# Air drying lumber



## Purrmaster (Jul 19, 2012)

I apologize if this is the incorrect forum for this but I have some questions about air drying some green wood.

I recently had to cut down a small purple robe locust tree that was dying. The trunk isn't very wide and it's pretty beat up. I probably can't get much usable lumber out of it but I very much want to try.

I'm going to have to air dry whatever wood I can get out of it. I live in Oregon where the weather is fairly cold and very rainy most of the year. 

My options for where to dry it are a barn or outside under a tarp. I did some web searching and couldn't find a definitive answer on which is better. 

Putting the wood outside would allow for better airflow from the wind. But even covered with a tarp the wood is going to get hit by rain pretty regularly (we get horizontal rain frequently). The barn will be drier but there is basically no airflow in there. And no, the barn is not heated nor can it be heated.

Which location would be preferable? 

I realize it will probably take at least a year for the wood to air dry, assuming it ever does. I don't expect to get much good wood out of it but I don't want it to go to waste. The "sawing" of the pieces will be with a chainsaw. I'm going to try and peel off the bark if I can.

Thank you.


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## jigs-n-fixtures (Apr 28, 2012)

Go to the Forest Service, Forest Products Lab website: http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/

They have a couple of very good publications on drying wood, including the chapter in the Wood as an Engineering Material book. 

Personally, I'd go with the barn. Seal the ends and sticker well.

Sent from my iPhone using Wood Forum


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## Roger Newby (May 26, 2009)

You don't need air blowing on the wood, just air circulation. Stack the boards with stickers between each layer and weigh the pile down and be patient. I would keep it inside if space allows, considering your climate conditions. If you are worried about air circulation, a small fan would probably help make you feel better but not actually help the process that much. You can also look into using a dehumidifier and wrapping the pile but for small quantities it probably isn't worth the effort.


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## Purrmaster (Jul 19, 2012)

Thank you for the link. I'll check it out.

I was leaning towards the barn as well. This is Oregon, after all, where it rains constantly. Good to know the fan won't be crucial because I didn't want to use one. I don't want to have an electrical thing running constantly without attention.

I read about the stacking and stickers. Stickers as I understand it are just pieces of lumber to keep the wood suspended to allow airflow. I dont' think I have anything over 3/4 inch thick but I'll look at my stuff.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

I also agree with above post.


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## Allen Tomaszek (Dec 11, 2010)

The only thing about not promoting air flow when air drying is the formation of mold on the wood. Keep an eye on it in the early stages of drying and if you start seeing mold formation get a fan going to promote air flow.


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## aardvark (Sep 29, 2011)

So why is it you are set on air drying?


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## Rick C. (Dec 17, 2008)

Purrmaster, When Roger said weigh it down that means park a car on the pile if possible. I've sticker stacked honey locust and this stuff really moves if given the chance. I also stack my lumber on concrete blocks to get them higher off the concrete pad. Definitely in the barn!


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## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

The last thing you want to do is put it outside under a tarp unless you want to grow mushrooms.

Sticker-stacked inside a barn is okay but if you only have a small amount of wood, consider stickering it in your house attic. It will get air flow up there from convection, stay warm and dry quicker. The downside is that you won't be able to stack a lot of weight on top of it.


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