A neighbour's favourite mountain ash went down in a windstorm the other
day, and they have asked me to create some keepsakes as it was the tree
they were married in front of.

I've slabbed a section of the trunk into approx 1" x 5" x 18" pieces
for stickering and stacking. Am end-sealing them now. The wood is very
wet.

Can anyone point me towards a cheap way to speed up the drying
somewhat? I've told them that it could be 6 months before it's dry
enough to work, but she's been through chemo lately and even though she
seems to be doing well, I would like to do this as soon as possible.

I have never worked with mountain ash (rowant) before and don't know
how to expect it to behave while drying. All and any advice would be
most welcome.

"Dave Balderstone" wrote in message
news:220720111644584940%dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_Sbalderst one.ca...

A neighbour's favourite mountain ash went down in a windstorm the other
day, and they have asked me to create some keepsakes as it was the tree
they were married in front of.

I've slabbed a section of the trunk into approx 1" x 5" x 18" pieces
for stickering and stacking. Am end-sealing them now. The wood is very
wet.

Can anyone point me towards a cheap way to speed up the drying
somewhat? I've told them that it could be 6 months before it's dry
enough to work, but she's been through chemo lately and even though she
seems to be doing well, I would like to do this as soon as possible.

I have never worked with mountain ash (rowant) before and don't know
how to expect it to behave while drying. All and any advice would be
most welcome.

====================

SIx months for ash?

I would think more like 1-2 years unless you have some heat and/or forced
ventilation or vacuum you can apply.

Depending on what you are making you want stable wood. You may have a hard
time burning it in your woodstove after 6 months.

--

Eric

In article , Eric
wrote:

SIx months for ash?

Mountain ash... aka Rowan (Sorbus sp). Not green, manchurian or black
ash (Fraxinus sp).

Very different woods.

Dave Balderstone wrote in
news:220720111644584940%dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_Sbalderst one.ca:

A neighbour's favourite mountain ash went down in a windstorm the other
day, and they have asked me to create some keepsakes as it was the tree
they were married in front of.

I've slabbed a section of the trunk into approx 1" x 5" x 18" pieces
for stickering and stacking. Am end-sealing them now. The wood is very
wet.

Can anyone point me towards a cheap way to speed up the drying
somewhat? I've told them that it could be 6 months before it's dry
enough to work, but she's been through chemo lately and even though she
seems to be doing well, I would like to do this as soon as possible.

I have never worked with mountain ash (rowant) before and don't know
how to expect it to behave while drying. All and any advice would be
most welcome.

I don't have any experience with this, but just having a fan blowing on
the wood pieces is supposed to reduce drying time.

Some pieces are turned green, maybe that would provide something neat.

Puckdropper

In article om,
Puckdropper wrote:

Dave Balderstone wrote in
news:220720111644584940%dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_Sbalderst one.ca:

A neighbour's favourite mountain ash went down in a windstorm the other
day, and they have asked me to create some keepsakes as it was the tree
they were married in front of.

I've slabbed a section of the trunk into approx 1" x 5" x 18" pieces
for stickering and stacking. Am end-sealing them now. The wood is very
wet.

Can anyone point me towards a cheap way to speed up the drying
somewhat? I've told them that it could be 6 months before it's dry
enough to work, but she's been through chemo lately and even though she
seems to be doing well, I would like to do this as soon as possible.

I have never worked with mountain ash (rowant) before and don't know
how to expect it to behave while drying. All and any advice would be
most welcome.

I don't have any experience with this, but just having a fan blowing on
the wood pieces is supposed to reduce drying time.

Some pieces are turned green, maybe that would provide something neat.

I have a couple of crotch pieces I am going to toss on the lathe
tomorrow.

I'm considering whapping together a small solar kiln. It's not a huge
quantity. The boards are stickered in a singled laundry basket and I do
have a fan on them... but don't want to run it for 6 months.

"Dave Balderstone" wrote in message
news:220720111843160801%dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_Sbalderst one.ca...

In article , Eric
wrote:

SIx months for ash?

Mountain ash... aka Rowan (Sorbus sp). Not green, manchurian or black
ash (Fraxinus sp).

Very different woods.

==========

You posted freshly squeezed "tree". That was good enough for me. Six months
wouldn't be good enough to burn in a woodstove for most.

--

Eric

Eric wrote:
"Dave Balderstone" wrote in message
news:220720111644584940%dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_Sbalderst one.ca...

A neighbour's favourite mountain ash went down in a windstorm the
other day, and they have asked me to create some keepsakes as it was
the tree they were married in front of.

I've slabbed a section of the trunk into approx 1" x 5" x 18" pieces
for stickering and stacking. Am end-sealing them now. The wood is very
wet.

Can anyone point me towards a cheap way to speed up the drying
somewhat? I've told them that it could be 6 months before it's dry
enough to work, but she's been through chemo lately and even though
she seems to be doing well, I would like to do this as soon as
possible.
I have never worked with mountain ash (rowant) before and don't know
how to expect it to behave while drying. All and any advice would be
most welcome.

====================

SIx months for ash?

I would think more like 1-2 years unless you have some heat and/or
forced ventilation or vacuum you can apply.

Depends on how thick it is.


Depending on what you are making you want stable wood. You may have a
hard time burning it in your woodstove after 6 months.

Well... on the other hand, I've taken chunked woods - worse woods than ash,
and turned them into wood-stove ready in 3 months with a simple 24" box fan
blowing air through them. I would look into how fast your particular ash
might dry with a good air flow through the stack. there's a big difference
between stickering wood and moving air through stickered wood - a big
difference.

--

-Mike-

On Fri, 22 Jul 2011 21:36:36 -0400, "Mike Marlow"
wrote:

Eric wrote:
"Dave Balderstone" wrote in message
news:220720111644584940%dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_Sbalderst one.ca...

A neighbour's favourite mountain ash went down in a windstorm the
other day, and they have asked me to create some keepsakes as it was
the tree they were married in front of.

I've slabbed a section of the trunk into approx 1" x 5" x 18" pieces
for stickering and stacking. Am end-sealing them now. The wood is very
wet.

Can anyone point me towards a cheap way to speed up the drying
somewhat? I've told them that it could be 6 months before it's dry
enough to work, but she's been through chemo lately and even though
she seems to be doing well, I would like to do this as soon as
possible.
I have never worked with mountain ash (rowant) before and don't know
how to expect it to behave while drying. All and any advice would be
most welcome.

====================

SIx months for ash?

I would think more like 1-2 years unless you have some heat and/or
forced ventilation or vacuum you can apply.

Depends on how thick it is.


Depending on what you are making you want stable wood. You may have a
hard time burning it in your woodstove after 6 months.

Well... on the other hand, I've taken chunked woods - worse woods than ash,
and turned them into wood-stove ready in 3 months with a simple 24" box fan
blowing air through them. I would look into how fast your particular ash
might dry with a good air flow through the stack. there's a big difference
between stickering wood and moving air through stickered wood - a big
difference.
Depends a bit on the RH of the air being moved too - - - - - .
Drying firewood, loosely stacked (or even lumber - stickered) is
relatively quick and simple with a dark tarp over a frame, not
touching the wood - exposed to the sun with the open ends pointing in
the direction of prevailing wind. A ventilation fan - like used in a
stable (barn) mounted to a solid end structure at one end to move the
air will speed it up significantly - and stable fans are designed to
run 24/7 without any issues. A por-man's "solar kiln"

"Dave Balderstone" wrote in message
news:220720111644584940%dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_Sbalderst one.ca...
A neighbour's favourite mountain ash went down in a windstorm the other
day, and they have asked me to create some keepsakes as it was the tree
they were married in front of.

I've slabbed a section of the trunk into approx 1" x 5" x 18" pieces
for stickering and stacking. Am end-sealing them now. The wood is very
wet.

Can anyone point me towards a cheap way to speed up the drying
somewhat? I've told them that it could be 6 months before it's dry
enough to work, but she's been through chemo lately and even though she
seems to be doing well, I would like to do this as soon as possible.

I have never worked with mountain ash (rowant) before and don't know
how to expect it to behave while drying. All and any advice would be
most welcome.

The thinner it is the quicker it will dry. How about making something
that is veneered with the ash?
Art

Can anyone point me towards a cheap way to speed up the drying
somewhat? I've told them that it could be 6 months before it's dry
enough to work, but she's been through chemo lately and even though she
seems to be doing well, I would like to do this as soon as possible.

If you have a place in your attic, sticker them, and use a circulating
fan.

I'm drying semi-dry 8/4 walnut this way, should be dry in less than 6
months.

Dave Balderstone wrote:
A neighbour's favourite mountain ash went down in a windstorm the
other day, and they have asked me to create some keepsakes as it was
the tree they were married in front of.

I've slabbed a section of the trunk into approx 1" x 5" x 18" pieces
for stickering and stacking. Am end-sealing them now. The wood is very
wet.

Can anyone point me towards a cheap way to speed up the drying
somewhat? I've told them that it could be 6 months before it's dry
enough to work, but she's been through chemo lately and even though
she seems to be doing well, I would like to do this as soon as
possible.

I have never worked with mountain ash (rowant) before and don't know
how to expect it to behave while drying. All and any advice would be
most welcome.

Perhaps you could use polyethylene glycol (PEG) or pentacryl to displace the
water and stabilize the wood.
http://www.preservation-solutions.com/sealgreenwood.php
http://www.preservation-solutions.co...tegory_id=1000

http://owic.oregonstate.edu/pubs/peg.pdf
http://nautarch.tamu.edu/crl/conserv...nual/File6.htm

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

On Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:44:58 -0600, Dave Balderstone
wrote:

A neighbour's favourite mountain ash went down in a windstorm the other
day, and they have asked me to create some keepsakes as it was the tree
they were married in front of.

I've slabbed a section of the trunk into approx 1" x 5" x 18" pieces
for stickering and stacking. Am end-sealing them now. The wood is very
wet.

Can anyone point me towards a cheap way to speed up the drying
somewhat? I've told them that it could be 6 months before it's dry
enough to work, but she's been through chemo lately and even though she
seems to be doing well, I would like to do this as soon as possible.

I have never worked with mountain ash (rowant) before and don't know
how to expect it to behave while drying. All and any advice would be
most welcome.

A number of wood turners use a microwave oven to dry small pieces for
turning. See:

http://www.woodworkweb.com/woodwork-...od-drying.html
--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA

Get it kiln dried. If you can't find a place in phone book, etc., contact
your closest saw mill. Maybe even (real)lumber yards might know where to
fine a place. If I remember correctly, it takes about 2 weeks for one
inch basswood to kiln dry and about 32 days for oak. Not all kilns do
custom work. But, if you find one that does not, you might plead your case
and win.
Maybe ask at a cabinet shop.

Pete Stanaitis
----------------


"Dave Balderstone" wrote in message
news:220720111644584940%dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_Sbalderst one.ca...
A neighbour's favourite mountain ash went down in a windstorm the other
day, and they have asked me to create some keepsakes as it was the tree
they were married in front of.

I've slabbed a section of the trunk into approx 1" x 5" x 18" pieces
for stickering and stacking. Am end-sealing them now. The wood is very
wet.

Can anyone point me towards a cheap way to speed up the drying
somewhat? I've told them that it could be 6 months before it's dry
enough to work, but she's been through chemo lately and even though she
seems to be doing well, I would like to do this as soon as possible.

I have never worked with mountain ash (rowant) before and don't know
how to expect it to behave while drying. All and any advice would be
most welcome.

Depends a bit on the RH of the air being moved too - - - - - .
Drying firewood, loosely stacked (or even lumber - stickered) is
relatively quick and simple with a dark tarp over a frame, not
touching the wood - exposed to the sun with the open ends pointing in
the direction of prevailing wind. A ventilation fan - like used in a
stable (barn) mounted to a solid end structure at one end to move the
air will speed it up significantly - and stable fans are designed to
run 24/7 without any issues. A por-man's "solar kiln"

__________________________________________________ ______

It is good to note that real lumber kilns (around here, at least) heat up
the kiln, and cook the wood for a while, then totally replace all the hot
humid air with cool outside air, best if done before the night humidity
starts rising. Perhaps the solar kiln could use a fan on a timer to blow
for an hour at say, 3:00 PM, then shut off for 23 hours.

-- Jim in NC