These days, it’s easy enough to get cheap slabs of live edged wood, and cut lumber for woodworking. You can find them on Craig’s List, Facebook Marketplace, on eBay, and even by the side of the road for prices that can seem too good to pass up. But, are your really getting a bargain, or are you buying a big headache? Because a lot of creative ingenuity and hard work goes into your woodworking projects, it is best to know what to look for, and why.
By Jeffrey Schucker – All wood contains moisture in its cellular structure. The wood’s application will determine the amount of moisture that needs to be removed from the cells. The goal is to reach the level of moisture in the cells that is equal to the relative humidity of where the wood will be in use. There are several ways to reach that result.
The first method of removing that moisture in the cells is to put the lumber on drying sticks so air can pass over and around the surface. All lumber drying starts with this process. This method will allow the moisture in the cells to migrate to the surface of the lumber and evaporate. It will occur naturally, and will stop when the lumber is at the same relative humidity equal to its surroundings. In the northeast of the US, most air dried lumber will reach a moisture content of somewhere between 12%-16%, being left on air drying sticks alone. Depending on the species of wood, and the thickness, this process can take several months to several years. The thicker the lumber, the longer it takes for the moisture in the center of the wood to be removed.
Air Drying doesn’t cost a lot to do, and given time, good results can be achieved. If the wood is going to be used for an exterior application, once it has reached that equilibrium, it is ready for use. If you plan to use the wood for an interior application, this is where you will begin to see movement in the lumber in the form of shrinkage. This occurs because the relative humidity of your home is less than that of the wood’s surroundings when it was outside and air dried.
To resolve this problem in shrinkage of the wood fibers, the wood needs to be… CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
