I just bought a huge white oak slab and had it deleverd to Texas from Michigan. It is 3″ thick x 3ft wide x 10 ft long and it was cut about three months ago. It is in my garage drying and the moisture level is now at 15% on the outside and 19% on the inside. I sealed the ends with Anchor Seal. Over the past month it has warped significantly during the drying process. Any advise on how to prevent more warping and even cracking?
Much appreciated!
Replies
>> to Texas from
>> to Texas from Michigan
That is a huge climatic change.
Green wood should be stickered and stacked in a pile. The weight of the stack helps keep the wood flat(er).
If possible, I would weight the slab and store in a place with good air circulation where is would be dried as slowly as possible given your situation.
It is going to move and probably check regardless.
Larry
Hopefully the ends have been properly sealed with an end sealing material such as Anchorseal. Oak is susceptable to end checking if the ends were not sealed within 24 hours of being milled.
Second, it's going to take a 2-3 years to air dry 3" thick oak. The initial drying should be done very slowly. It's best to be outsidie supported by strong boards about 1" x 8" placed about 15" apart. Weight the top with cinder blocks. Cover the slab with something like corragated fiberglass roofing but be sure the breeze can freely pass through the stack. In other words, don't enclose the sides. After the slab has reached 12% EMC, you can move it inside to complete drying.
Thanks
Thank you for your help! Thankfully we did seal the ends with Anchor Seal.
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