Questions on seasoning/drying milled wood

[TimberWolf530]

My son and I are going to build an electric guitar together. I have done wood working, but this will be the first wood I am sourcing directly from a tree, so I’m not sure how to do it correctly. I have some rounds of hard maple and oak that are large enough, so I am going to use the saw to rough cut a chunk of wood out of one of them. The maple has been sitting for about 9 months and the oak for about 3. How long after a cut the piece I want to use do I need to let it dry, or can I use it right away?

 

[J D]

It will vary depending on the thickness, type of wood, initial moisture content & drying conditions. As a rough guide I use a year/inch for harder woods & half that for softer woods (dried fillited in the shade in open air). For a guitar size piece you could possibly oven dry it... Fan bake on very low heat with good even air circulation for a day or so. If you try that I'd recommend trying a few similar size scraps to assess warping/cracking that you may experience. Test with a good moisture meter to ensure suitably dry, or at a pinch use good scales to monitor weight while drying & bake until you stop seeing weight drop. If you don't dry it well enough you may find it warps &/or cracks over time. Good luck

 

[csmillingnoob]

Rule of thumb for air drying: one year for each inch to get it to relative humidity of your area. For my area, that’s about 14% . It’s fairly stable at that point but needs to be reduced further to about 9% for fine woodworking.

for small pieces, JD is correct, an oven can be used but at very low temp like not over 160 degrees (which will kill bugs/larvae too). . Circulation can be a problem in an oven.

cheapish moisture meters from Lowe’s/depot can be used, but drive nails to center and measure off the nails. Generally speaking, the pins don’t go deep enough.

 

[TimberWolf530]

Thanks. That’s kind of what I thought. My son thinks we could use it right away, but I told him we better check first.

 

[Mike Van]

Do some more research online too, specific to guitar building. I'm sure there's tons of it before you start this. Not only how to dry, but what species, flat or quartersawn, etc. - Lot of hours can go to waste if your project warps or splits when done.

 

[tfp]

My friend, you can either learn the easy way or the hard way that as a general rule, for fine joinery, any wood you cut dead or alive will require some time to “season”. Quarter sawn is usually best for stability, and coincidentally usually results in the nicest grain patterns. Mill it thicker than you require, stack and sticker it up somewhere shady with good air flow and protection from rain then wait for your investment to mature. You can always rough out a blank from a bad cut or not the nicest slab and just see how it behaves so you get some experience with it, but I wouldn’t use the best pieces.

the most important thing is that you remember to take pictures and post them with stories for us to follow along

 

[J D]

Just thinking outside of the box, if you have any friendly wood workers in your area they may happily trade your maple or oak for something equally or even better suited & already seasoned

 

[JTM]

I would stay away from oak. I’ve read too many negative things about it. Pine would be a good one to use.

 

[motolife313]

What’s wrong with oak besides it takes long time to season? It’s one of my favorite because of its hardness

 

[Mike Van]

For a guitar? Oak will weigh double what others do. Many acoustic's are made of spruce I believe.

 

[buzz sawyer]

Fender used Ash for many guitars. I've had some air drying in an unheated shed for 15-20 years and it reads 10%. Another option is dessicant. My brother has used this on bowls and smaller items with great success. Amazon.com: Interteck Packaging 5 LBS Premium Quality Blue Indicating Silica Gel Bulk Desiccant Beads, Industry Standard 2-5mm - Rechargeable (Blue to Pink): Home & Kitchen

 

[csmillingnoob]

You should take the time to read this: https://www.wagnermeters.com/moisture-meters/wood-info/acceptable-moisture-levels-wood/

Wagner is, of course, trying to push their meters. but it's a solid peice on the issue and the professor they cite is a US (if not worldwide) re-knowned expert who has produced many scholarly articles on wood drying. Most of his articles go over my head.

 

[unclemoustache]

A good video of air-drying basics. He also reviews a couple of moisture meters.

 

[Down Home Dave]

Tone woods- electric guitars- Ash, Mahogany, Korina, Sapele, Alder, Basswood, Poplar, Maple and Walnut. Oak makes a dead guitar. I've done it and scrapped the bodies.
Varying opinions on the topic, but I prefer lighter. Rings better, resonant and doesn't kill you with it slung over your shoulder all night. Heavy guitars are no fun, I don't care how good they sound. Personal preference is Ash. The first Fender Stratocasters were made of ash in 1954. The sound that shaped rock and roll.

Making gunstocks or guitars for some time. I personally.... cut into big slabs, -1/2" thick, cut in the fall or winter. Air dried 2-2.5 years. Then cut the checks out, air drying inside my basement where it is under 40% year round. Then moved to a living space for 6 months. I sample an underside piece of furniture that has been in the same spot for 10 years. and do comparative measurements with a moisture meter. I consider wood to be ready for fine work when its under 10% here in SWPA.

I have the luxury of having been at it for a long time, so I have a pile of wood always usable. I realize you might not be in that place. Can't rush art. Faster you dry, the faster you get warps cracks and checks.

Best advice short term is to find a bunch of billets you want to use, slab them, season till spring then find a local kiln to dry them. Or swap someone with a good air dried piece. I have a stack of lightweight ash pre-emrald ash borer here that is 25-28" wide and 10' long, 12/4 thick. Air dried 3 years.

 

[Down Home Dave]

For a guitar? Oak will weigh double what others do. Many acoustic's are made of spruce I believe.

Acoustic tops are typically a softwood, spruce, cedar, sitka, pertty common. Sides and backs are typically exotics. Rosewood, Mahogany, some are maple. Necks are often mahogany, fretboards, rosewood or ebony. Lots of developments in guitar making with "torrefied" or "baked" domestics- like Maple to change their structures and darken the tone and appearance.

 

[Down Home Dave]

.....and most sold body guitars are not made of one piece of wood. Most are either two piece or 3,4 pieces. Opposing the grain directions to combat the warping. Early fenders with transparent finishes were almost all center joined two piece bodies, while painted finishes could be 4-5 pieces. enjoy!

 

[Mike Van]

Thanks for the facts Dave - sounds like you've been there & done that -

 

[lone wolf]

Do some more research online too, specific to guitar building. I'm sure there's tons of it before you start this. Not only how to dry, but what species, flat or quartersawn, etc. - Lot of hours can go to waste if your project warps or splits when done.

They put it in a kiln to dry it completely or it with move when assembled.