I posted a thread this past March concerning a ash tree I had cut into 1" boards. Being this is my first attempt to go from tree to finished lumber for window trim, I was advised to stack my boards in a unheated outbuilding at that time, instead of my basement.
Now 3 months later I decided to stack the lumber outside to get more natural airflow. For the heck of it, I took one of the boards and cut a one foot piece off to test the inside for moisture content. My moisture meter is one of those cheap ebay ones with 2 prongs and a digital read-out. Anyway the moisture reading on the fresh cut piece of lumber read out at 14%. This seems awfully low for wood that has only been curing for 3 months now, doesnt it? When the boards were first sawn, the same moisture meter measured the moisture at about 25%. The log was dead when I cut it down and it sat for about 2 years with the bark on before it was sawn into lumber. There was no rot on the inside of the log whatsoever. It was as solid as it was the day I cut it. My question is do 1" boards really dry that fast? Or is my meter mis-leading me? There is really no hurry for me to start the planing process yet. I was hoping to do this next winter for a inside project. The boards still measure 1" thick so they havent shrunk yet, that is if they will at all. But now they are stacked outside with a cover on top to keep the rain off but the sides are open for airflow.
Now 3 months later I decided to stack the lumber outside to get more natural airflow. For the heck of it, I took one of the boards and cut a one foot piece off to test the inside for moisture content. My moisture meter is one of those cheap ebay ones with 2 prongs and a digital read-out. Anyway the moisture reading on the fresh cut piece of lumber read out at 14%. This seems awfully low for wood that has only been curing for 3 months now, doesnt it? When the boards were first sawn, the same moisture meter measured the moisture at about 25%. The log was dead when I cut it down and it sat for about 2 years with the bark on before it was sawn into lumber. There was no rot on the inside of the log whatsoever. It was as solid as it was the day I cut it. My question is do 1" boards really dry that fast? Or is my meter mis-leading me? There is really no hurry for me to start the planing process yet. I was hoping to do this next winter for a inside project. The boards still measure 1" thick so they havent shrunk yet, that is if they will at all. But now they are stacked outside with a cover on top to keep the rain off but the sides are open for airflow.
