretty quick. In some cases too quick so you may want to stack it in the shade. 4/4 will need minimum of a year, 8/4 will need 1.5- 2 years or more and then 3 months or so inside to get it ready to make indoor projects. I have some 4/4 and 8/4 Walnut that has been drying stacked/stickered in the shade for 3 years and the 8/4 is at 10-12%. I restacked it every month for the first 6 months to rotate the boards around to even out the initial drying shock because the outer boards were drying too quickly. The 4/4 boards from that load were moved into my shed when they got to 12% and are now ~9% after a 2 years.
If you plan to dry your load inside some folks will cover in a tarp and use a dehumidifier and fans.
Whatever you do get some Boric Acid powder (Boracare), make a solution and spray the Maple and Oak real well before you stack it. Powder Post Beatles love it and will ruin it.
Where are you planning to store it? Stacked and stickered outside in the open (but protected from rain) you can take it down pretty quick. In some cases too quick so you may want to stack it in the shade. 4/4 will need minimum of a year, 8/4 will need 1.5- 2 years or more and then 3 months or so inside to get it ready to make indoor projects. I have some 4/4 and 8/4 Walnut that has been drying stacked/stickered in the shade for 3 years and the 8/4 is at 10-12%. I restacked it every month for the first 6 months to rotate the boards around to even out the initial drying shock because the outer boards were drying too quickly. The 4/4 boards from that load were moved into my shed when they got to 12% and are now ~9% after a 2 years.
If you plan to dry your load inside some folks will cover in a tarp and use a dehumidifier and fans.
Whatever you do get some Boric Acid powder (Boracare), make a solution and spray the Maple and Oak real well before you stack it. Powder Post Beatles love it and will ruin it.
For those who are interested in increasing their knowledge about this topic, below is a link to very accurate, definitive and easy to understand document regarding air drying of hardwood lumber.
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr121.pdf
There are other dimensions that come into play, namely degrade related to rewetting of lumber (which can occur when you air dry longer than needed).
Regards,
Scott
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr121.pdf
There are other dimensions that come into play, namely degrade related to rewetting of lumber (which can occur when you air dry longer than needed).
Regards,
Scott
I would definitely defer to Scott Smith's advice. He has been doing this a whole lot longer than I have. I'm glad he corrected me! Now I'm going to go read up on this so I can stop spreading erroneous information.
:icon_thum
Scott
:icon_thum
Scott
Scott Smith has experience drying many a board foot.
I'm confused. Oak takes longer to dry when milled in November, unless it is thicker...then it takes less time? Is that a typo or am I missing something really important?
It's not a typo, the November oak spends more time drying during the following years hotter, drier (and faster drying) months; hence the shorter timeframe.
Re oak, I prefer to start it when the weather is cooler, because there is less liklihood of surface checking (degrade). My preferred times to start air-drying oak is between October and April, earlier (ie October) for 8/4 and later (ie March) for 4/4.
The reason why is the balance between speed of drying the surface versus rate of drying the entire board.
what good is lumber around 20% moisture content but for out door use? It still needs to be dried to 6 ~ 10% for indoor use and sterilized to kill off any bugs.
Jeff, once the lumber has air dried below 20%, the most trouble-prone part of the drying process has passed. Hence, it can either be slipped into a kiln to finish it off, or a hobbiest can build their own sterilization chamber (ala FWW's December '10 issue) to finish it off.
Thus, for large volume air drying operators, 20% is their maximum threshold for going into the kiln and hence the importance of that MC%
Thanks Scott you da man
I ran across this FWW'er Video, it might help someone:dontknow:
http://www.finewoodworking.com/Materials/MaterialsArticle.aspx?id=29500
I have a moisture meter you can borrow. I also have a solar kiln that is empty and available it you'd like to use it. :wsmile:
If it were me, I would take Reggie up on his offer to use his solar kiln and meter.
The biggest concern that we have in the SE regarding oak is it's affinity for powderpost beetles. You really want to do something to sterilize the lumber (and you want it below 10% before sterilizing).
Your going to want to get it kiln dried to a moisture content of 6% ~ 10% else it's going to move all over the place. Don't forget about sterilizing it to kill off those pesky PPB that seem to love oak.
Sterilization is typically done at the end of the kiln cycle. It involves heating the core of the wood to at least 133F for 4 hours.
You can do it yourself at home by building a sterilization box out of foam board. I believe that there was an article in the December '10 FWW magazine about it.
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