Air Drying Your Own Lumber
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- Опубліковано 15 лют 2015
- I've been air drying my own lumber for about 4 years now. In this video I share an overview of the process which should help demystify and make the process more approachable.
Website: mattcremona.com
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Wagner MMC210 (These have gone up in price since I bought mine):
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General Tools Moisture Meter
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Anchorseal
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Dovetailing a Drawer: • How I Dovetail a Drawe...
Chainsaw Mill: • Using a Chainsaw Mill ...
Hi Matt. A lot of great info here. If I might add a few points without stepping on anyones toes, I'd like to share a few things I've learned from my 30 years running a portable sawmill business, drying lumber, and building furniture. Anchorseal is the best. But to get the most out of it you should apply it to a fresh cut, either when the log is first bucked to length, or right after it is milled. With the later, it's best to make a fresh cut an inch or two on each end of the board, then coat. Second, you really should keep your first and last sticker within an inch or so of the end of the board. Seventy percent of end checks will stop at the first sticker. Here in PA when drying lumber outside you can bring the moister down to around 15% (relative humidity). After the I often bring the wood inside and stack it behind the couch in the living room for a few weeks to bring it down to 8%. However, I've found this system only works if I actually produce a nice piece of furniture for my wife. Hope this info helps. Keep up the good work.
Pat Shull, Shullwood Portable Sawmill
How long does it take to get down to 15% outside? I'm in south central PA.
Dehumidifier helps with a fan too.
Kathy, can you apply the Anchorseal in cold weather?
Timber should be dried according to the relative humidity in the area you're living in. The closest to PA I've seen is NY and the relative humidity there is 12%. 8% is very dry but I guess there are places that low. Timber should be acclimatized to the area where it will be used before starting a job because there's virtually nothing you can do to stop it matching the relative humidity of where it is.
Thank you for the addition info . One wouldnt think that a sticker would stop a check
Well done Matt. I would add a couple of other points that will improve the quality of the air-dried lumber. Be consistent with the spacing of the stickers. I would recommend every 12", but 18" is okay. The stickers should be within 3 inches of the end of the boards. That would mean that your pile is the length of your longest board and you stack to both ends by alternating which end your boards will be closest to. Leave between 1" and 2" between boards so you get air movement bottom to top as well, and cover the last layer with plywood on stickers, then weight. A pin moisture meter needs to reach 1/5 the thickness of the board to be able to measure the Average Equilibrium Moisture Content of the board. With one pin length it can only measure one thickness. The Wagner meters work great, but the species setting can't take into consideration boards which fall outside that norm. For instance if you're measuring something like Punky ash for guitar bodies, it will not measure accurately, and pieces thinner than 1/2" will not measure accurately. This is coming from 40 years of experience and a degree in Wood Science and Technology.
I just cut my very first slabs with a chainsaw mill, 2" red oak my neighbor had cut down that would have otherwise gone to a landfill. I'm calling it 'rescue wood', haha. So excited, and it looks beyond gorgeous, seeing each unique grain pattern pop out at you as you remove each slab is like opening Christmas morning presents. Thanks so much for this video, Matt, a lot of work goes into this and I really wanted to make sure I produce slabs as straight as possible and properly dry them. Super helpful info!
Matt great job in explaining everything in detail. It shows your knowledge base and your professionalism. Craftmanship is brought out in your work as well.
Long after it was a fresh video - but, a helpful hint that I have used for years...
The best stickers I have ever found has been 2" PVC pipe cut in half. It gives you a U shape that has minimal contact points, it is dirt cheap, doesn't rot or carry moisture. Won't stain or cause those issues and you can store a ton of them in a five gallon bucket. Create a little jig for pushing the pip through on a band saw (mainly a bit of metal to act as a splitter and keep the pipe from twisting as you rip a few dozen feet in half) and you can create them in a few minutes.
While they don't quite have the same compressive strength as solid wood stickers do, I have never had one fail and have had them holding up boules of 4 foot wide sinker cypress that were still so water logged that you could actually watch the water steam off the blade when cutting them.
Monkey
Matt. I really appreciate you taking your time to make these videos. Im just a rookie wood turner and thanks to you,and people like you, it really helps in sharing the knowledge. Not knowing any better,I had gone to woodcraft and bought all kinds of expensive exotic blanks in January,they had the chemical on them so I thought all was good. Recently as I began to actually turn the blanks I noticed internally there were cracks. One night I was tired and left a piece on the lathe and in the morning the cracks had grown. I have not figured what Im doing wrong yet but thanks to you and others I may be able to find a solution. Thanks again.
I know "is that a pig or a dog", and a wonderful distraction, this guy is awesome, throwing pearls to us all, thank you Matt.
Great information Matt, your channel is quickly becoming one of the most informative woodworking channels out there, thanks for putting out great content, I am learning a lot
Matt Williams Thank you Matt!!!
Nice video.
Here is an old man tip. Never ever let your lumber touch the cement or bare ground with out a cloth or plywood. First time you run a rock or pebble through a sharp planer or jointer blades you'll get it ! One more is lumber tends to stop checking splitting to the first sticker and stop. Not 100% but enough I noticed in my life in lumber use. Hold them out to the ends!
what is a sticker?
Incredibly informative. Thanks a bunch man. I am looking to have a real big spruce tree milled and didn't know where to start looking on drying the stuff.. helped a ton
thanks for this no fuss straight facts video, you got right to the point without any person stuff. I appreciate you not wasting people's time. very helpful video
Thank you Jason!
I value your advice, thank you. I personally use round sticks between the boards as it provides the minimum contact with the lumber. It works for me, but whatever tickles your fancy💪
Thanks for taking the time Matt, good stuff!
Hey I have been at this stuff for a while milling and drying my own lumber and I learned something new today. The dry scrap piece to measure against your lumber is a great idea. Thanks Matt !!
Ross Hastings Thanks Ross!
Another great video Matt...i love these types of videos. Really has me wanting to try milling some of my own lumber.
Jeremy Thompson Thanks Jeremy! Go for it! you'll love it!
Great video packed with all kinds of good tips! Thanks for sharing your knowledge Matt, and I had aways been curious about the 1" per year guideline. In NV, it super dry and I bet it goes quicker than that here too.
Zac Higgins Oh yeah! Where you are lumber would dry just as fast as it does in my basement. Thanks Zac!
Excellent explanation Matt!
BoatworksToday Thanks Andy!
Really appreciate the information. I always know where to go when I have a woodworking question. 9 times out of 10 you already have a video about it.
Thank you!!!
Wow, that was a LOT of REALLY GOOD information! Thanks Matt!! Really loved this video, MUCH appreciated!!
McGinn's WoodShop Thank you Jason!
Was sent here from James Wright's channel. Learned a lot from both of your channels and I am excited to eventually have a place to be able to buy/make my own lumber and begin the long process of drying it for future use. In the meantime. I'll have to stick with wood that is "ready to go" already for small projects/practice in my renewed love of woodworking.
Thanks Matt, this is an awesome video! I have some black walnut I am milling over the next couple of weekends. I appreciate the video!
Super helpful! I just had 2500 bf of clear pine milled at my cottage and am planning to finish the interior once it's ready. It's freezing here now so as soon as winter is at an end I'll get that end cut sealer on the boards. The miller stacked it all up very carefully, with some large weighing it down on top, and a light cover of tar paper to shed the weather. This video tutorial is really great education. Thanks!
In my experience, I've learned not to wait at all - for any reason. Get that Anchorseal on the edges as soon as you stack them. Even if you have snow/ice on them fresh from the mill. The day/night melt/freeze cycle will check them harder. I keep the Anchorseal toasty inside, and paint it on the ends. If you kick off the ice/snow, the tiny amount left will melt and the seal will stick nicely :-)
By the way, I love your channel. You have great content and present very well!
Thanks for your videos. I have some black walnut to cut up. I thought I would try milling some of it and see how it comes out. I will use the techniques I learned from you so thanks again
Great video Matt. Learned a lot watching it. Keep up the great work.
***** Thank you so much!
Great Information, thanks for sharing.
In the basement of my last house, if I left anything on the floor the moisture would dampen it. The floor was never wet it was just the moisture coming up from the ground thru the cement. The house was left vacant for a year & even in the attached-garage things got damp. I had a pretty new bicycle in there and the chain rusted up solid! I'm telling you this because if I was stacking wood in a basement like this it would need to be up off of the floor at least 8inches maybe more. Great Video as always!!
Best info I have heard about drying one's own lumber! Thanks Matt. Really enjoyed this video. Will be referring back to it in the future too.
James Berghout Thank you James!
Thanks for all of the advice for rough saw lumber.
Enjoyed the video. Lots of good explanations and tips. Thank you for doing this.
Glad it was helpful. Thanks Terry!
Matt you are a gem....
If inside, you can use a dehumidifier to dry it out. It will remove moisture faster than a fan will and you can see/control what humidity level the wood sits in storage (on the LCD display). For outside, you can buy a fungicide additive from any decent paint store and spray it on lightly with a garden pump sprayer. Same with an insecticide. Mold/fungus can't survive in 55% humidity or less.
Very Informative, I have plans to try and mill some of my own lumber this summer!
Lane Bros WoodShop Have fun! You'll love it!
Thank you, appreciate your time and good advice
Thanks Matt, lots of good information.
Been educating myself on drying green lumber, watched alot of videos on the subject and yours are very informative so thank you for that, one question on the cheaper pin type moisture meter, if you drilled small holes same dia as pins to get them deeper in the wood maybe half way thru would you get more reliable readings? Just curious as to what your thoughts are, thanks
Some mills in Holland kept logs in water for up to 2 years, but simply soaking them for a few days will do, it will drown bugs, and clean off dust, just air dry for a day befor stacking.
Matt,
I enjoyed your presentation and learned alot.
Thanks
Mike
Sully Grills Thank you Mike!
Thanks, that was an information packed video. Your videos are top notch, thanks for taking the time to share.
Eric Leitner Thank you Eric!
Great tip about keeping the dry sample of wood with the stack... I've got a pin-style meter and I had never heard that tip.
wordsnwood Thanks Art!
Thanks! You and a friend of mine are the only people who mentioned something more realistic than the 1 yr/inch of air drying time. I was one trip to the store from starting to build a solar kiln (which my friend talked me out of).
How often and how long per day do you run your fan in your basement?
Great video Matt. Thanks
Matthew, great video and information. I have several things air drying so this video is very timely.
Fine Woodworking of South Carolina Thank you!
Great information Matt. Thanks.
Ted Alexander Thanks Ted!
Very informative video and very well done as always. I have the same pin meter you show and use it when I go to a couple of hardwood dealers that buy locally to roughly gauge how wet they are. It's pretty wet in my neck of the woods. In the winter indoor humidity runs between 30 and 40% with electric heat. We have a dehumidifier that runs year round in our basement to keep it below 50%. It doesn't run as often in the winter as it does in the summer.
Jim Coogan Thank you Jim! It's incredible how much water there is inside of a tree! When I first bring these boards in, they are outside of the range of my meter. So wet!
Thanks, great information. I have a two foot long trunk I am going to slab and dry.
Very nice video. Thanks for the info on the process.
Zac Davis Thank you Zac!
Matt, I have thoroughly enjoyed your videos: I appreciate the information you share and the inspiration you have given me! I also appreciate your attitude and and the way you communicate. Thank you! In one of your videos (with your Dad, as I recall) you were starting a new stack outside, and you had some adjustable stands/bars you used to start out flat and level: what are those stands called, and where can I buy a set?
thanks for the tips. I dry very small batches occasionally (urban harvested) and have used wood glue painted on the ends with a brush for sealing. It seems to work, I always have lots of glue around. Also I think the European style drying you showed is called "en boule" or "in the round". I have heard it referred to as that anyway, not sure about the spelling. cheers
well done video and thanks for the info!
I air dry hardwood lumber on stickers in the eaves of my barn. It works good enough, but I must say that I always get movement after I bring my finished pieces into the house. My oldest samples are about 6 years old. I did some work with 40 year old cherry lumber and that was good and stable. But i can't wait that long for the rest!
+Peter Collin dried lumber will still have movement as ambient tempurature and humidity change with the seasons or location. This is even true with kiln dried lumber purchased from a lumber yard. This is why its often a good idea to bring your pieces for a project into the shop a few days or weeks before final milling and why its absolutely essential to allow for movement in your furniture designs.
Hi Matt, great video, lots of good info.. I recently had a tree taken out in my front yard, (it's roots were pushing up my concrete driveway), and I had the lopers leave me the main trunk which had a really interesting curly shape. I then sliced the trunk into 27 "hockey pucks" with a chainsaw a week later.. each puck is between 2 and 4 inches thick, ( by that I mean some are 2 inches thick, some are 3 and some are 4, but each puck is a fairly consistent width) and they range in diameter from about a foot to nearly 2 feet for the big ones..
I'm not sure of the tree species, nor do I know if it is a hard wood.. how long do you suggest I dry theses pucks for..?
I've got them in the back corner of my garage, under a shelf, up off the concrete by an inch or so, with 3/4 inch spacers between the layers.. I know that air flow may be an issue in that location, but it's now summer here in Australia, so the days are getting quite warm. If I stick my head down near them it doesn't smell very musty, which I think is s good sign, right?
Any advice would be great help.
Regards, Gene.
Seriously great information Matt! I already have some checking in the small log I cut up because I didn't paint the ends. Just to let you know I have the perfect lumber drying environment at my house. 1 month in the summer heat here and I guarantee your stack will be bone dry. Solar kiln is me just putting wood outside.
AdventuresInDIY Thanks Chris! Yes, you live in a kiln :)
Very interesting video, Matt, I learned alot!
Steve Collins Thank you, Steve! I'm glad it was informative :)
I just found a mill selling kiln dried and green. He sells thick stock but it's green. After watching your video, I have the confidence to buy green and dry it myself; Thank you
david althaus Awesome! Have fun!
"Still frozen, needs to dry" Truly, you are a wood guru, Matt!
Love your video! good job!
+Blake Hawthorne thanks!
Incredibly helpful! Should I be doing anything to the wood before using it in furniture or for building materials? Probably be using boiled lin seed oil once furniture is completed.
Also can this wood be suitable for outdoor use? Around here (Ontario, Canada) the most popular woodworking product is outdoor muskoka chairs out of Cedar. Will the Cedar here have any negatives over store bought Cedar for this application?
That's some great info. thanks Matt!
GuysWoodshop Thanks Guy!
Thanks for the video, Matt. How would you suggest we dry logs that were cut into disks?
Also, do you think the drying time for oak would be about the same?
Suggestions: to increase natural convection space first layer 4-5" above ground and leave 7-8" space from wall (chimmey effect). Also leave more space between lumber (cooling drop).
To prevent checking and uneven drying do not stack sticlers directly over the sticker below (creates concentrated wet area). Stagger stickers slightly.
The best way to stop end splits is to have a sticker at the very end of board (over hangs split like crazy).
Flip boards on top occasionally especially early on.
Also never move things twice if you don't have too!
Another great video! I'm originally from Michigan (currently in silicon valley CA renting) and long for the days spending with my grandfather and other relatives with land to go out on and hunt, pull logs, etc. Really great stuff, I can't wait to retire (or make my millions :) hehe) then head back to Mich and settle on some land and haul my own lumber and craft my own goods. So cool. Keep up the great work!
***** That would be the life for me. I would miss it too if I were you! Thanks!
Great tip about keeping the seasoned off-cut near your wood stack for comparison.
Francis Barnett Thanks Francis!
Wow Matt, what a stack of lumber! Nice.
Mike Kapotsy Thanks Mike!
Thank You matt appreciate the info
I've watched several videos and read a bunch of things oh the process of drying out maple wood slices (1 inch thick x 14 around). I am confused. I do like your process of stacking - thank you for this information. I am using the wood slices for my daughters wedding centerpieces at the end of June 2023. Should i be applying anchor seal on the raw cut wood and live edge prior to stacking? Or is it after it gets to the proper moisture level? I am VERY new at any kind of wood working but i also couldnt resist the gorgeous pieces i was given! Advice is so very welcome here! thank you!!
Matt, we have a saw mill and i'm still pretty new at using it. I'm going to make some raised beds for our garden out of juniper wood. We have juniper on our property so i'm going to cut the trees down, mill them into the lumber and then use them.
After watching this video do i need to let them dry out after i mill them if i'm just going to use them for raised beds and put them on the ground where they are going to get wet again from irrigation? And is there any drying or anything i need to do between cutting the trees down and milling them? Thank you for your help.
This answers a lot of questions I had about drying lumber. So in general, it is a better idea to slab the lumber first and then let it dry? How thick do you usually slab it? Looks like you're cutting to about 2"
Hey Matt how can we build a small kilin box in our back yard
Hi Matt! Do you have any books you would recommend on slabbing/drying your own lumber?
new sub. thanks for sharing,you are a hard worker and you laugh a lot lol
That Walnut was beautiful!
Hi Matt, I am new to "lumbering." I am slicing sections of a red oak tree and stacking them, some outside, some indoors. Should I rip the "live" edges prior to storing? Thanks, Steve.
Thanks, great job!
Matt love your channel, I am a total amateur with regards to cutting and drying wood. I have some property in Illinois and have collected some good sized white and red oak trees that were lying dead over the past year. If a tree was already dead does the drying rule of 9months still apply? I am going to be milling those trees this summer and will be drying out doors. Most of the living edges are pretty rough as the sap wood has gone bad. If thats the case is it best to turn into boards or can I still slab them? Any insight or advice is appreciated, keep up the great work!! We love your channel.
Thank you very much matt. I just got my first load of ash in and it will need to be dried. The board has varied thicknesses, should I stack from heaviest to lightest or just use something else for weight? Luckily for me, the only place I have to dry is in my basement and its no longer hot here.
If you plan on using the thinner stuff first, you can stack the thicker stuff on the bottom. That stuff will take longer to dry and you won't have to unstack it when you start using the thinner stuff on top. If you don't have anything else to use for weight, stack the thicker ones on top. They require less force to keep them flat.
Matthew Cremona fantastic, Thanks Matt
Great stuff, thanks!
great content for me as a beginner but one question -- would it be better for the wood to move your stickers to different locations periodically? Maybe a few inches to one side or the other? Seems those spots covered by them would take longer to dry than the rest?
i really needed this vid. thank you! i never knew i had to dry the wood for so long... would problems happen if i were to build a chair with un-dried wood?
Could very easily, depending on species & MC. Most woods do not change dimension until down around 30% MC, the fiber saturation point, then shrink tangentially & radially as the MC drops. Some, like beech and hickory can shrink tangentially up to 11%. That's a lot of change. It's always best to get the MC of the wood down close to that of its eventual environment. Keeps the joints tight. HTH
So you sell wood? I made a couple of farm tables out of construction lumber which I should have laid down in my basement before I made it. At 42 inches wide I ended up with a cracked top because I was STUPID and put a breadboard edge on with biscuits, pocket screws and glue. It shrunk a half inch and my daughter to who it was a gift heard a loud bang and found a crack about a quarter inch wide. Character I told her, she didn't buy into it so I sawed the bread board edges off and glued the crack and the bread board edge back on. I would like to make a real one out of either white oak, cherry or walnut. The next construction lumber one got a design change with a not attached breadboard edge. It did not crack.
Matt as you can see my pic is a Cypress knee. I live in Florida and I've been working cypress with no drying time at all. I know I'm taking a chance. The pieces are small and I'm not making a large project. Plus Cypress doesn't crack much, I also use a hardener on my wood. The biggest problem is getting the glue to dry when joining boards because the glue between the wood does not dry completely. Thanks for the tips on drying. I'm mostly drying rough cut wood no boards.When I graduate to a larger shop and projects, your techniques will be invaluable.
Hey Matt, I’m still very new to the craft so please forgive my ignorance. when is drying time done? When moisture level is 0%? Does it vary from species to species of tree? I’m in the Twin Cities too and I have similar basement conditions.
Thanks Matt! Another great, educational video. Just went to buy that Moisture Meter (the good one).... Holy moly Batman, 375.00 bucks now! I think I'll need to stick with my two prong one for now. Thanks again!
Joseph Muench I know! I couldn't believe the prices on those now. Glad to know that something I own has appreciated so much lol! Thanks Joseph!
Great video! What's the range on the moisture meter...how deep does it read?
Hi matt great video, do you have any tips on getting good hard wood in malta? Because i was only able to find some walnut (old off cut) off a wood worker and was quite expensive :/ he also stated that oak and hard woods are getting worse to find since the man made are much cheaper therefore people use it instead :/ Do you have any tips since i believe that in malta wood is only imported here since we are very small of a country.
Thanks matt and keep up the good work :)
Great video Matt. Very informative, one question I have is there any particular measurement thatt the boards need to be apart from each other. I assume you don't lay them down edge touching edge
Thanks again
angler1262 Thank you! Correct, they should not be touching. The space between the boards is another airflow variable. I usually shoot for an inch apart.
DAMN! just found some bug holes in some slabs I will put out to dry today... Should I take out my flame thrower right away? Or what should I do with those boards before laying them down to dry? Newbie here...
I am in Minnesota too and want to make some hand hewn 6x6 beams. I will storing them in a building that is used for storage on a farm. Do you think it will still take 9 months to a year per inch?
I am taking down a 20 -- 90 ft pine and want to mill it to use the lumber for interior doors and tables for my cottage.
I will be drying it outside, what is the best stack pile size.
Very informative. Thanks for the video
Danengewood- .Dan Engebretsen Thank you Dan! Glad you found it informative.
forestor/sawer told me to use stickers of a different species and it will minimize sticker stain. He also said you should dry the wood in the elements for at least a year. He works for a big mill in the area.
Stacking 50 1" x 8 " yellow pine on a concreat slab. Shaded about 70 %. Plan to put 2 large fans running 24/7. Might put a tent over it to increase heat. Does this speed up drying?
Mathew if you have a junk yard close to where you live you could probably get some old car scissor jacks for a little of nothing that you could weld a piece of steel channel across the top of 2 jacks, you could then jack up either side that was off level about three sets of these will be all that you would need for a log.
I have a log about 12" diameter and about 48" long. It's been sitting on a concrete patio since it was cut down about 3 years ago. If i mill it up would it be the same procedure as this
I just cut my first slabs this past weekend to rip into 2x4's. I
figured they'd dry faster if I ripped them down into the 2x4's before I
stacked them. I cut my first one out and with in minutes it bowed
really bad. Should I just leave the slabs intact and wait until they're
dry to rip them down?
thank for this video that will help with my test
Joshan
Hello, how to know when is wood ready to work on lathe how much percent?
Matt, any consideration to spacing between boards on the same row?
Good info here, although I'll have to disagree on the moisture meter sometimes it glitches and shows only surface moisture compared when you stick the pins in the wood. I install hardwood floors so the moisture levels between the sub-floor and hardwood is a bit deal.
How soon after a tree comes down do you suggest milling it?