how to dry wood

[Dragon]

My father-in-law cut down a tree at my daughter`s house today and we got the pieces. He thinks it`s a butternut tree. The cut-off have some yellow inside. I will post pictures next week when I`m back in the city with high speed.
For now I need to know what to do with this wood. I`ve always just burnt the stuff. Do I leave it outside? Do I put anything on it? If so then what?
How do I make planks with it after?
This will be a new venture and I don't want to waste this wood.
thanks all
Diane

[coyote4]

If it is butternut the carvers in your area will love to get it. As about drying it you should seal the ends of the logs to keep them from checking. Some old latex paint will do, but they do sell a sealer.

Then you can just air dry them for a year or two outside. Just cover the top so water and the S word that I hate (snow) will not sit on the top, leave the stack open on the sides so air can get throught. Then wait.

If they are cut green into boards you will have to stick them, use a 1 inch slat for every row you pile cover the top and let dry. Good luck.

[scrollpup]

Originally Posted by Dragon

I`ve always just burnt the stuff.

DARN!!! Thats what I was gonna say! (LOL) You can get by without sealing the ends, BUT you will lose some from the checking (splitting). But that part burns just fine I imagine

Jerry

[Dragon]

I'll seal it tomorrow and put them away in a good spot. Will try and salvage all of it.
thanks a lot
Diane

[JohnB]

G'day Diane,
If the logs are quite big, they will season a lot quicker if cut into boards before drying.

Just do as the others have suggested, place stickers between each row of boards, seal the ends, chuck a tarp on them and then a couple of bags of sand as a weight. This will minimise twisting and bowing.

[Woodworking Plus]

Hi Diane
Glad you scored on the butternut logs. Butternut is a fairly soft hardwood and will be fun to work with when it is dry.I would suggest that you have it sawn into lumber to prevent insects from invading the bark and ruining the lumber. Once it is cut into lumber it should be stacked and stickered and kept in a dry area for at least a year Do seal the ends to prevent checking. Post pics when you have the chance.

[Janette]

I love using butternut in intarsia. It's nice to cut. DON'T BURN IT !!!

[ncsealeveler]

If you have a bandsaw this works for resawing Kevin S. Brady - Cutting Small Logs on the Band Saw .Tony

[workin for wood]

If it's big, I'd take it to a local woodmizer and have it cut up. It's nice if you can dry it inside, but if you have to do it outside, that's ok too. Put a tarp on the ground. Put 2 6x6's double stacked on each other as a base, every foot. Might be cheaper to use a pile of 2x4's. The higher off the ground the better. Place the boards down and put 3/4x3/4 boards every foot along the pile <those are your sticker boards>. Then put the next row of lumber on. place the next row of stickers directly over the previous stickers, so they all line up transfering the weight down to the base. When the stack is built, put another set of stickers on top, a cheap sheet of chip board over the top and some cinder blocks would be good for some extra weight. Paint the ends of the boards..oil base would be better than latex and is easily bought as a reject in the back room of the old hardware stores for a buck a can. Oil will slow the water from leaving the ends of the log, latex is semi-premiable and allows moisture to escape much quicker. Tarp over the pile so air can just enter the sides..if you can build like a tent over it would be best, but maybe you can't, so just tarp the top. After a year, take all the weight and stuff off the top. Grab a board, cut it to a reasonable size, and weigh it on the bathroom scale. Mark the weight on the wood. Completely wrap the entire pile with plastic as tight as you can except in one small spot. In this spot, you will install a de-humidifier which you will seal to the plastic. Run a hose from the back of the unit to outside. Turn on the unit for 2 weeks. Open the plastic, grab the board and re-weigh it. Stick it back in and repeat for 1 more week. Check the board again. Did it lose any weight? Yes? Put it back in and give it another week. When the answer to weight loss is no, you now have dry lumber. Take it all inside if it wasn't already. Hardwood should be 6-8 percent, which is what butternut should be. It will dry by nature to 15% if you are very lucky, but outside more likely not to drop under 20%. The dehumidifier will take you to at least 10% maybe 8% if you are real lucky. That's borderline close enough that you have a real good chance of success with your lumber down the road. Air dry lumber typically behaves different than kiln lumber. Air dry is usually more stable and easier to cut. It is typically better lumber when done properly, but it is a lot of work and time. It is worth the effort, especially for lumber that is typically not available on the commercial market.

If you intend to dry the logs..it won't happen. It will take a year for the first inch and you can almost double that time for every inch after. The log/s will probably split down the middle eventually because the center will shrink first. The center is called the pith. It is discarded by the sawyer, or used as a fence post. If you could dry the logs, then a mill will not want to cut it because it will be too hard on the equipment. Wood cuts easier when wet and tools last longer as the wood is softer and the water in the wood helps cool the blade. There will be a woodmizer in your area, I promise you that! You almost have to move to the north pole to not find one near by, and even there, there might be one! They have a website with locators for all the people in your area. Don't be surprised if they number in the hundreds. Many of them will come to you too.

[madbespi]

Originally Posted by workin for wood

If it's big, I'd take it to a local woodmizer and have it cut up. It's nice if you can dry it inside, but if you have to do it outside, that's ok too. Put a tarp on the ground. Put 2 6x6's double stacked on each other as a base, every foot. Might be cheaper to use a pile of 2x4's. The higher off the ground the better. Place the boards down and put 3/4x3/4 boards every foot along the pile <those are your sticker boards>. Then put the next row of lumber on. place the next row of stickers directly over the previous stickers, so they all line up transfering the weight down to the base. When the stack is built, put another set of stickers on top, a cheap sheet of chip board over the top and some cinder blocks would be good for some extra weight. Paint the ends of the boards..oil base would be better than latex and is easily bought as a reject in the back room of the old hardware stores for a buck a can. Oil will slow the water from leaving the ends of the log, latex is semi-premiable and allows moisture to escape much quicker. Tarp over the pile so air can just enter the sides..if you can build like a tent over it would be best, but maybe you can't, so just tarp the top. After a year, take all the weight and stuff off the top. Grab a board, cut it to a reasonable size, and weigh it on the bathroom scale. Mark the weight on the wood. Completely wrap the entire pile with plastic as tight as you can except in one small spot. In this spot, you will install a de-humidifier which you will seal to the plastic. Run a hose from the back of the unit to outside. Turn on the unit for 2 weeks. Open the plastic, grab the board and re-weigh it. Stick it back in and repeat for 1 more week. Check the board again. Did it lose any weight? Yes? Put it back in and give it another week. When the answer to weight loss is no, you now have dry lumber. Take it all inside if it wasn't already. Hardwood should be 6-8 percent, which is what butternut should be. It will dry by nature to 15% if you are very lucky, but outside more likely not to drop under 20%. The dehumidifier will take you to at least 10% maybe 8% if you are real lucky. That's borderline close enough that you have a real good chance of success with your lumber down the road. Air dry lumber typically behaves different than kiln lumber. Air dry is usually more stable and easier to cut. It is typically better lumber when done properly, but it is a lot of work and time. It is worth the effort, especially for lumber that is typically not available on the commercial market.

If you intend to dry the logs..it won't happen. It will take a year for the first inch and you can almost double that time for every inch after. The log/s will probably split down the middle eventually because the center will shrink first. The center is called the pith. It is discarded by the sawyer, or used as a fence post. If you could dry the logs, then a mill will not want to cut it because it will be too hard on the equipment. Wood cuts easier when wet and tools last longer as the wood is softer and the water in the wood helps cool the blade. There will be a woodmizer in your area, I promise you that! You almost have to move to the north pole to not find one near by, and even there, there might be one! They have a website with locators for all the people in your area. Don't be surprised if they number in the hundreds. Many of them will come to you too.

thanks bro,it sound good,