On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 10:40:13 -0400, "George" George@least wrote:


"Prometheus" wrote in message
.. .
On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 12:44:51 -0400, "George" George@least wrote:
.

Any good rules of thumb for drying times:thickness? I know with
lumber it's about 1 year:1 inch, but that seems like a lot with a
small hollowed peice.


It's the don't give much to pull against move all over again. With the
pith
located in a sloped or curved area of the wall, it has less to grab below,
because there isn't enough continuous fiber across the grain. Little loss
(1%) of dimension along the grain.

Good deal- That's what I've got going, but it was more for aestetic
reasons to begin with.



Well, it's _not_ an inch per year, as the boys at Madison will be pleased to
tell you, http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/pdf2001/simps01b.pdf and in
the free downloadable wood handbook. Then there's the fact that end grain
loses at ten times the face grain rate, and a whole bunch of other neat
things.

Handy site. I was just going by an oft-repeated rule of thumb, but
looking at that makes me think it may be worthwhile to contact the
sawmill even if I *don't* make a solar kiln.

Further, wood once dry gains moisture along with rising relative humidity,
which is the problem with tight-fitting lids. Weigh your piece, check it
every three or four days until it loses no weight for two checks, and it's
as dry as it will get for the present conditions.

I like them to be a little snug, but I try to recall the reasons
behind frame-and-panel furniture construction, even with stuff from
the lathe. So the lid has a "step" that allows it to sit properly,
even if one or both of the components strink or expand.