# Need some drying advice please.



## Jim West Pa (Jul 27, 2010)

These two white oak slabs are 2" thick x 24" ( wide end) x 60+".
They are freshly milled and still dead flat.
I would like to air dry just the two of them together and not sure how to go about it.
I ( if possible), would like to be able to stand them on end in my shop somewhere for a couple few years and leave it at that.
Any and all advice/experience welcome.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I would cover the ends with anchorseal or wax and stand them on end to dry. They will dry quicker stood up however it still may take a couple years. You could rig a solar kiln with some polyethylene plastic and perhaps have it dry by the end of next summer. The quickest way would be to find someone that had a real dry kiln.


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## djg (Dec 24, 2009)

For what it's worth, I'll give you the benifit of my LIMITED experience. I had brought home a couple of 8/4 flitches from the sawmill and like you, stored them upright in my garage. They cupped badly beyond use. It may not be the norm, I don't know, just my experience. I would get some cider blocks and 4x4s and sticker every 18" including at the very ends and put alot of weight on it. If you don't have anything for weight, use a large stack of firewood I see in the back for weight. You've got time so you don't have to rush. I would dismantle the stack every 6 mos. and flip the pieces. And keep dry.

Maybe someone else can tell you, but they still need to be kiln dried before use. If there's any figure in the grain or branch points, coat the face or at least the areas with something. My $0.02 worth.

I see Steve beat me. Definitely what he said and I would also coat the faces at the upper ends of the boards and the cracks too.


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## Da Aardvark (Oct 11, 2012)

I wouldn't dry them standing upright, especially with the twisty grain I see there.
Lay em flat, sticker em and put some weight on top of them. When the internal (not external, you'll need to nip off a piece to check) moisture ccontent gets down around 20-25% I would kiln them.

My $.02c


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## Da Aardvark (Oct 11, 2012)

I wouldn't dry them standing upright, especially with the twisty grain I see there.
Lay em flat, sticker em and put some weight on top of them. When the internal (not external, you'll need to nip off a piece to check) moisture ccontent gets down around 20-25% I would kiln them.

My $.02c

Sorry,,,,I didn't mean to post this twice.


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## del schisler (Nov 5, 2009)

Jim West Pa said:


> These two white oak slabs are 2" thick x 24" ( wide end) x 60+".
> They are freshly milled and still dead flat.
> I would like to air dry just the two of them together and not sure how to go about it.
> I ( if possible), would like to be able to stand them on end in my shop somewhere for a couple few years and leave it at that.
> ...


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## walnutavenue (Nov 9, 2011)

How dry is your shop? With the use of a dehumidifier I keep mine at about 45% humidity during spring and summer (falls lower during the winter). With that alone, I'm amazed that I can dry 4/4 lumber in under 4 months. Your thicker boards will certainly take longer, but probably less than a year.


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## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

Oak is a difficult species to dry and I think the slabs would dry too quickly in your shop, with all the associated drying defects. If your shop is heated, I know they would dry too quickly. 4/4 White Oak has a safe drying rate of 2.5% MC per day. Halve that for 8/4 and it's only 1.25%/day.

I would definitely coat the ends with something like Anchorseal or paraffin wax. (This thread originated Nov. 5 so if they are still uncoated, you will need to cut off any checking and then coat)

As was already suggested, air dry them outside, shielded from any prevailing wind and covered. (I cover my air-dry stacks with corrugated metal roofing but an open shed would be even better) When the MC is at or below 20%, have them kiln dried unless you are willing to wait another year or so. Conversely, you could then bring them into your shop as you mentioned without fear of too-fast drying. The remaining time to get them to an acceptable MC will depend on the average temperature and RH in your shop.


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## Post Oakie (Aug 20, 2013)

It appears that the smaller of the two pieces is a top slab with bark on the other side. There is no way it will dry flat (even if you remove the bark). If you try to constrain it, it will crack. The other piece might be all right Standing it for a couple of years would be acceptable, if you don't mind waiting that long. Otherwise, a kiln would be the way to go. If it cups, rip it up the middle, plane it, joint it, and re-join the two halves.


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