# OK to dry hickory in my garage?



## cracknpop (Dec 20, 2011)

A friend had a large hickory tree fall on his property recently. His loss is turning into a stack of lumber for me, apparently about 200 bd ft or more. Sawmill he took the logs to does not dry the wood. So, I have been reading about drying wood, both here on LJs, as well as USDA's Wood Handbook, etc.

I am wondering if it is a good idea to stack the wood in my heated workshop (concrete floor, 24×36, cathedral ceilings) to shorten the drying time. Will moisture release be enough to cause a problem with my tools or the other wood I have stacked/stored? Will having a dehumidifier help?

Thanks for your thoughts and recommendations.


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## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

There is a lot of pounds of water in 200 BF of green hickory. Some wood has to dry slowly like oak. Hickory is more forgiving, but air drying it under cover outside would be a better plan. Then after 4 - 6 months, sticker it in your shop to finish it off.


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## hoosier0311 (Nov 8, 2012)

I definately recommend keeping it outside and covered up. I got about 150 BF of very green Oak once and stacked it in my shop. went away for a weekend and came back to find a nice thin layer of rust all over every cast iron surface in the shop. ( yeah,I shoulda waxed)
I have some old 4×4s with eye bolts in them, I sticker it and strap it down, then tarp it, so far so good.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

You don't want to dry it too fast or it will warp badly and have all kinds of internal stresses. I vote for pre-conditioning it outside for a while before you bring it inside. Make sure you sticker it.


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## Nicky (Mar 13, 2007)

I too agree with all that's been said. Outdoors for at least few months. Your heated shop will dry this too fast and leave you with more firewood then usable lumber.


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## oldworld124 (Mar 2, 2008)

You can get mold in your garage or house if you dry it indoors. Keep it in a covered area outside or place a plastic moisture barrier on the ground and stack it at least 1 foot off the ground with stickers. I prefer air drying wood vertically. It reduces checking and twisting.


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## cracknpop (Dec 20, 2011)

Thank you all for your recommendations. I have a place where I can sticker and stack it under roof outside. Any recommendations on what I should let the moisture content get down to before bringing it indoors?

Is it advisable to 'shuffle the stack' periodically?

If I were to find someone nearby who has a klin, do they typically let it dry outdoors for awhile before drying it in a kiln?

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.


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## RussellAP (Feb 21, 2012)

It really depends on how thick the boards are, 1" should take a year to reach ambient humidity stickered. Most sawyers will always let fresh cut wood sit before drying it. Most don't let it sit long enough. Eventually even dry wood will take on ambient moisture levels. Once it's kiln dried it wont matter much unless it's in extreme environments.


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## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

Once the wood reaches fiber saturation point (no free water in the cells, only water bound in the cell walls), you can bring it inside and dry it much faster. Most degrade, cup, twist, warp, and honeycomb occurs from green wood to the fiber saturation point.

In hardwoods, almost all kilns air dry for a while before putting the lumber in the kiln because it takes much longer to dry hardwoods than softwoods, and time is money.


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## cracknpop (Dec 20, 2011)

I appreciate all the good advice. Looks like I will sticker and stack it for a few months. My brother has a large building open along one side, I will stack it there so it is under cover, yet air can move.

Do I understand correctly, I should weight it down in some way?
Is it advisable to shuffle and restack at some point?


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

I get the cheap ratchet straps and strap it instead of trying to weight it down. Restacking probably does help, but I'm never that ambitious.


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

yup


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## WoodworkingGeek (Jan 11, 2011)

Keep in mind that wood drys faster in lower humidity environments. Thats why wood drys faster in the winter. So if you live in place that has low humidity, it will dry faster. Also moisture floats on the floor, So its best that you store the wood at least 3 feet above the floor.
Hope this helps!!
-Matthew


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## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

I don't bother with trying to weight down a stack of wood. However, I may have up to 8000 BF air drying at one time. If you deal with small quantities, it may be practical. What I do is stack the best grade on the bottom and work up from there. The low grade on the top of the stack provides good weight for the high grade on the bottom of the stack. The low grade won't suffer much.


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