Freshly sawed boards questions. Newbie

[reaperman]

Last week I took two, 11 foot Ash logs, from the same tree to a sawmill to get cut into 1" boards. I picked the boards up a couple of days later. After getting home I brought them into my basement where I stacked them (with stickers) to dry. I used my cheapo moisture meter to get a few readings. The boards were averaging 30-33%. Now a week later, I checked them again and I'm now getting readings of 18-23%. Of coarse these are outside readings or however far I can jamb the prongs into the wood. I'm sure the boards has some additional moisture on them the first day, mainly from being outside. But what kind of moisture readings should I be looking for before I can plane the lumber. I'm not in a hurry at all. I will be using some of the boards to finish around some basement window casements, and walk out patio door. I initially figured next winter before they would be ready.

The boards are in my basement which isnt finished, but is heated by my wood furnace. Should I be running a fan on this wood to keep air circulating or will they be fine as they are. And is there something I should do to keep warping to a minimum? Or isn't this a concern? Thanks

 

[oldsaw]

Put some weight on them, seal the end grain if you haven't to reduce the chance of splits then run a fan at low speed from the side, just enough to get air going through the stack to prevent mold.

The first few days, the surface moisture level will "crash" quickly, but the inside will hold moisture for a long time. Have to make sure it dries slow, but you don't get any mold starting which will discolor the stack.

I've dried a few hundred board feet in my garage, biggest batch was about 400 bft and it was too much. I use a dehumidifier and a box fan on "my" side of the garage, the humidity got so high I got some rust on a few tools. It didn't last long though before it was under control. It was filling up that dehumidifier every day. I'd empty it twice a day for the first week or two, then daily for another couple of weeks. I'd do it again though, can't pass up on free wood. I would probably do the initial drying in the back yard for another batch that big, but one your size is great for the basement.

Mark

 

[BobL]

Hi reaperman, looks like a nice stash you got there.

For lumber that long and thin I'd be placing a sticker direct under the very ends of the boards and probably be using 5 stickers instead of 3.

The edges and side of a stack will dry out quicker than the middle. I sometimes keep an off cut about the size of a sticker (but slightly thinner) and insert it into the middle of the stack alongside one of the stickers. Then I can pull it out and do a reading on it any time I like.

Cheers

 

[Sawyer Rob]

First off, i'd be afraid you are drying them too fast! Wood heat is VERY dry, and i'd feel MUCH better if they had been stickered outside for a couple months BEFORE being brought into a heated space. That lumber could easily case harden or split, either one.

Another thing. I'd want a lot more stickers in that stack, and i'd want the end stickers to be at the end of the boards and then get some weight on the stack.

Lastly, i'd want the stack up off the ground/floor a lot more than it is...

I wouldn't plane the lumber untill i was going to use it...

Anyway, i hope you get some nice lumber out of the stack...

SR

 

[woodshop]

... i'd be afraid you are drying them too fast! Wood heat is VERY dry, and i'd feel MUCH better if they had been stickered outside for a couple months BEFORE being brought into a heated space. That lumber could easily case harden or split, either one...

Actually this was my first thought also... drying to fast is a quick way to ruin couple hundred feet of lumber. Not having seen your wood, can't say you are doing that, but I would have stickered it outside at least for the first month or so.

Good luck, I love working with ash and wish my customers requested it more often. Everybody wants oak or cherry because that's all they know.

 

[reaperman]

I appreciate the input guys. It sounds like I should have asked "before" I unloaded my truck two boards at a time, walked them down the icy hill to my walkout door, and stacked them inside my house.

Heck, this is one of the only times where I could have actually been lazy and left them in my shed until I felt like moving them into the basement. Go figure. It looks like I know what I'll be doing tomorrow.

Would it be better to stack them outside, where the wind can work its magic, or should I stack them inside of my non-heated pole shed? There is about 2 1/2 feet of snow on the ground here. I live in Minn and its been very cold here lately, I figured the wood wouldn't't have a chance of drying in these freezing temps.

Woodshop: Your correct about everyone using oak, I have a whole woods full of red and white, but I wanted something different. I have a good number of Ash trees also, so when I came upon this particular dead tree (23 feet long and about 18" at the base, and strait as a arrow until the first branches), I figured it would be a shame to cut it into firewood. Our home was newly built 2 years ago, and at that time the wife implemented the "no oak" policy, for the reason you listed above. So she choose Hickory, for the woodwork upstairs, it looks great. The basement is mine, and after paying for "her" upstairs, I had to put myself on a budget, and grow my own trim work, instead of buying it. Actually, I'm looking forward to the project and by using lumber from my own woods will make it a bit more special when its completed. I want my basement walls and probably the ceiling all wood, most likely tongue and groove, or possibly some kind of 1/4 log look. I know that much wood wont come from my back yard though.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

My vote is for the lumber to be stickered properly, at least 12" off the floor in a dry "unheated" pole barn. Stacked at least a few feet away from a wall or ? so the air can easily circulate. No fans needed, just let it sit there with weight on it...

It's a pain to properly dry lumber, but it is sure worth the pain when you open the stack and look at all that GREAT lumber!

SR

 

[IndyIan]

Being kind of lazy at times, I would end coat, and then put a light sheet over the pile so it doesn't dry to fast depending on the humidity of the basement. Probably its very dry right now so put a sheet over it and check every couple days for the first week to see if any mold is forming. A fan is probably not what you want at all unless you need to use the wood soon, or your getting mold without a sheet. Even with the sheet on, you could use a fan on a timer, say 1 hour of air flow a day, sort of pulse drying, which is what some real kilns use. Do some reading online as there's lots of info on how to dry wood.
Also put some weight on it, it may help with warpage.
Ian

 

[clutch25]

How much did the mill charge you to cut that log up?

I was thinking of having a couple of oak beams made...since I already sent one of the nicer trees I found through the spliting maul.

 

[reaperman]

How much did the mill charge you to cut that log up?

I was thinking of having a couple of oak beams made...since I already sent one of the nicer trees I found through the spliting maul.

After helping me load the boards into my pick-up, the owner of the sawmill said how does $25 sound? I gladly paid him.

 

[Zodiac45]

After helping me load the boards into my pick-up, the owner of the sawmill said how does $25 sound? I gladly paid him.

Good deal! I'm sure that it's your furnace/stove down there that drying them so fast. I left all of mine in my barn (unheated) and one stack of 8/4 cedar planks outside. They are greying up nicely.

 

[reaperman]

Ok, I followed the advice from you experts on the subject, and took my boards out of my house and stacked them in a shed. I raised them off of the floor with some 6x6's, they were the largest uniform blocking I had. I also added two more stickers to each stack, and for weight on the top of the stack, I heaved up 3 very beefy, white oak rounds that I was able to dig out of the snow, roll into a sled, and pull over to my shed. If you heard some strange noises today around 1:45 central time, that was just me lifting those white oak rounds onto the top of the pile of lumber. I figure I will leave them in the shed until sometime in the spring, when I will be using that shed space and the boards will be in the way.

 

[IndyIan]

The lumber won't dry very much until you get temperatures above freezing. Here's a some information I found about "effective drying days" by month.

http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplrn/fplrn224.pdf

Ian

 

[peanut]

After felling them, I put them under a tarp for 1 year on 2 old I beams. Then I put them in my garage 1 year. Then I rough plane them, & put them in the basement for 1 more year at the end of 3 years, they're ready to go.
Oh yeah I use between 5-9 spacers.

 

[peanut]

After felling them, I put them under a tarp for 1 year on 2 old I beams. Then I put them in my garage 1 year. Then I rough plane them, & put them in the basement for 1 more year at the end of 3 years, they're ready to go.
Oh yeah I use between 5-9 spacers.