On 4/25/2011 9:08 PM, JJ wrote:
For 8ft long lumber, how many supports should one use when air drying?

I bought a dozen 2x12 x 8ft boards at the local big box store.
Geez talk about mediocre wood. Most were pretty damp and I am hoping
it was because they got rained on.

I "borrowed" the lath strips that got exposed as I picked through the
pile. I have eight strips that run almost the full width and laid
those down on the garage floor - a bit over a foot apart.

I'm thinking I will sacrifice some free yard sticks and add those to
the pile.

Thanks,

JJ


I used a few thousand board feet of sawmill lumber in my house (non
structural). It came bundled with metal strapping. The laths were in
between every layer of boards about 4' apart.

I let it dry in my garage and that turned out to be a mistake. It was
too damp for too long because there wasn't enough ventilation. I lost
some wood to rot deep inside the bundles.

As others have suggested don't put a fan on the wood. This will likely
lead to uneven drying. Make sure the wood is out of the rain but in a
place where the wind can keep the air moving throughout the pile.

I was told you should let green lumber air dry for about a year for
every inch in thickness. Ideally you should use a moisture meter but
for what you have it's not worth buying one. Just let the wood sit
for 18 months.

LdB

On Tue, 26 Apr 2011 11:54:40 -0500, LdB wrote:

On 4/25/2011 9:08 PM, JJ wrote:
For 8ft long lumber, how many supports should one use when air drying?

I bought a dozen 2x12 x 8ft boards at the local big box store.
Geez talk about mediocre wood. Most were pretty damp and I am hoping
it was because they got rained on.

I "borrowed" the lath strips that got exposed as I picked through the
pile. I have eight strips that run almost the full width and laid
those down on the garage floor - a bit over a foot apart.

I'm thinking I will sacrifice some free yard sticks and add those to
the pile.

Thanks,

JJ


I used a few thousand board feet of sawmill lumber in my house (non
structural). It came bundled with metal strapping. The laths were in
between every layer of boards about 4' apart.

I let it dry in my garage and that turned out to be a mistake. It was
too damp for too long because there wasn't enough ventilation. I lost
some wood to rot deep inside the bundles.

As others have suggested don't put a fan on the wood. This will likely
lead to uneven drying. Make sure the wood is out of the rain but in a
place where the wind can keep the air moving throughout the pile.

I was told you should let green lumber air dry for about a year for
every inch in thickness. Ideally you should use a moisture meter but
for what you have it's not worth buying one. Just let the wood sit
for 18 months.

So the eight Maple 2x10s I've had in the pile (and have moved, interstate,
three times) for 20 years should be good and dry by now? ;-)

On 4/26/2011 11:31 PM, zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Tue, 26 Apr 2011 11:54:40 -0500, wrote:

On 4/25/2011 9:08 PM, JJ wrote:
For 8ft long lumber, how many supports should one use when air drying?

I bought a dozen 2x12 x 8ft boards at the local big box store.
Geez talk about mediocre wood. Most were pretty damp and I am hoping
it was because they got rained on.

I "borrowed" the lath strips that got exposed as I picked through the
pile. I have eight strips that run almost the full width and laid
those down on the garage floor - a bit over a foot apart.

I'm thinking I will sacrifice some free yard sticks and add those to
the pile.

Thanks,

JJ


I used a few thousand board feet of sawmill lumber in my house (non
structural). It came bundled with metal strapping. The laths were in
between every layer of boards about 4' apart.

I let it dry in my garage and that turned out to be a mistake. It was
too damp for too long because there wasn't enough ventilation. I lost
some wood to rot deep inside the bundles.

As others have suggested don't put a fan on the wood. This will likely
lead to uneven drying. Make sure the wood is out of the rain but in a
place where the wind can keep the air moving throughout the pile.

I was told you should let green lumber air dry for about a year for
every inch in thickness. Ideally you should use a moisture meter but
for what you have it's not worth buying one. Just let the wood sit
for 18 months.

So the eight Maple 2x10s I've had in the pile (and have moved, interstate,
three times) for 20 years should be good and dry by now? ;-)


To be on the safe side they should be tested. If you ship me the
boards I'll test them and send you back the results.

LdB