# Help with drying wood



## Badd30 (Mar 6, 2012)

I have tried looking this up but i cant seem to find anything specific. I am trying to dry some rough cut red oak (just enough to maybe build 2 beds and a night stand) and im not sure how i should go about this. I have access to a barn, an attic, an empty cargo trailer thats sits in the sun all day, and a warehouse. I live in Texas so its about to get pretty hot but im not sure where i should choose to dry my wood. Also, is it possible to band the wood together so that it doesnt warp as much?


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## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

Oak is difficult to dry without defect as the safe drying rate is 1% to 3% per day, depending on one of the four types...Upland Red Oak, Lowland Red Oak, Upland White Oak and Lowland White Oak. The lowland Oaks generally have growth rings 1/4" or so apart.

Of those drying areas you listed, I would go with sticker stacking the Oak inside the barn in an open area first. This time of year, we often get strong, dry winds in Texas which can dry the lumber too quickly. Exceeding the safe drying rate for even one day can ruin the lumber.

If the lumber ends aren't sealed, you should do so ASAP. Cut off any checked ends back to sound wood before sealing. I use Anchorseal but paraffin wax, aluminum paint mixed 50/50 with varnish or roofing sealer are all good for sealing lumber ends. Avoid latex paint as it does not seal in water vapor. Oil based paint will not adhere to wet lumber.

Keep an eye on the stack and if you see any indication of mold or mildew, set up a fan to blow air through the stack to speed up drying a bit. Once the wood is below 20% MC, you can move it to the attic or to that cargo trailer for additional drying without danger of defect. The trailer might need to have the air evacuated with a fan until the lumber gets down around 12% MC or less.

Straps will help control any warping but you would need to routinely tighten them as the lumber dries and shrinks. A better method is to stack weight on top such as cinder blocks...the more the better.

I have five Oak logs on my trailer as I type this that will be going to the sawyer today. They were standing dead trees (drought) that a friend gave me. I'll put the milled lumber into my solar kiln as soon as I get it back home.

Hope this helps.

Edit In: The attached link is a very good resource for drying lumber. If you have time, give it a read or three.
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr118.pdf


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## projectlumber (Feb 29, 2012)

don't underestimate the weight or using the ratchet straps. This helps immensely with keeping your lumber flat. 

When you put stickers in between each layer be sure to put the sticks on the ends as close to the edge as possible as this helps hold the moisture from rushing out the ends preventing cracks and checks. 

Red Oak is easier to dry than White Oak but will still take all 8 months to air dry. A good rule of thumb is 1yr/inch thickness. Naturally putting it in the attic will speed up the process. 6% mc is what furniture grade lumber is normally dried to. Air drying in Texas could probably bring the lumber down to 8-10%mc. Be sure to shop dry your lumber before building with it. Hope this helps.


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## aardvark (Sep 29, 2011)

Well. 
Here is what not to do...but it's working.

I'm sorta pushing my luck with a very large Oak disk that is 5 ft across and the center is eaten out. It looks sorta like a ragged edged Cheerio except it's a flat cut disk. It has the shape of a cyprus tree base. All sides are about 14-24" across, depending on where is is measured and the slab was chainsaw cut down to 3" thick.
To keep it flat, I mounted it to a 2" x 2" x 3/16" welded angle iron frame 25" x 30". I lag bolted it with 2" x 1/2 " lags @ 6" o.c. . 
Why am I drying it on a frame? If it splits, (and it has some, even before I obtained it) at least it is held flat.

After the initial cuts, to get it to 3" thick, I had a moisture content on the fresh cuts of 22-26%. In 2 days it had a surface moisture of 16-20%, just air drying, and then I put it under a tarped tent with a very small space heater, blowing hot air on it, and a slit in the tarp to vent it out. It's sitting at a constant 70ish deg. I rotate the heater around it to keep even drying on it, and yesterday I flipped the piece over. I'm now at 12ish % in one week. I imagine the interior of the log cut is still fairly high, at 18-20% but there is no way to check.
I guess you could call this process a mild kiln process except I'm letting the heat drive out the moisture, rather than using a humidifier with heat.

I know this is not the normal process, and any splits/cracks I had are opening up a bit, but at 3" and the rule of thumb of 1" a year drying, I don't have that time option, so I'm pushing my luck and so far I'm semi pleased with the results.
What I am seeing is some fine line checking going on. Remember this is a huge 5 ft end grain.

So would I recommend this?
For what I use log cuts for, it's acceptable. This is to be a heavily clearcoated and epoxy crack filled tabletop under glass. It is not meant for fine joinery Norm Abrahms type of work, so for me...I'm good with it.


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