2nd Sawmill Visit

[ssmith1627]

Ok guys, I went back over and got at least a small load. Maybe 220-230 board feet.

They didn't have much cherry but I picked up what they had, about 60 BF. About 60 more board feet of maple, some 4/4 and some 8/4. The rest was 5/4 and 4/4 walnut.

The walnut had just been cut so I tried to get that stacked first. I have a separate building that used to be an apartment so the rooms are not heated or cooled but they're at least insulated. Am I better off trying to dry the wood there where it stays at least 40-50 degrees or would I be better making a shelter for it outside where I'd get some air circulation ? Would appreciate your thoughts on that.

Man it takes a LOT of stickers to stack this stuff properly. Whew.

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Steve

[ssmith1627]

Guys, any thoughts on stacking wood outside vs. inside for drying ?

Warmer and dryer inside but I'm worried that stacking inside won't provide any air flow. Should I try some kind of fan just to get some air moving there ?

Appreciate your help.

Steve

[LarryG]

Yes, good airflow is key, so outside -- but under cover, somehow -- is usually better. Stack it nice and flat and keep the rain off, and it'll do fine.

[Garasaki]

Excuse my ignorance on the matter (I really don't know...) but couldn't you just use a few well placed 7 dollar box fans from wal-mart to provide some airflow inside??

[ExYankee]

Last year in March I had a miller drop a walnut, cherry and tulip poplar on my property and he delivered me 1100 bf a week later. I asked him for stickers too and he sold me a zillion for $20, all ¾ white oak. I started to stack it and then turned the job over to 2 kids I had working in my yard. As they got to the end of the second pile they started to run sort of stickers. I weighted the whole stack down with ceramic tiles
It showed 6 months later the ones with less than full length (IE part of the width of the lumber was cantilevered out 2-4”) now has a cup to them. So be very diligent when placing your stickers place them right above the row below or you will get wavy boards I did mine at 18”. They lumber was out of the direct sun and rain. I need to go and check the MC but it was 9-11% last fall.

[Ken Massingale]

Excuse my ignorance on the matter (I really don't know...) but couldn't you just use a few well placed 7 dollar box fans from wal-mart to provide some airflow inside??

Yep, good idea.

[LarryG]

Fans will work if you make provisions to exchange the air with fresh, rather than just endlessly recirculating the same moisture-laden air. And there is a LOT of moisture in green wood ...

There's also the cost of the electricity. Remember that the rule of thumb is one year of drying time per inch of thickness.

[Kristofor]

I'm not sure where you live but it seems like it would depend on your climate too.

Up here you can heat air that's -10 and 100% humidity (ice fog) and it will end up very very dry at 70 degrees in your house. At that point I wouldn't worry about the air being too moist to dry the wood (I dump ~4 gallons of water per day into the air when it's below 0). Rather I'd be concerned then that the drying was happening too fast. 2x4's brought inside from the garage in the winter certainly exhibit this problem at any rate.

In a non-climate controlled house in southern Florida I suppose the opposite may be true, that without circulation the wood may never dry.