New Wood Boards Help Plz?

[Loyalist Dave]

For all the folks who know woodworking...,

I have a neighbor who lost several trees to a recent storm, which passed through the area last week. Two white oaks and a beech. So...,

My neighbor has gotten ahold of one of those DIY chaisaw-sawmills, and is going to turn those trees into boards. He's going to make a shed, or something, but says he can't use all the boards, and I might be able to have some.

So the question is, IF I want to make a camp-table out of a board or two, do I let them sit stacked outside, and let them dry (being careful they don't warp), or can they be used right away? I should think I need to let them dry for about a year, but I really don't know. I don't think they will crack when drying, but again, I don't know.

What say you? :grin:

LD

 

[Black Hand]

Place spacers between the boards and allow them to dry slowly in a shady spot.

 

[BrownBear]

Leave them stacked, but "sticker" them. Each end and the middle put a narrow strip of 1x1" or some such to hold them apart (and straight) so they air and dry. I'd go so far as to paint each end and about 2" back all around to help seal the ends to prevent splitting or "checking." Color of paint, your choice of course. :wink: I'd go with whatever partial can you have kicking around in your shop.

I'd give them at least 6 months to dry and cure, depending on climate. Our son-in-law did a bunch at his place in Virginia outside DC, so I assume his climate is similar to yours. Took a year to dry and stabilize thoroughly.

 

[Artificer]

:thumbsup: To Brown Bear. BTW, it is REALLY important to paint the ends so they don't check/crack.

Rule of thumb to air dry and stabilize boards is that soft wood is 1 to 2 years per inch of thickness and depending on how much humidity in your climate. For hardwood, it is at least 2 to 5 years, again depending on climate.

I have a pretty good stock of Black Walnut that runs between 2 to almost 3 inches that has been air drying for between 50 and 75 years. However, when I transported it from Iowa to Virginia decades ago, I let it stabilize locally for over a year before I used any of it.

Gus

 

[Coot]

As mentioned, the rule of thumb for air drying is one year for each inch of thickness. Sealing the end grain with paint, varnish (whatever is lying around) will help reduce checking. The boards should be stacked with scraps of 1" stock as spacers to allow air circulation to help drying & reduce chances of mold/rot. They should also be out of the weather but open to air circulation (like under a carport). Good luck with your projects.

 

[kansas_volunteer]

Painting with interior paint might be best. At least that's what I do. Interior paint allows moisture to slowly pass through, but not fast. It let's wood dry without blocking the movement of moisture. Other things can totally block moisture movement. But, some sort of paint will be better than none. I don't believe in the old ways of letting wood dry for years. Dry is dry, whether achieved in a few months, or umpteen years. Changes in environment can cause the wood to respond, but it can happen if the wood is dried in weeks or years.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Well as Inigo Montoya once said in The Princess Bride...,

"I hate waiting."

Well a couple of years isn't too bad for 1" thick boards, that are free.

SO..., stack them with spacers, and paint the ends to prevent cracking, and wait at least a full year before using as these are right at 1" thick, but two years would be better. GOT IT.

THANKS for the paint-the-end-tip! :hatsoff: Learned something important today!

NOW the neighbor is planning on using these vertically for the sides of a new shed on his property, no drying. Bad Idea, right?
:idunno:

I think I will stack three of them in my Parent's garage, and let them dry. Looking forward to 2019 I guess.

In the mean time if I'm going to make a table for use later this year, I need reclaimed wood, or salvage of hardwood from an old barn, or even perhaps from a pallet...., (I'm not buying hardwood from the box store, that's fur sure. :wink: )

LD

 

[crockett]

QUESTION- I too agree on the air dry and paint the ends. What about turning the boards? Is there any benefit to, after say 6 months, re-arranging the stack of boards so they are downside down from the original position? Also- how the wood is cut (quarter sawn, etc.)- does that influence how to stack?
Tarp over the wood to keep off rain?

 

[BrownBear]

What about turning the boards? Is there any benefit to, after say 6 months, re-arranging the stack of boards so they are downside down from the original position? Also- how the wood is cut (quarter sawn, etc.)- does that influence how to stack?
Tarp over the wood to keep off rain?

Forgot that, but restacking and flipping is good. A tarp is going to limit air flow. In the open I've used sheets of corrugated roofing or even ply wood over the top, but keep the sides and ends open. And of course, sticker the cover so air can flow between it and the stop of the stack. Never saw any difference between sawing method on drying.

Good questions!

 

[BrownBear]

NOW the neighbor is planning on using these vertically for the sides of a new shed on his property, no drying. Bad Idea, right?

Not if it's done right. Pretty common to do so up here with green (wet) spruce, but very specific about method to limit splitting due to shrinkage.

Do it using vertical board-and batten, with the boards nailed only top, bottom and middle with one 12p nail in each spot- only in the middle of the board. Battens are nailed in the same pattern, but with the nails reaching down between the boards beneath rather than through them, if you follow that. I leave about 1/4" gap between the board when I nail them up, just to assure that.

The point is that the battens hold the edges of the boards flat and cover the gap while allowing them to shrink. Pretty effective really, and still looks good.

One point: Shrinking wood really grips nails, especially in framing. Your neighbor is going to have real trouble if and when he decides to tear down or modify the shed. The nails grip tight enough that you end up splitting or shattering boards trying to pry them apart, especially when you get into 20p framing nails, and even 16p nails.

 

[Artificer]

NOW the neighbor is planning on using these vertically for the sides of a new shed on his property, no drying. Bad Idea, right?
:idunno:

LD

Dave,

The OLD way of building sheds, barns and even some quick built houses when using fresh cut boards vertically nailed on, was to use spacer boards over the cracks or open spaces between the boards. That's how they got around the shrinking/warping of the new cut wood and not having to deal with edges that were not perfectly square and true - while ensuring the open spaces between the boards were covered.

Since sheds and outbuildings were left long after they were in use here in the South and not torn down, you can still see some remains of sheds that were built that way.

But, yes, I agree it is a bad idea unless he is going to use the extra spacer boards over the cracks where the edges meet.

Gus

I see Brown Bear answered while I was typing. The spacer boards I referred to are properly called battens as Brown Bear mentioned.

Gus

 

[BillinOregon]

Dave: Some guys paint with diluted wood glue instead of paint. No matter as long as they are sealed. One other option might be to see if there is a lumber drying kiln in your area that does custom drying. This can shorten your wait considerably.

 

[BrownBear]

One other option might be to see if there is a lumber drying kiln in your area that does custom drying. This can shorten your wait considerably.

Locally guys build "greenhouses" over their wet lumber piles. Basically drive a piece of 1/2" rebar into the ground on each side of the pile, every 4' along the length. Grab some plastic conduit (10' long I think), bend it over to form a half-circle hoop and shove each end onto the rebar. Cover with plastic and use a few cheap "clothespin" clamps to hold it in place. Leave the ends open or cover all but the tops to really drive up the heat and allow moisture to escape.

Pretty amazing just how quickly those home-built "kilns" will dry lumber, but it's so fast you ABSOLUTELY have to paint the ends to prevent checking or splits.

 

[Billnpatti]

It is important to paint the ends of the boards to seal them to prevent them from drying too quickly. Drying too quickly results in checks and splits. After painting the ends of the boards, stack them with "stickers" (sticks used to separate the boards to let them dry). They can be allowed to dry slowly out of doors for a couple of months but then they need to be moved indoors to finish drying. If they are air dried, as opposed to being kiln dried, it takes about a year per inch of thickness to dry to where they are good to use for building. When you move them from the drying shed to your house, it is a good idea to allow the boards to sit for several days to let them adjust to the temperature and humidity at your house. Yeah, all this may be a bit of a pain in the butt but it will help guarantee that you will end up with lumber that is less likely to warp and twist after you build something with it. One thing to avoid is boards made from leaning trees or tree limbs. This wood has what is called "stress wood" in it caused by not growing straight up. Stress wood will very likely warp no matter what you do to it.