Replies

1. 
   HowardAcheson | Apr 11, 2010 11:00am | #1

   Couple of reasons why that is not a good idea.  First, it will greatly add to the humidity in basement.  Second, it will not get good air flow between the layers.  Third, it will dry too fast which is the major cause of warping, checking and splitting. 

   Best is to get the wood down to at least 15-17% equilibrium moistuer content outdoors before bringing it inside.  Build your stack 8-12 inches off the ground and use 1 x 3/4 white wood sticker.  Put a sheet of plywood on top and then weight it.  Better than the plywood is courgated fiberglass.  Do not cover the sides in any way.  You want air to be able to freely flow through the stack.

2. 
   sidecutter1 | Apr 11, 2010 11:11am | #2

   drying wood

   Im sure some will be able to help you more than I .  Here is my experience.   I have had about 1000 bd ft , each  of maple beech ash and basswood cut fresh out of my bush.  I stickered it  inside a 3 sided leen to and weighted it down with lots of weight.  dozens of concrete blocks,   built on a solid foundation of 6 x 6 over  a flat gravel bed.  it remained open on one side. left it for 2 years.  I kept a few boards separate and took them into the shop green. and checked moisture content from time to time.  they dried very quickly , in just a few months . but. the twisting and checking made them all but unusable.  the moisture content did come down to about  10% but the wood would only be suitable for small projects.  the wood stored outside for 2 years. is much more stable and flat.  I bring in small batches and let it clamitize in the shop for a few weeks before I use it.  Spend your time on a solid base with lots of ground clearence , about a foot.  and bring your lumber in  as you need it.  Its not so hard to carry in a few boards for projects as you need them. Keep the weight on the stack directly over the stickers. Oh yea, use real stickers from a supplier.    You also can look at and cut out defects in the wood before you carry it into your shop, leaving some mess and scrap out side. This may not be scientific its just what I do.    Good luck ,   Sidecutter 

   ps. how much is a bunch of wood

3. 
   birchwoodguy | Apr 12, 2010 05:02pm | #3

   drying freash lumber

   I own a bandsaw mill and dry large (1500-2000 board feet) stacks at a time.  Here is my advice for you:

   First seal all the board ends.  Nothing else will ruin your lumber faster than NOT sealing the ends pronto.  In my operation I seal the ends of the logs prior to sawing, often as the tree is cut into lengths to prevent the start of end checks.  The best sealer is parafin wax (like they use in canning) but three coats of latex paint has worked for me and is easier to work with.  (Use a different colour paint for each species of wood and it will serve later to help identify your wood - I use different colours for each year so later I can tell which boards are from which season)

   Second (if possible) stack your material outside in a well covered weighted pile. The best system is to cover the whole pile with "shade-cloth" (from a garden centre) and then cover the top of the pile with sloping galvinized roofing or scrap plywood to direct rain off the pile. The idea here is to prevent rain and any direct sunlight from causing rapid increases or decreases of moisture content in the board surfaces as this will lead to rapid surface checking.  If you have a moisture meter (about a $100. will get you one that is good enough) you can make a chart of the initial reading after milling and then each month afterward.  Given the conditions in your State, I would expect your lumber will "dry" to about 12-14 percent outside.  Once you see that you have reached this level (+/-) then move your material into a more controlled setting (like your basement) for the next step.

   Finally, after moving the material into a controlled area, (again stickered and piled in a place where air circulation is available) check the relitive humidity and temperature of your space.  A chart is available from Bruce Hoadleys book "understanding wood" that I use to gauge the equilibrium moisture content (EMC) for the wood.  Generally, as the temperature of the room is raised the EMC will fall for a given level of humidity in the room.  Your basement is likely cool and relatively humid, which will be fine to start out. As you did outside, monitor the wood moisture content with the meter each month.  As the level falls, you will need to raise the room temperature or drop the humidity (dehumidifyer). 

   As a rough rule of thumb, (assuming one-inch material) I would recommend you leave your wood outside for most of the summer for the initial drying and plan to bring it inside around September/October.  In the first month inside leave the pile alone and do not run a fan or dehumidifyer.  Monitor the wood moisture content in a chart as before.  After a month or two you can start to reduce the room EMC by raising the temperature or lowering the humidity with a dehumidifyer and a box-fan blowing through the pile.  Continue to monitor the wood moisture content until you reach about 9% (which should be fine in your area) and then get building something so you can enjoy the fruits of your carefull labour! 

   Good Luck!!

   Robert.