I recently discovered a huge maple deep in my woods, and when I cut some chunks from the bottom, I discovered some amazing spalting. I cut numerous slabs, and then resawed those into smaller boards anywhere from approx 2-3″ wide x 12″ long x 1″ thick to 3″ square blocks. The problem is, this stuff is sopping wet in parts. I built a large metal rack about 5′ off the ground, laid the wood out with no stacking, and have a fan running underneath. I also have very large chunks that I have not cut yet drying in a stack with stickers in between.
Should I cut chunks to boards to quicken drying times? How long does air drying take for smaller pieces like the ones I have cut? I’m in the Midwest, and humidity levels are not exactly ideal here… The wood is drying in my garage, which gets plenty warm, am considering adding a dehumidfier to speed things up.. Should I consider drying in them in my oven or microwave? (I’ve read posts on both being successful for small pieces)
I’ve never tried anything like this before, so any advice or ideas are appreciated!
Thanks.
Matt
Replies
First of all, get all the end grain sealed; either with Anchor Seal or heavy latex paint. If you don't do this, you will have so much checking and cracking, the wood will be useless. I would sticker all of it inside where possible or covered outside and make sure you have adequate airflow over it. It doesn't take too long for the very heavy moisture to leave but plan on about 1 year per inch of thickness overall. My experience with spalted maple is that if it is heavily spalted, it is fairly punky and will dry fairly quickly. Get a good moisture meter to monitor it and just follow the drying. The thick stuff is going to take awhile though.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled