Is wood ever "too old" to use?

Status
Not open for further replies.

yellofins

Ron
Corporate Member
Hi Folks,
I have a general question about storing wood and how ling it is "usable".
I have a coworker that has walnut in his garage (a few hundred board feet) that he has had for 15 years that he got from a neighbor that had it for 8 years. It has been air drying for 20+ years.
Will the walnut ever get too hard to use or too brittle?
In the past I had issues planing older wood due to low mc and it was quite brittle and hard to work.
Any tips for working this wood?
He is considering selling the lumber. What would be a reasonable price for the wood. He has 4/4, 8/4, 16/4 to 12" width.

Thanks,
Ron
 

Monty

New User
Monty
Depends on the condition... as long as it's not rotted, use it! (I guess I should clarify - try a piece out an see how it works for you) If you think THAT wood is too old, take a look at this! ;)
 

4yanks

New User
Willie
I built a chest of drawers (in my gallery) out of a walnut log that was pulled from a lake after 75 years. I have read about wood salvaged in London, UK that had been buried since Roman times that was used to make furniture.
 

Mark Anderson

New User
Mark
it's trash, i'll haul it off for him real cheep:-D , just kidding if it has been stored properly it will be just fine, it may have to be worked a bit more carefullyif it has become brittle or is splitting at the ends may produce more scrap cutoffs.

you jsut have to change your vocab a bit

change "starting to rot" to spalted

any boards with holes made by temites becomes "worm wood"

and they are not old they are Antique.
 

Rocker

New User
John
Ron,
I made an armoire for a neighbor of ours from walnut that was probably just as old, stored in a garage for 20+ years. The wood worked nicely, no problems at all. The wood I used was not stacked and stickered, so some of it was warped or twisted beyond use, but most of it was useful at least for small parts. As for the price, I think $2.00 bf would be fair for the lot, or $2.50 to pick over it. BTW, I'd be interested in some of the 8/4 and maybe a piece of the 16/4 if you are not going to want it.
Regards,
John (Rocker)
 

Nativespec

New User
David
If wood becomes fossilized or petrified, it is too old and will damage your bits and blades. If wood is rotted, it is no good. Untreated wood can be presevered indefinitely when it is completely submerged in water-logs are currently being harvested from the bottom of lakes and rivers from the 1800 and 1900's and some can come from peat bogs. It is not water that destroys wood, it is the mix of water and air.
 

Howard Acheson

New User
Howard
Other than petrofied wood, wood will never "dry out" completely. It will always equalize to a equilibruim moisture content consistant with the relative humidity in which it finds itself. So unless you store the wood in "0" relative humidity, it will alway contain some moisture. Move the wood to an area of higher relative humidity, and it will gain moisture to again equilize itself.

If you get the wood, I would stack and sticker it for a month or two to acclimate it to your shop. Inspect it well to see if it has any mold or bugs.
 

Gofor

Mark
Corporate Member
I have a little bit left of 3" thick white oak originally used to build the house I grew up in. The house was built in 1860. I use it for mallet heads. Machines fine.

Go
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Premier Sponsor

Our Sponsors

LATEST FOR SALE LISTINGS

Top