Shop drying hardwoods question

[Rayban]

I am new to the site and I have about 500 bdf of walnut given to me as a green log that is already in my shop drying. I also have a cedar and a cherry tree that I'm planning to pick up next week and take to the mill. I plan to rack it in my shop to dry as well. I have forced air gas heat in the shop in the winter but no conditioning in the summer. I'll try to upload a couple photos of the walnut (with pine underneath) so you can see my setup....provided I can determine how to do that. I've read until my eyes are crossed but can't seem to find any information about how to care for wood air drying in a heated shop. Can someone help me with any suggestions of what I should or should not do? I've read about bug problems with oak, that you should kiln dry after air drying, you should paint the ends, etc. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated to a budding saw dust creator. Thanks.

 

[Bas]

I'm sure one of the sawyers will chime in, but let me get the ball rolling.
First, you want to seal the end of the boards with AnchorSeal. Otherwise, you'll end up with a lot of checking and splitting. Second, you want to make sure you dry the wood slowly. If the moisture loss per day is too great, you'll end up with some lovely firewood. Scott Smith is a member here and a sawyer and kiln operator. Check out his post on SMC on this subject. You may even be better off drying the wood outside, at least for a few months. Also, I suggest you buy a good moisture meter to check the progress. Yes, they cost a couple of hundred dollars, but that's a small investment considering the value of the lumber.

Good luck! And if you have more wood than you know what to do with....people around here like walnut

 

[scsmith42]

Hi Ray, welcome to NCWW! Looks like you have a nice stack of lumber there.

The link that Bas posted is a good place to start educating yourself, and I second his comments. One thing that I noticed about your stacks is that you've stickered in-between the boards vertically as well as horizontally. Skip the vertical stickering; all that you need is horizontal.

Personally, at this time of year I would start the drying process outside as opposed to inside; primarily because of the cooler temperatures and lower drying rate during the winter outside. In 4 - 6 months you can start moving your wood indoors to finish it off.

Feel free to ask questions after you've read the post on SMC.

Scott

 

[Howard Acheson]

In addition to the slower initial drying by stack it outside, you will end up with a greatly increased relative humidity in your shop. A few years ago, a friend stacked some newly cut wood in his shop. He ended up with lots of rust on most of his cast iron tools surfaces. Also, he did not get good air circulation through the stack so his drying was very variable.

Best to initially stack it outdoors in a spot that has good air flow. Cover the top of the stack with exterior plywood or corrugated fiberglass material. Leave the sides open to allow air flow through the stack.