Replies

1. 
   sleepydad | Sep 24, 2008 01:06am | #1

   I have cut/dried several thousand feet of red elm.  Works very nice and is really attractive wood.  But it does move quite a bit.  In general most elm does require extended air drying as compared to many other woods.  It will also move on you if you don’t put some pretty good weight on it.

    

   Cut it as fast as you can don’t let the logs sit around.  Paint the ends of the log with some latex paint.  There are special mixes for end sealing logs but a thick coat or 2 of latex is better than nothing.  It will start to check from the ends because the fibers will dry faster than the interior creating stress that will crack.

    

   Cut your lumber as close to the final dimensional pieces as you can.  Of course leave enough to straighten and smooth.

    

   Also learn what type of cants you want.  In my opinion quarter sawn lumber is king.  In general it will be more dimensionally stable.  You have a better chance of it staying flat and straight especially when air drying.  And for goodness sakes make sure they take the pith out of it.  Nothing can spoil lumber like leaving the pith in it.  See it all the time.  Cracks and twists the boards.

    

   Good luck.  Don’t forget to sticker it and provide a flat level base capable of supporting the weight.

    

   http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr117.pdf

    

    

    

1. 
   WillowRay | Sep 24, 2008 04:52pm | #2

   Thanks Sleepy Dad!

    

   The attachment and your input is exactly what I was looking for!

    

   Willow Ray

2. 
   BrianDerr | Sep 26, 2008 06:46am | #3

   Rather than buying a moisture meter, you could weigh one of the thickest slabs every month and when it quits losing weight it has reached equilibrium moisture content and is ready to either bring inside to finish drying or to be worked if it has already been in the shop for months.

   Brian

1. 
   WillowRay | Sep 26, 2008 04:57pm | #6

   Brilliant!  I love simple things that work!

3. 
   royjcouvillion | Sep 26, 2008 03:42pm | #4

   I'm in Lafayette, LA and have very similar conditions to Houston.

   If you're like me, you'll store that wood for years before getting around to using it. Otherwise, a rule of thumb is to dry it stacked and stickered for 1 year for each inch of thickness.

   Regardless of how long you let it dry outside, you will not get lower than the Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC) for your area. There's a table in the .pdf document referred to below...your's is 14%.

   You can improve that number by building a nice drying building or shed. I have a small tin building with plenty of ventilation to put wood in. The sun heats the crap out of that thing and the wood stays hot even through the night. I've tested wood from there at close to 10%. The second link attached is a calculator for EMC given temperature and relative humidity.

   A few pointers (everyone else feel free to add on to the list)

   * Paint the ends of the log(s) immediately. I use old latex paint. Different colors help identify boards from the same logs.

   * Quarter saw as much as possible. You'll have plenty of supply after Ike.

   * Cut a few thick boards if you have the supply. 8/4 and even a couple of 16/4 squares. You'll appreciate this some day.

   * Line your stickers directly on top of each other. Lay them 16" apart max. I make my stickers from 1/2" CDX plywood. Rip them to the thickness of the plywood and cut them to 12" lengths. I haven't seen any staining from them, but I keep my wood in a shed.

   Don't try to keep every square inch of each log for boards. If you're going through the trouble, keep the good stuff. There's plenty available now.

   I collect the drop-offs when the sawyer squares the log. Dried in a shed, they make great firewood!

   http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplrn/fplrn268.pdf
   http://www.csgnetwork.com/emctablecalc.html

1. 
   WillowRay | Sep 26, 2008 04:56pm | #5

   Thanks Roy!

    

   You're right about the humidity here.  I've had mortise and tennon joints that fit perfect one week and two weeks later didn't work at all.

   In the past I've brought small pieces into the house a couple weeks before I'll work on them but I plan to keep these as large slabs.  I just might have to construct a tin shed.

   - Ray

    

4. 
   dkellernc | Sep 27, 2008 08:43pm | #7

   You might have cedar elm on your hands.  It's a native of Texas:

   http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/natives/ulmuscrassifolia.htm

   I also mill lumber from downed trees in the area.  The pdf doc mentioned in a previous post suggests that the EMC of wood stored outdoors in the Raleigh area never dips below about 12%, but in my experience this hasn't been the case.

   I've tested a fair amount of walnut and red oak that I've been seasoning a few years by the "oven dry" test.  In the fall after a week or so without rain or high humidity I calculate about 8% moisture.  I've built a fair amount of furniture with this wood, and I've haven't had any issues with warping or cracking.  Not sure how same furniture would fair if taken to an extremely dry climate, though.

1. 
   WillowRay | Sep 27, 2008 08:50pm | #8

   Thanks for the link!

1. 
   Ron01960 | Sep 28, 2008 06:03pm | #9

   Ray, make sure the stickers are dry or your going to have visible staining problems on you lumber.I would suggest you go to the Wood Web, Sawing and Drying forum for a good read.best of luckRon

1. 
   WillowRay | Sep 29, 2008 05:17pm | #10

   Thanks - I've seen those stains before and didn't know how to prevent them.  I was very surprised at how deep they penetrate into the wood.