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How many years am I looking at to dry?

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walnut
5K views 39 replies 22 participants last post by  derosa 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
First time ever buying anything on Craigslist I just bought 350 bf of Walnut for $2/bf. All pieces are 8' long with numerous 1" pieces, 7 2" thick pieces and one 4" thick pieces. All the 2" and 4" still have the bark on them. They were cut a month ago so how many years am I looking at until I can use it?
 
#5 ·
First thing is to get the bark off. Yep! Thumb rule is 1 year per inch unless you can put it in a warmer environment. Get a moisture meter. 6/8 % is a great starting point. Be aware that there are some internal issues with any wood. Tension, grain, etc. Some woods will require additional conditioning after rough cutting/planing. I usually let my workpieces acclimate in the shop for a couple of days after roughing.
Bill
 
#6 ·
yellowtruck75:


unless you can put it in a warmer environment.



I can help solve your problem!

I'm in HOT SUNNY Southern California… it would probably dry here much faster than there in PA!

You could ship me some of it… I would pay for the freight…
... I would get it Air Dried…
... When you are ready to make something, I could rough cut the boards into your Part boards, from which you would do the final cutting, etc….
... I would ship them back to you (probably UPS or Fedex) . you pay the freight on a small amount (not much waste)...
I get to keep an equal amount that was used for your parts!

How does that sound?!

Man! You sure got a super deal!

The last time I bought Walnut, a few months ago, I paid close to $9/bft 8/4
 
#9 ·
I understand that Air Dried is desired by the "purist" that works with Walnut…
 
#10 ·
The one year per inch is a generalization, and I think a worse case scenario, but it depends on the humidity in your area and where you store it. I dry most of my lumber in my attic which is dry and warm in the summer, but it is shaded so it is not wicked hot up there. I find that walnut dries fairly quickly relative to other species. Last year I put some fresh cut 4/4 and 8/4 walnut in my attic in March and the 4/4 was down to 9% by the end of July, which is about as low as it goes in MN. The 8/4 was at 9% by October. As waho said, be sure to seal the ends of you will lose a lot of lumber to checking. If you seal it right away your loss will be greatly minimized.

Here are a few more ideas on stacking, storing, etc.: http://www.wwgoa.com/articles/one-great-tip/should-i-buy-my-lumber-green-/
 
#13 ·
For sealing the ends, you can use any latex paint, or a special wax emulsion that is formulated for this purpose. I have used both and they work equally well. The only advantage of the wax that I am aware of is that it won't hurt your planer blades.
 
#14 ·
I see the 1" per year rule-of-thumb quoted often on wood working forums. For me here in Georgia, it is a poor rule of thumb. Properly stickered walnut here under an open shed will air dry down to 12 % in less than 180 days. The 8/4 will take closer to a year, definitely not 2 years. I check my wood stacks with a moisture meter so that I am not guessing. If you do leave the 4/4 for a year, you will definitely be safe.

I have found latex paint to be a poor end sealer. Anchorseal is the very best stuff to use bar none.
 
#16 ·
Like everyone else is saying, about 1 year per inch thickness. If you live in a humid area, you can forget about getting it down to furniture dryness by just letting it air dry in the open. It will stabilize to around 15-22%.

Keep a cover over it and make sure it has proper ventilation. Get it at least 1 foot off the ground. Don't put something like a tarp directly on it. Just get a roof over it. After 6-8 months, get it inside and let it finish drying in your home.

The ones at 4" may take a while longer. I've figured out that 1" dries fast (less than a year usually). 2" usually takes about 2 years (pretty much at the 1" a year mark). Anything beyond that and the times start extending beyond 1" a year. I live in Mississippi though and it's definitely humid (and hot) here.

I wish I could dry stuff in my attic or crawlspace; but I have over 60,000 lbs of wood waiting to dry.
 
#17 ·
Yes 1 year per inch of thickness unless you put some of it in a hot box. Mine is a big 7 1/2-8ft by 2ft wide by 2ft high box with 4 ceramic light fixtures for 100 watt bulbs. I have the fixtures wired parallel to a thermostat and dimmer and keep temps around 90-100 degrees. If wood is first cut it's best to let it sit awhile (a couple weeks) before putting in hot box. Also 100 watt bulbs I believe are not sold anymore but anything under or over that will work. My dimmer is kept really low to stay at 90-100 degrees. For heat gluing I keep it at 160 degrees. It can go higher but it's unnecessary. Otherwise just be patient (I don't have enough room to do this with all of the wood I bring home) Another thing if you know what you want to build with it you could get it close to dimensions ( this is done with bows, I haven't tried this with anything else) if this would decrease thickness in order to help it dry faster. Good luck.
 
#20 ·
Keep it out of sun and rain. Seal the ends and all knots with Anchorseal. Two coats. Check it with a Lignomat D - wide range and I find it accurate with the long pegs and tested in the middle of the board-no end or edge. When it stops going down cut one board and check with meter-Check the USDA Forest Products Laboratory information site once it is kiln dried it will move with the RH of the air-The best I will get here is about 9% but in my climate it can be up to 14%. I have some walnut beams 13"x11" to 4"x 8" that were once kiln-dried, stack piled outside with no stickers for 7+ years. All the sapwood rotted off (slimy and stinky) Wirebrushed off sapwood. Stacked on 1" stickers on the heated concrete floor of garage for about 14 months--tested at 9% as did most other local wood kept in the garage. You can also do a microwave test-Cut a piece of known volume, weigh it on Juniors dope scale, microwave under thaw cycle 1/2 minute at a time until the entire outside is warm to the touch. Check weight warm and cool. Reweigh and 'Voila" you know MC, can estimate time it will take from a kiln drying table or in some of the information on building a solar kiln. I just air dry in my 46-54 deg garage. Softwoods, and lighter hardwoods are ok after one winter. Hard stuff-maple, hickory, elm, fruit woods and carving woods a little longer. Most everyone else (hobbyists) use a solar kiln and swear by their design. Ideas above look good. We heat with shop scraps, bark and dust. always have a small fan running in the wood room. Go forth and humidify!! s
 
#21 · (Edited by Moderator)
[Danny, I think that you and I are fighting a losing battle in trying to educate woodworkers about true and accurate air drying rates…]

Yellowtruck, if you leave it stacked where it is most likely it will require 1 year per inch, if not more.

However, if you relocate your stacks to a location where they will have side access to a gentle breeze (or a fan blowing around 350FPS of air across them), in reality they will dry much quicker than 1 year per inch.

Knowledgeable drying professionals have been trying to kill the inaccurate "one year per inch rule of thumb" for many years; unfortunately with little success.

In reality, drying rates are determined by several factors, including species, thickness, temperature, RH%, air flow, and initial MC%. Here in NC in the summer time properly placed and stacked 4/4 BW will air dry to 14% or so in 150 - 170 days. 4/4 southern yellow pine will air dry to 14% in around 60 - 80 days in the summer, 4/4 white oak will take 180 - 240 days, etc.

Stacks should not be placed against a wall or other barrier; at a minimum you should maintain the same amount of space as the sum total thickness of your stickers. In other words, if you have 30 layers of 1" thick stickers, your stack should be at least 30" away from a wall on the back side.

I would suggest that you resticker your stacks, placing your stickers between 12" - 20" apart for maximum quality. The ends of the boards and planks should not be unsupported between the layers either. Also, you should have supports below the stack below each sticker.

Unless you want to risk infecting your other lumber with powderpost beetles or other pests, it's a good idea not to mix air drying lumber with kiln dried stock.
 
#22 ·
Scott,

I had a snake in one of my air drying stacks today. It's head was sticking out about 4" as it was between two layers of red oak in the sticker stack. It was about 80 degrees here today, and a little humid, so I guess the cooling effect of water evaporating from the wood attracted the snake.

Rule of Thumb: If you have snakes in the stack, it will take longer because you will be afraid to unstack the stack!!!
 
#24 ·
Scott, I don't know about the other guys, but when I say 1 year per inch it's a general average. There are any number of factors that contribute to how fast the wood will air dry. I don't think anyone here is saying "it's definitely 1 year per inch and that's the bottom line no matter what."

It's a rule of thumb. That's all. If you want to be specific, we need a lot more information about where you live, the type of wood, how you're storing it, the temps, etc., etc., etc.

The rest of your advice was great btw.

Danny, I have that same fear of snakes (and spiders) being in my wood stacks. I am not afraid of either, but I definitely don't want to be bitten while moving around or rearranging the stacks.
 
#25 ·
Doss,

Snakes love wood piles I have found. Here in Georgia, there could be some serious snakes in your wood piles.

Scott,

I love your "Snake Wood for the Law Profession" marketing idea!!
 
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