Drying time for sawmilled lumber
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I have some honey locust boards that were cut a couple of months ago by a local sawmill. The tree was about 2 feet in diameter and had been felled about two years ago and laid in our yard until I cut it into 10 foot logs this spring. The boards are 1 inch thick. I now have them stacked in a open shed. I’m wondering if they would be dry enough to use to build a garden bench.
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You must be logged in to view attached files.12 June 2019 at 7:08 am #580284You figure a year per inch of thickness, so your 24” diameter logs are not very far along. Had you millled and stickered them two years ago, they might be usable now.
13 June 2019 at 10:21 pm #580794It counts for some, but not in terms of having dried lumber ready for a project. And while moisture does leave your log though end grain more readily, it is species dependent and often not a good thing. It can lead to cracking and splitting as the wood dries.
You should seal the end grain, if you haven’t already, with wax or paint to reduce the moisture loss through end grain.
Read this:
https://www.woodmagazine.com/materials-guide/lumber/how-to-succeed-at-air-drying-lumber
We dip them in an anti-stain sealer, and then put them on stickers [strips of wood that separate the board layers],” he says. “And we seal the ends.”
27 June 2019 at 12:53 am #584733I just bought some lumber yesterday that was felled during the drought here in California. Wood was already cut and drying, but not ready for projects. Here’s how I have it in my garage with a fan blowing and the garage cracked a bit and the side door open for circulation.
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