How long should wood be seasoned?
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I’ve been watching *lots* of YouTube videos on woodworking. There are a surprising number out of Japan. They seem to keep wood stacked on end for two or three years before working it.
What does this add to the workability of the wood and the stability of the finished product?
Is this something t aspire to – to have hundreds of board feet stacked up ready and waiting for us?
I would only keep on hand what you plan to use on hand. Most of the lumber we buy is already seasoned and only needs to acclimate to our workshop environment. Unless you plan on making lots of furniture… Just my opinion, though.
If you have room, collecting wood can be fun, be careful though, it can also be more addictive than collecting tools.
If the lumber you buy has already been properly dried and seasoned, then it just needs to acclimate to your shop environment as Dan said. If it is green wood you cut or had sawn, and you want it to air dry, the process could take months or years.
Once the lumber reaches that point of equilibrium, moisture content and stability, the wood will be much easier to work with.
I have found a lot of stashes of good lumber that folks had sitting around for many years on Craigslist. I recently got a load of African Hardwoods that had been sitting in a barn for 10 years. Happy hunting! And have fun with it!
Memphis, Tennessee
If you are asking about seasoning freshly cut (green) wood that was cut into slabs (flitches), the general rule for drying (that I have read) is one year per inch of thickness. That assumes that the flitches are properly stickered and tarped to allow for ventilation while keeping out the elements.
After that, it is a matter of acclimating the timber to the workshop.
-Scott Los Angeles
@crance I know for me, I could easily get sucked into collecting wood and have hundreds of board feet stacked in the basement!
I just drove buy a yard that was full of reclaimed lumber.. And it came coincidentally right after the table project being made with reclaimed barn lumber was started. Oh the temptation!
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