# oak slab at 16%..... few questions



## SMW (Feb 8, 2015)

i have a 2 inch thick oak slab (20x72) that is currently at 16% MC. It was air dried outside for a little over a year. I checked the MC when I cut 20in off the end and stuck the meter in the middle of the freshly cut board.


My question is how to best finish drying it. I do not have access to a kiln. 

Currently there is very very little checking, almost no bends or warping, no cupping, etc. I would like to keep it that way :thumbsup:. 

I can store it in the house, outside covered in mostly shade, or in the garage. 

The board will become a desk that is mounted to the wall with steel cable and L braces. 

Would it be bad to go ahead and put the desk on the L braces on the bottom and cables unfinished? After the MC settles I will apply a finish to all sides. 


cables will be similar to this but more aged industrial:


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## Da Aardvark (Oct 11, 2012)

Make a makeshift kiln
At 16% your wood is a perfect candidate for kiln drying.

My method is to set up a blue tarp like a small pup tent and use a under desk sized space heater to blow hot air through the tent. Leave a vent hole for letting heat and moisture to escape, and a thermometer visible through the vent hole. Place the space heater where it can get outside air.. 
In a few days, your MC will drop to a usable level. It works by passing hot dry air over the pieces. The vent hole allows the heat/moisture an escape route.
I can get a setup like that up to above 130f temps, but you don't need that. That's for bug kill.
I think getting your pieces up to 90f temp for 3 to 5 days will solve your problem but you can control the heat and timing. Just don't go after it too fast. Bring it up to temp slowly.

I dry entire small stacks of lumber this way. Slabs for kitchen tables, up to 8ft long. To keep the drying even, I'll relocate the space heater around the tent a few times a day.

Generally I start kilning my wood when it's below 25%, but have dried pieces as wet as 50% (and yes it cracked as expected., but the piece was 1ft+ thick).
Just don't be in a hurry temperature wise. Chances are very good you will have success, but with wood, there is never a guarantee.


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## Post Oakie (Aug 20, 2013)

Aardvark's tent dryer sounds interesting. Even airflow around the board (or stack of boards) is very important, so be sure to have the slab supported a couple of inches off the floor with stickers. A fan to circulate the air might also help. Taking a 2" thick slab from 16% to 8% in 3-5 days seems a little fast. The pins in a meter only penetrate about 3/8" or so, and it takes time for the moisture to move through the board, so you may get a low reading. After the moisture content comes down to your target, check the moisture content again after a couple of weeks, just to be sure. Sounds like you've got yourself a nice slab!


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## Da Aardvark (Oct 11, 2012)

Those under desk heaters have a built in fan.


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## guglipm63 (Feb 27, 2013)

I do something similar to Aardvark's tent dryer only I use a dehumidifier


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## Da Aardvark (Oct 11, 2012)

That works as well. Only problem is if you wanted to get your wood to over 130 degrees F for bug kill.
That doesn't seem to be the case here, but I've had bug et pieces and wanted the bug chew and bore holes as part of the appeal of the wood. But first they must be killed off.


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## Post Oakie (Aug 20, 2013)

Problem is when the bugs decide to munch on other wood in the house. Powder post beetles can do a lot of damage!


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