Air Drying Your Own Lumber
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- I've been air drying my own lumber for about 4 years now. In this video I share an overview of the process which should help demystify and make the process more approachable.
Website: mattcremona.com
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Wagner MMC210 (These have gone up in price since I bought mine):
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General Tools Moisture Meter
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Anchorseal
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Dovetailing a Drawer: • How I Dovetail a Drawe...
Chainsaw Mill: • Using a Chainsaw Mill ...
Well done Matt. I would add a couple of other points that will improve the quality of the air-dried lumber. Be consistent with the spacing of the stickers. I would recommend every 12", but 18" is okay. The stickers should be within 3 inches of the end of the boards. That would mean that your pile is the length of your longest board and you stack to both ends by alternating which end your boards will be closest to. Leave between 1" and 2" between boards so you get air movement bottom to top as well, and cover the last layer with plywood on stickers, then weight. A pin moisture meter needs to reach 1/5 the thickness of the board to be able to measure the Average Equilibrium Moisture Content of the board. With one pin length it can only measure one thickness. The Wagner meters work great, but the species setting can't take into consideration boards which fall outside that norm. For instance if you're measuring something like Punky ash for guitar bodies, it will not measure accurately, and pieces thinner than 1/2" will not measure accurately. This is coming from 40 years of experience and a degree in Wood Science and Technology.
Hi Matt. A lot of great info here. If I might add a few points without stepping on anyones toes, I'd like to share a few things I've learned from my 30 years running a portable sawmill business, drying lumber, and building furniture. Anchorseal is the best. But to get the most out of it you should apply it to a fresh cut, either when the log is first bucked to length, or right after it is milled. With the later, it's best to make a fresh cut an inch or two on each end of the board, then coat. Second, you really should keep your first and last sticker within an inch or so of the end of the board. Seventy percent of end checks will stop at the first sticker. Here in PA when drying lumber outside you can bring the moister down to around 15% (relative humidity). After the I often bring the wood inside and stack it behind the couch in the living room for a few weeks to bring it down to 8%. However, I've found this system only works if I actually produce a nice piece of furniture for my wife. Hope this info helps. Keep up the good work.
Pat Shull, Shullwood Portable Sawmill
How long does it take to get down to 15% outside? I'm in south central PA.
Dehumidifier helps with a fan too.
Kathy, can you apply the Anchorseal in cold weather?
Timber should be dried according to the relative humidity in the area you're living in. The closest to PA I've seen is NY and the relative humidity there is 12%. 8% is very dry but I guess there are places that low. Timber should be acclimatized to the area where it will be used before starting a job because there's virtually nothing you can do to stop it matching the relative humidity of where it is.
Thank you for the addition info . One wouldnt think that a sticker would stop a check
Nice video.
Here is an old man tip. Never ever let your lumber touch the cement or bare ground with out a cloth or plywood. First time you run a rock or pebble through a sharp planer or jointer blades you'll get it ! One more is lumber tends to stop checking splitting to the first sticker and stop. Not 100% but enough I noticed in my life in lumber use. Hold them out to the ends!
what is a sticker?
thanks for this no fuss straight facts video, you got right to the point without any person stuff. I appreciate you not wasting people's time. very helpful video
Thank you Jason!
So you sell wood? I made a couple of farm tables out of construction lumber which I should have laid down in my basement before I made it. At 42 inches wide I ended up with a cracked top because I was STUPID and put a breadboard edge on with biscuits, pocket screws and glue. It shrunk a half inch and my daughter to who it was a gift heard a loud bang and found a crack about a quarter inch wide. Character I told her, she didn't buy into it so I sawed the bread board edges off and glued the crack and the bread board edge back on. I would like to make a real one out of either white oak, cherry or walnut. The next construction lumber one got a design change with a not attached breadboard edge. It did not crack.
Long after it was a fresh video - but, a helpful hint that I have used for years...
The best stickers I have ever found has been 2" PVC pipe cut in half. It gives you a U shape that has minimal contact points, it is dirt cheap, doesn't rot or carry moisture. Won't stain or cause those issues and you can store a ton of them in a five gallon bucket. Create a little jig for pushing the pip through on a band saw (mainly a bit of metal to act as a splitter and keep the pipe from twisting as you rip a few dozen feet in half) and you can create them in a few minutes.
While they don't quite have the same compressive strength as solid wood stickers do, I have never had one fail and have had them holding up boules of 4 foot wide sinker cypress that were still so water logged that you could actually watch the water steam off the blade when cutting them.
Monkey
Hi Matt, great video, lots of good info.. I recently had a tree taken out in my front yard, (it's roots were pushing up my concrete driveway), and I had the lopers leave me the main trunk which had a really interesting curly shape. I then sliced the trunk into 27 "hockey pucks" with a chainsaw a week later.. each puck is between 2 and 4 inches thick, ( by that I mean some are 2 inches thick, some are 3 and some are 4, but each puck is a fairly consistent width) and they range in diameter from about a foot to nearly 2 feet for the big ones..
I'm not sure of the tree species, nor do I know if it is a hard wood.. how long do you suggest I dry theses pucks for..?
I've got them in the back corner of my garage, under a shelf, up off the concrete by an inch or so, with 3/4 inch spacers between the layers.. I know that air flow may be an issue in that location, but it's now summer here in Australia, so the days are getting quite warm. If I stick my head down near them it doesn't smell very musty, which I think is s good sign, right?
Any advice would be great help.
Regards, Gene.
My wife laughed when I told her my wood was wet.
Rick Hart Woodworking hahaha!
Pervert
A third grader with a wife?
I was going to make a humerous comment, but some viewers before me got very nasty and childish so, good comment Rick Hart!
at least you have a wife. wood is pretty much the only wet thing i have around
If inside, you can use a dehumidifier to dry it out. It will remove moisture faster than a fan will and you can see/control what humidity level the wood sits in storage (on the LCD display). For outside, you can buy a fungicide additive from any decent paint store and spray it on lightly with a garden pump sprayer. Same with an insecticide. Mold/fungus can't survive in 55% humidity or less.
Matt, my neighbor cut down a nice uniformed hickory tree. By the time I got there he had them in 18" lengths and they were 12" in diameter. They still have the bark on them. How would you recommend to dry them? Remove bark, cut in 1-2" thicknesses, inside an unheated or heated room, painted ends? I may use some for turning but the lathe is the next tool on my list.
Ted, hickory is the worst for containing powder post beetles (ask me how I know). Once they get out of the wood and into your house, you can have a real infestation. If you bring the wood into the house, remove the bark first, then paint the outside of the wood with borax solution such as TimBor or BoraCare (non toxic to people or pets) that will kill the bugs when they exit the wood.
+Dave Boyt Thanks Dave, I have the lumber in my attached garage right now with the bark on it. It is not near the opening to the house, but I will get on that right away. It's been about three weeks and I don't want to be infected.
Thank you very much matt. I just got my first load of ash in and it will need to be dried. The board has varied thicknesses, should I stack from heaviest to lightest or just use something else for weight? Luckily for me, the only place I have to dry is in my basement and its no longer hot here.
If you plan on using the thinner stuff first, you can stack the thicker stuff on the bottom. That stuff will take longer to dry and you won't have to unstack it when you start using the thinner stuff on top. If you don't have anything else to use for weight, stack the thicker ones on top. They require less force to keep them flat.
Matthew Cremona fantastic, Thanks Matt
I just cut my very first slabs with a chainsaw mill, 2" red oak my neighbor had cut down that would have otherwise gone to a landfill. I'm calling it 'rescue wood', haha. So excited, and it looks beyond gorgeous, seeing each unique grain pattern pop out at you as you remove each slab is like opening Christmas morning presents. Thanks so much for this video, Matt, a lot of work goes into this and I really wanted to make sure I produce slabs as straight as possible and properly dry them. Super helpful info!
Take good care of my walnut. When would be a good time in 3-4 months when no one will be home for a few hours for me to come pick it up? You're going to need a bigger dog if you want to keep me out. Actual question: What brand/size dehumidifier do you have/recommend because I have had terrible luck with them. I'm lucky if I get 3 years out of them. The last one lasted a year and I just did without last year because I was so disgusted with them.
krtwood The video of me stacking was from back in Nov. This batch will be ready to go in a couple week. Pancake will be waiting for you. I have a Frigidaire 50 pint. I've had it for about a year now. My last one was involved in that recall but I had that one for 3 years. It was a Gree brand, I think.
Holly crap, there is a lot of stuff going on when drying wood. Thanks for the info.
Thanks Mike!
Nothing on this whole Earth is ever simple. Not even painting.
Wow, that was a LOT of REALLY GOOD information! Thanks Matt!! Really loved this video, MUCH appreciated!!
McGinn's WoodShop Thank you Jason!
Some mills in Holland kept logs in water for up to 2 years, but simply soaking them for a few days will do, it will drown bugs, and clean off dust, just air dry for a day befor stacking.
white/Burr oak minimizes sticker staining and the stick should be dried before using. Keeping lumber up off the ground deters bugs and on a slab of concrete is even better. bugs really like the wane/sap wood
the log should be sealed on the end grain when the log was cut before milling.
dave newjersey
Info on why , thanks ?
I work in a sawmill that has both a bandheadsaw and a circle headsaw. Logs are not sealed before sawn
Doug Yankunas- because moisture moves much better/faster along grain than transverse. Once below fiber saturation point, shrinking starts. Ends then irreversibly check. End-sealing slows that, preserving lumber quality there. Applies especially to hardwoods.
Matt great job in explaining everything in detail. It shows your knowledge base and your professionalism. Craftmanship is brought out in your work as well.
Matt. I really appreciate you taking your time to make these videos. Im just a rookie wood turner and thanks to you,and people like you, it really helps in sharing the knowledge. Not knowing any better,I had gone to woodcraft and bought all kinds of expensive exotic blanks in January,they had the chemical on them so I thought all was good. Recently as I began to actually turn the blanks I noticed internally there were cracks. One night I was tired and left a piece on the lathe and in the morning the cracks had grown. I have not figured what Im doing wrong yet but thanks to you and others I may be able to find a solution. Thanks again.
thanks Matt very informative, I better go restack my pile.
Alan Rodriguez lol thanks Alan!
Hey quick question...I have 6 pieces ( 2inch x12 inch x 5ft) of rough cut pine air drying under a covered porch. The temperature and humidity is similar to Florida.. ( day,/ night. 25C/ 31C , humidity 50%avg). I started getting concerned about the ends cracking after watching a few TH-cam videos on the subject. i don't have access to anchor seal, and i was hesitant in using a latex paint. So i melted waterproof shoewax and applied with a paint brush. It left a wax coating. Should that be sufficient or should i apply something else? Thanks.
I'd like to add that Sycamore is very sensitive to sticker staining. Pine stickers have stained by sycamore slabs 1/16" deep :( I'm a big fan of 'same species' stickers but would love to find a viable plastic alternative to avoid staining.
I've watched several videos and read a bunch of things oh the process of drying out maple wood slices (1 inch thick x 14 around). I am confused. I do like your process of stacking - thank you for this information. I am using the wood slices for my daughters wedding centerpieces at the end of June 2023. Should i be applying anchor seal on the raw cut wood and live edge prior to stacking? Or is it after it gets to the proper moisture level? I am VERY new at any kind of wood working but i also couldnt resist the gorgeous pieces i was given! Advice is so very welcome here! thank you!!
Didn't know Ricky Rubio is a woodworker.
I got 3 red oak boards from a local mill. The log had been down for a year. The size is 3”x8”x72”. I Amor Sealed the ends and stickered them. My moisture meter says 18%. They are in a hot building outside. How long do I wait to start my Roubo bench? Does it help to turn them?
Stacking 50 1" x 8 " yellow pine on a concreat slab. Shaded about 70 %. Plan to put 2 large fans running 24/7. Might put a tent over it to increase heat. Does this speed up drying?
hi I just cut a big black cherry about a month now and cut it into 5 slab 12' by30''by3'' try to build a bar top I have 2 more month to go until my project I put it in a room 12'by 20' and have 2 fan going and a dehumidifier going do u think it will dry enough to buit ? thanks
small comment, Flex Seal is awesome on the end grain. I haven't found anything else that comes close! I use the spray because it's easier, but spray or brush its great either way! Not a plug, just actual experience...
Matt, Let me bounce my plan off of you and your subscribers. I have property in So Georgia, it is 7 acres of virgin southern white pine. I would like to clear my home site and harvest the trees I remove for future use. Step one clear the underbrush and select the spot for the house. The house will be 5 shipping containers, the wood I use will be the internal framing. I am planning over the next three years two cut my trees into 5 or 6 inch slabs and place in a tent garage for drying. In a couple of years add a shipping container as a make shift kiln. It will be ventilated with solar attic fans. This should be another year or so. Most of this wood will be 2x framing material, I am most concerned about bugs and dimensional stability. Should I plan to make my slabs large enough to run them through a planer prior to cutting into 2x framing wood? Also in Georgia is there a better time to harvest the wood? In NY the sap runs to the roots in winter, I expect this would expedite drying since most of the moisture is left in the ground. Is this significant enough to plan my tree cutting for the winter months? You have seen my mill on youtube, you complimented it, made me feel like a hero! Thanks. I know this is a lot to consider but I respect your experience. Thanks for your time.
DAMN! just found some bug holes in some slabs I will put out to dry today... Should I take out my flame thrower right away? Or what should I do with those boards before laying them down to dry? Newbie here...
I have a couple questions if you have time. If a person has a stack in their basement would it be worthwhile to cover and run a furnace duct into the stack, I have geothermal heat so temp is 100f but a lot of air flow. Also if drying burled wood should the burled areas be anchor sealed. Thanks P.S. anyone else who wants to jump in on this, i welcome
Can you do a quick video on Table saws? I'm going to be getting one (first one) and this is going to be the first "power Tool" I am going to get for the shop I'm building this spring.. I'm looking at Powermatic PM1000, Laguna Fusion, Grizzly... I would love to know your opinion!! I love the video's! you're knowledge base seems to out weight you're age?? you must just pick things up quick..lol
***** I can't really comment on all the brand or even the "nicer" saws. I've only had that Ridgid saw that I have now. If you have the money to go into a nicer one to begin with, I say go for it. You won't regret buying something that is nicer to use. lol thanks! I spend a lot of time soaking up woodworking info
*****
A table saw upgrade is something that is on my list. I've been leaning towards a G0690 because I like that the dust port is on the side lol I'll check back with you in 6 months to see where you are on that master status :)
Above all else, make sure you are more than satisfied with the accuracy of the fence ( your biggest priority!!! ) and then the torque of the motor. What is a table saw without either of those features? Id recommend you purchase a dial indicator and miter slot jig for it to ride in and take it with you while you are shopping around. It may very well save you lots of pain and regret.
Ricky Rubio, you're supposed to be playing basketball not dealing with wood.
+Benjamin Garcia ⛹️
Sealer goes on when the log is first cut. Get your facts straight. Minimum one year per inch of thickness. Basement is a bad place for drying lumber.
Y would you not leave a gap between boards when stacking (nail witdth)?
Yea I do it the way they did back then. Way back then. They didn't have time to wait. One or 2 months no seal. Yes the board will crack and will shrink but it does great. I only dry and seal fore outside wood.
Nice, walnut lasagna, would love some of that :) Looks wonderful, the mind is just a buzz with project ideas.
woodturningjohn Now I'm hungry! If you decide on a project let me know. This batch will be dry in a couple weeks.
Been educating myself on drying green lumber, watched alot of videos on the subject and yours are very informative so thank you for that, one question on the cheaper pin type moisture meter, if you drilled small holes same dia as pins to get them deeper in the wood maybe half way thru would you get more reliable readings? Just curious as to what your thoughts are, thanks
Incredibly informative. Thanks a bunch man. I am looking to have a real big spruce tree milled and didn't know where to start looking on drying the stuff.. helped a ton
Great video packed with all kinds of good tips! Thanks for sharing your knowledge Matt, and I had aways been curious about the 1" per year guideline. In NV, it super dry and I bet it goes quicker than that here too.
Zac Higgins Oh yeah! Where you are lumber would dry just as fast as it does in my basement. Thanks Zac!
I value your advice, thank you. I personally use round sticks between the boards as it provides the minimum contact with the lumber. It works for me, but whatever tickles your fancy💪
Hey Matt. Dont try. Get your parents to send you to military school. Then you can be a real man! Shave that beard and move outta the basement!
Matt, we have a saw mill and i'm still pretty new at using it. I'm going to make some raised beds for our garden out of juniper wood. We have juniper on our property so i'm going to cut the trees down, mill them into the lumber and then use them.
After watching this video do i need to let them dry out after i mill them if i'm just going to use them for raised beds and put them on the ground where they are going to get wet again from irrigation? And is there any drying or anything i need to do between cutting the trees down and milling them? Thank you for your help.
Great information Matt, your channel is quickly becoming one of the most informative woodworking channels out there, thanks for putting out great content, I am learning a lot
Matt Williams Thank you Matt!!!
Excellent explanation Matt!
BoatworksToday Thanks Andy!
In Texas = No Basement,
living room works
liamg1995, That's True
liamg1995 - lol, but not if you have a woman around. ha ha.. impossible.
"rustic, live edge coffee table"
Melech Ha'arayot florida too. I just stack my wood on a compartment i have on my roof
Welcome to share your timber in our group facebook.com/groups/WoodenTimber
For more information about drying lumber check your local library.
Suggestions: to increase natural convection space first layer 4-5" above ground and leave 7-8" space from wall (chimmey effect). Also leave more space between lumber (cooling drop).
To prevent checking and uneven drying do not stack sticlers directly over the sticker below (creates concentrated wet area). Stagger stickers slightly.
The best way to stop end splits is to have a sticker at the very end of board (over hangs split like crazy).
Flip boards on top occasionally especially early on.
Also never move things twice if you don't have too!
Great Information, thanks for sharing.
Love your video! good job!
+Blake Hawthorne thanks!
Matt, arnt you worried about all the water from the wood being put into your house?
Another great video Matt...i love these types of videos. Really has me wanting to try milling some of my own lumber.
Jeremy Thompson Thanks Jeremy! Go for it! you'll love it!
In tropical climates, will the wood dry faster??
Hi Matt! Do you have any books you would recommend on slabbing/drying your own lumber?
Matt, I always stagger my stickers, what's your thought on that, verses the way you do it?
I worked at a kiln and our stickers were placed in a vertical line. If they got out of line we pounded them in line with a bar. Maybe in a small stack being staggered is ok, but a large stack of weight on a stagger could cause some warp.
Hi Matt... I have watched you for a long time. What type of Kiln do you have and do you have a video on the build? Thanks...MG
You’re a clever cat
thank for this video that will help with my test
Joshan
Why the endgrain of the boards are painted before seasoning
Thank you, appreciate your time and good advice
I was the 1000th like lol. That was cool. Very informative video. I've been thinking of trying this ( of coarse I'm naïve enough to think that I can try everything LMAO) .
Thanks for the thumbs up! I have the same naivety and it seems to be working out for me so far :)
+Matthew Cremona naivety and optimism I guess it's all the same. LOL. I watch the milling video and it reminded me when I was a kid and I help my grandfather and his sawmill. Those were scary times I remember the blade on that thing was as tall as I was. I experienced kickback on a very large level LOL
Thanks Matt! Another great, educational video. Just went to buy that Moisture Meter (the good one).... Holy moly Batman, 375.00 bucks now! I think I'll need to stick with my two prong one for now. Thanks again!
Joseph Muench I know! I couldn't believe the prices on those now. Glad to know that something I own has appreciated so much lol! Thanks Joseph!
If you have a dehumidifier running in the room is it possible to dry thinner (less than 5/4) boards too quickly and damage them, even with the ends sealed? I'd like to try this method but with smaller scale reclaimed boards that've been soaking up some water outside a friend's house... LOL, I'm afraid I don't have room in my apartment for 12 ft. boards, or massive slabs.
Orion The boards that I am stacking in this video are 4/4. I've never had a problem with them drying too fast. I think this is about the fastest way to dry them without drying them too fast.
Seriously great information Matt! I already have some checking in the small log I cut up because I didn't paint the ends. Just to let you know I have the perfect lumber drying environment at my house. 1 month in the summer heat here and I guarantee your stack will be bone dry. Solar kiln is me just putting wood outside.
AdventuresInDIY Thanks Chris! Yes, you live in a kiln :)
Thanks, I just stacked my 1st set of boards.
So, without the end grain sealer, the ends dry more quickly?? The purpose of the sealer is to get a more even drying time for the entire board? That's if I understand things correctly. Have you thought about a solar kiln - not sure if that would help or not in your area. Great video - very interesting. Wood Geeks
Scott
The 2 Car Garage Shop Yes, without sealing the endgrain looses moisture much faster than the surface of the board. This causes stress which results in the board splitting and checking. I have access to a solar kiln too. Works great. This is another way to increase the amount of lumber that can be dried quickly. Thanks Scott!
How soon after a tree comes down do you suggest milling it?
I recommend buying a few packs of beef jerky and saving the jell packs that say "do not eat" those absorb moisture. But i put my wet lumber in my furnace/boiler room with a small fan and a dehumidifier. He forgot to mention the "faster" your wood drys the easier it cracks and warps
Frogking9 Good tip. That's true, but that's pretty hard to do when doing simple air drying. When you move to drying in a warmer, dryer, high airflow environment then it becomes really easy to ruin boards.
Hi Mat are your family from Malta because that is a common name in Malta
Hey I have been at this stuff for a while milling and drying my own lumber and I learned something new today. The dry scrap piece to measure against your lumber is a great idea. Thanks Matt !!
Ross Hastings Thanks Ross!
You can avoid sticker staining by using the same species of wood as what your stacking.
Danstasuik2010 interesting
I put packing tape on my stickers, haven't had a problem in 12 years
Just don't use green sticks. At a kiln I ran many years ago we didn't have any staining problems but the sticks we used had been through the kiln many times. They were 3/4 x 3/4 from some hardwood and they got used for everything that went through the kiln.
Thanks for all the tips. One question- if you’re stacking the European way, it is not possible to cut quartersawn wood?
The nice thing about cutting boules as opposed to other methods is that it is fast and you end up with a mix of different cuts for use in different parts of projects. You will get flat sawn lumber for panels, quartersawn lumber for frames and riftsawn lumber for legs. No need to specify different patterns or deal with flipping and squaring up your cants.
Hi Matt.I really in joy watching you .By the way you have a Maltese surname. Wish you the best future.
Thanks!
Super helpful! I just had 2500 bf of clear pine milled at my cottage and am planning to finish the interior once it's ready. It's freezing here now so as soon as winter is at an end I'll get that end cut sealer on the boards. The miller stacked it all up very carefully, with some large weighing it down on top, and a light cover of tar paper to shed the weather. This video tutorial is really great education. Thanks!
In my experience, I've learned not to wait at all - for any reason. Get that Anchorseal on the edges as soon as you stack them. Even if you have snow/ice on them fresh from the mill. The day/night melt/freeze cycle will check them harder. I keep the Anchorseal toasty inside, and paint it on the ends. If you kick off the ice/snow, the tiny amount left will melt and the seal will stick nicely :-)
“This one it’s ah....magic...” bahaha love it!
Have you ever done comparisons of moisture meters to see how far off your cheap one is from the Wagner? I've always wondered how much more accurate it is to justify the big price tag.
deleetmeeh When I got the Wagner I did. The biggest thing I noticed about the cheap one was the inconsistency. It would be +/-8%
Should i be concerned about drying too fast by having 2" Black Walnut slabs in my heated basement?
Phillip K. Yes
This is where my birch plywood comes in handy. Basically free and really consistent.
deleetmeeh yes! That would work great for stickers :)
Great tip about keeping the dry sample of wood with the stack... I've got a pin-style meter and I had never heard that tip.
wordsnwood Thanks Art!
I dont say this often. But, great video. Very informative.
Thanks!
Would a shellac like bullseye sealcoat work to seal the end grain up? I'd rather use stuff already around the shop rather than getting another product to manage.
Josh Mann it would work to some extent. you'd probably want to apply a few coats. Sealcoat isn't a really heavy cut of shellac.
If buying limber from a mill, how much value can be added by drying y our own lumber? Profit.
Depends on the market you're selling in but somewhere around double; 50% margin
Where do you buy your anchor seal from
Matt?
I buy it by the 5 gal pail direct from UC Coatings. Roughly $80 shipped or you can pick up a gal can at woodcraft for about $20
+Matthew Cremona ok thanks!
Thank You matt appreciate the info
I am in Minnesota too and want to make some hand hewn 6x6 beams. I will storing them in a building that is used for storage on a farm. Do you think it will still take 9 months to a year per inch?
Great information Matt. Thanks.
Ted Alexander Thanks Ted!
Do you flip the wood every month
Great video Matt. Thanks
I know "is that a pig or a dog", and a wonderful distraction, this guy is awesome, throwing pearls to us all, thank you Matt.
Great tip about keeping the seasoned off-cut near your wood stack for comparison.
Francis Barnett Thanks Francis!
Very Informative, I have plans to try and mill some of my own lumber this summer!
Lane Bros WoodShop Have fun! You'll love it!
Hey matt,
Besides taking it out doors or burning it in a bonfire, What can a person do if there are bugs without killing or damaging the wood? And are all woods the same as far as moisture readings go - like what # or % does it need to be at to know its completely dry?or dry enough? Did those questions make any sense? &ur always informative and detailed in ur work and video tutorials are too
Thanks man
"Til the next episode".
Joe Walters There are a couple of options. The easiest would be to find someone with a kiln and put it in there. The heat from the kiln would kill them. You could also tent the boards and fume them or you can spray the boards down with insecticide (assuming the insecticide doesn't stain the wood). Yes they all need to be dried to the same moisture %. Generally that's going to be 8%. Thanks Joe! Great questions!
Matthew Cremona thanks! At the end of the month I am supposed to be traveling to Fredonia New York you pick up some rough cut walnut and hickory with my cousin's husband seeing that I don't know anybody that has a kiln, I will have go wth the tarp tent..
Just any type of "bug bomb"will work or will it say on can uts specially designed for wood?
@@tooljunkie555 l
Hey there, I was looking around kinda looking up how to make my own rifle stock and such, and it seems its a better idea to air-dry the "blanks" for at least 5+ years. now considering i would only have 2-3 pieces of whatever lumber i choose, will be about 3"x8"x20" what would you recommend about air drying lumber at that size? grain seal still? It would be inside due to Florida having such a high ambient humidity, rather than in a well ventilated garage. just looking to get some input on it. I dont know what species of wood i would use, but im hoping for something exotic since its for a .22 rifle. barely any recoil, so no split risk.
spartan36789 hey bud with gun stocks you need a really well seasoned piece of timber, not just for dryness but also for timber settling. A piece of wood can keep changing shape for years after it is on the ground and also after each cut. A lot of people I spoke to when I started making my stock had this to say, 10 years as a log 5 years as a plank 5 years as a blank and this was just for cheap stocks. Avoid sapy, bleedy and high tanin woods like softwoods, oak and sweet chestnut.
I hope I don't comment over you, but heck yes. I have some blanks curing for some years. I want to see which blanks will waver or turn during their curing process. Some are terrible off the bandsaw, some come off straight as a reference straight edge. My sons touch the nicest "cured" pieces and expect all wood to behave this way. I would make 1 gun stock, then realize what Beretta to make their wood so amazing. They have enough youtube videos... I am a bit jealous of their scale or production....
Hey Matt - I'm up in Manitoba - we have about the same weather. I've got a stack of wood in my basement that I picked up at the lumber yard. Is there any way to tell, without a meter, if it's dry? Eventually, I'll get a meter, but I'm hoping I won't need one right away. Thanks! Great Vid!
Bobby Kurczewski If you have an accurate scale, you can take a sample and weight it every few days. When it stops loosing weight, it's dry. If your conditions are like mine, it should only take a few months to dry. Maybe 5 months tops conservatively
hey - now that's genius! Thanks, Matt!
What size dehumidifier to you use? I live in Colorado which is pretty dry most of the year but my basement will not have a lot of airflow. I was thinking of drying my wood (a bunch of 4/4 8.5" wide boards and ~8 20" wide 8/4 slabs of walnut) in the main room of my basement and use a fan and a dehumidifier. However, I am concerned about drying it too fast and getting case hardening based on your comments about running the dehumidifier in the summer but not the winter. Do I run the fan and dehumidifier all of the time, on intervals, or occasionally?
Well it will depend on the size of the basement. If you're in a 1200 sq ft. house, and the majority of the basement is open within that 1200 sq ft, I would get a 70/pints per day dehumidifier. (dehumidifiers are rated based on how much moisture they absorb per day). It may also be worth getting one that has a constant pumping of the moisture absorbed, if you have a sump pump that you can drain into. I'd say that during the summer, run it all day, maybe keep it off at night, unless it's really muggy out.
All in all, it will really depend on the size of your basement. Look up what size dehumidifier you'd need that would match the sq. footage of your basement. I wouldn't worry too much about drying it too fast.
Thanks. It is very dry here year round and the only appreciable humidity in my basement will come from the wood although I imagine there is a fair bit of water in ~500 board feet for green lumber.
Hi Matt, thanks for the video. I read somewhere (haven't tried it for myself) that PVC conduit cut in half lengthways makes for good stickers. No staining, minimal wood contact and won't change shape on you. The only problem may be the building of a jig to cut it in the first place.
***** That would work great. I wonder what the compression strength is like?
Matthew Cremona
It would depend on the conduit used, in Australia we have HD electrical conduit which is orange and very tough, I don't see a problem having several hundred kilograms on a set of stickers made from this.
What size of pipe would you suggest?
@@rogerboucher1913Maybe 40mm? That gives you 20mm between layers once cut.
just a note from Europe... we stack it outside as you showed, but always,,,,ALWAYS, put a sheet of something waterproof on top, such a a sheet of galvanized or similar. you need to stop the water getting between the stack.
That's some great info. thanks Matt!
GuysWoodshop Thanks Guy!
Matt as you can see my pic is a Cypress knee. I live in Florida and I've been working cypress with no drying time at all. I know I'm taking a chance. The pieces are small and I'm not making a large project. Plus Cypress doesn't crack much, I also use a hardener on my wood. The biggest problem is getting the glue to dry when joining boards because the glue between the wood does not dry completely. Thanks for the tips on drying. I'm mostly drying rough cut wood no boards.When I graduate to a larger shop and projects, your techniques will be invaluable.