This may seem like a dumb question, but here goes. I’ve picked up some curly maple and Pennsylvania cherry from the local lumber mill ($1.00/ BF) in the past. I air dried the lumber for > 1 yr for the 4/4 stock and have made some beautiful projects with them (step-back cupboard, drop-leafed table, etc.) I had almost no loss due to end splits or warpage. All in all, I’ve been very pleased. Many of the projects are several years old and only problem has been seasonal mild “warpage” of 2 raised panel doors.
My actual question is what do most of you learned folks use, air or kiln dried. Is it just a matter of how quickly you need the wood, and availability of storage for drying, or is there more to it than that? This mill sells all their wood for $1.00 / BF no matter the species. Have I just been really lucky not to have problems, or should I keep getting it this way and drying it myself?
Maybe this is just a matter of preference, but I wondered what you all think. Thanks in advance for your input.
Scott
Replies
It has been my experience that an advantage to air dried cherry, and walnut too, is the color is better. These seem to be two woods that benefit from air dried.
Wicked Decent Woodworks
Rochester NH
" If the women dont find you handsome, they should at least find you handy........yessa!"
I agree with the air drying,it seems to have a deeper tone to the color,the only thing is the time involved most of mine was close to a year for wood 1 1/4" thick off the saw.
So long as neither was abused (dried too quickly, or too slowly and developed fungus) then either should be fine. In fact, after either has sat around in your conditions for a while they will come to the same equilibrium conditions anyway.
Kiln drying goes by a well controlled schedule so should be consistently good. Air drying is more hit and miss, but can be every bit as successful if properly done. Air drying won't get dryer than the surrounding weather will allow, but kiln drying can result in wood much drier depending on how far it's taken.
When I buy wood I use either.
kiln drying often kills bad bugs.
Thanks to all of you for your input. I hope to get a "stash" of some kiln dried lumber to use as needed, and if that mill has any "special" boards, I'll pick them up as they become available and dry them for future use.
Thanks again;
Scott
The real issue is moisture content of the wood which relates to wood shrink. Buy a good moisture tester and use it. Most air dry wood in the US has a moisture content which is too high for furniture making unless you moved it inside into a heated low moisture environment (ie, not a basement). In general, kiln drying gives a higher yield of useable board feet, and unless you have a bad kiln operator, the higher yield more than pays for the drying charges. Air drying is obviously cheaper. Kiln operators charge by moisture removed so the best compromise is to air dry boards with coated ends to minimize end checking in a covered pile, and then have them finished by kiln drying.
I guess this opens up another whole discussion. What is the ideal moisture content for fine furniture, and what's the best moisture meter to use (pin or pinless)?
Thanks for your thoughts>
There is basically only one correct moisture content for stock being made into furniture, and that is whatever is in equilibrium with the air in your shop. If your material is shrinking or expanding while you work on it, it is much more difficult to do a good job.
If you buy reasonably dry stock, and give it a few weeks to acclimate to the relative humidity of your shop before you use it, you probably won't need a moisture meter. Without a meter you need to keep an eye on your wood stash. You can tell when the equilibrium point is reached, the the wood stops cupping or flattening any further and then only moves relatively slowly in response to seasonal changes in the humidity.
By the way, a meter won't tell you directly if you are at the equilibrium point, for that you need to take and record several readings over a few weeks and a you'll also need to know the relative humidity in you shop and whether or not it has been stable for a while. Personally it is easier to just watch the lumber pile and be patient enough to allow the wood more than enough time to acclimate. The only time a meter is useful is when I need to get an additional piece or two for a job and I need to match it, if possible, to the moisture level of the wood already in the shop.
If the wood is properly stickered and has some air circulation around it, it should rarely take more than a month for wood up to 5/4 thick to settle down, presuming it was fully air or kiln dried when it was brought indoors.
Hope this helps, John W.
Fine Woodworking did an article on moisture meters several years ago. That is the best place to start. For planed lumber which is typically 3/4" or less, I prefer pinless. For rough and oversized lumber, I prefer a pinned model with hammer in pins. You are interested in the moisture in the center of the board - which is not just the center of the end. If you want to read what the "pro's" think about, try this forum http://www.woodweb.com/cgi-bin/forums/comdry.pl. There is a correct moisture content to use which is "the moisture content of the place the piece is going". Appropriate moisture content is different for say New England vs Arizona. Beyond that, make sure that the design of the piece you are building provides for moisture related wood movement or use a wood stabilizer. Most kiln operators re-inject moisture back into the kiln at the end of the drying cycle to relieve surface stresses. That significantly improves workability. For most areas of the US, airdrying in an outdoor environment doesn't remove enough moisture for furniture making. You have to finish the air-drying process in a heated indoor environment. Historically, that was in the attic above the fireplace and next to the chimney. A basement or garage generally won't cut it if you expect to take the piece indoors with central heating. The pro's all use kiln dried lumber for a reason (doors, windows, furniture, cabinets, etc.). Track down a table which lists dimensional changes both with and across the grain for different species as a function of wood moisture content. Try this site http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/ for the US Forest Products Laboratory. If tables of wood movement don't convince you to factor in moisture, nothing I say will. Finally, wood equilibrates to its surroundings. If you buy wood at x% moisture and store it in a garage at y% moisture, after a while, that nice kiln-dried wood is now at y% moisture.
Thanks to all who helped educate me on this subject! I really appreciate all the thoughtful and insightful responses.
Thanks
Scott
From A Cabinetmaker's Notebook by James Krenov, quoted by Lee Eschen in this message:
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-knots/messages/?msg=8159.10
"... I don't get kiln-dried wood because I think that kiln-dried wood has been killed. This is not a pun, but a fact. The process of saturating wood with steam and getting it all wet [to correct case hardening-Lee], cooking it, you might say, is a chemical process that changes and dulls the color of the wood , and the fibers are affected so that the wood which has been kiln-dried feels different to me. It's got a different ring, a different texture; it isn't clear and fine. It's like a poorly developed photograph--one that was taken well but just didn't come out. Besides, kiln-dried wood is brittle."
A little mystical for my taste, but I don't have any evidence to dispute him.
It sounds like you're (or at least Krenov) is in favor of air dried? I rarely read which type most of you pros use, and wanted to kind of get a feel for preferences.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Scott, It think this falls under the heading of 'don't mess with success'
Sounds like you've had good luck with this particular mill and with your air drying arrangement.
Keep doing it until it doesn't work anymore.
Just got back from this mill and he's very hit or miss with the availability of lumber. All he's got presently is oak and he's not expecting to get any more maple until late summer. I'm trying to find some other sources and that's why I wondered if there's a general conensus on the topic before I buy.
Thanks for your help.
Scott
There is no wrong answer to this debate. Air dried lumber is perfectly suitable for furniture, so is kiln dried. A couple of advantages to kiln dried lumber are that any insects are exterminated and (in a perfect world) stresses are relieved. Air dried lumber has stresses too, from drying and from growth.
As to color, walnut and cherry are the two that get cited most often. I've got both air dried and kiln dried pieces made from both species in my home. While the difference between air and kiln dried lumber is noticable when the wood is fresh it's impossible to differentiate the two after a very short time, months if exposed to bright light, a year or more if not.
As to texture, I've done a bit of carving and there is really not a significant difference between the two to me. Some will argue that air dried has more softness and elasticity but I can't tell the difference.
I'd never trivialize the mystic connection some have with wood, if it nurtures the spirit it's a good thing. Perhaps there is a difference I can't see or feel and that others can.
Watch your moisture content in air dried lumber and you'll be fine. Here's an EMC chart for any who want it. http://www.furniturecarver.com/emc.html
Lee
Edited 1/14/2005 2:25 pm ET by Lee_Grindinger
Lee;
Your work is amazing and I appreciate your thoughts on this subject. Thanks for the chart. Your site has inspired me to try my hand at some decorative carving. Haven't even gotten any carving tools yet, but I followed the recent thread on the subject and also appreciated thos responses.
Many Thanks.
Scott
Listen to Lee. If anybody would notice wood texture it would be an accomplished carver.
Good for you, Scott. Even simple ornaments can really dress up furniture. I'm glad I've inspired you. Lee
I air dry all my wood, I do take extra precautions with maple though.. that wood has never been kind to me and seems to mold and decay very easy!
Frenchy;
Thanks for your response. Since it seems to be working for you and others, I guess I'll continue to try my luck.
Thanks
Scott
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