Reply by machserv

A good source is to haunt the demolition industry for older buidings and barns. A 75 year old barn can have some wonderful woods such as chestnut, oak, cherry, etc. The drawback is you need to do a micro inspection for imbedded nails, stones, and dirt or else you have a safety hazard and the expense of replacing your equipment. Rule of thumb for air dry here in the northeast is one year air dry for each inch of thickness. Good drying is a fine art that is rarely done by producers since their business is based on volume. Without attention to the basic materials, drying and lumber stability project results will be poor at best. machserv

-- Stu