redwood slab for a desk (advice on drying)
Hey folks
This is my first post on this wonderful forum. I am a novice work worker and recently purchased a ~38″x60″x2.5″ redwood slab that I want to use for a desk.
My plan is to use epoxy to fill some small cracks, softwood areas and a check. After that I was going to use danish oil.
A friend of mine mentioned something I had not thought of, wood needs to dry. So I went out and bought a moisture meter. On the softwood setting I am getting values around 28%.
My question was whether drying is important for redwood as other hardwoods, given that it is very good dimensional stability with changes in moisture content. Waiting 1-2 years was not something i expected when I purchased it, but I am accepting of my ignorance on the matter. I really want to start using this as a desk (I need an additional desk), but I don’t want to ruin the slab either.
Could folks please help me with their experience with drying and redwood slabs?
Thanks and nice to meet everyone!
Replies
Drying is important when you are building a desk. The rule of thumb is 1 year of air drying for every inch of thickness.
If you build a structure to support it level & flat you could "store" it to dry at say... 30" from the floor (desk height) and use it while it dries. 28% won't affect your paperwork and you'll need to surface the slab when it is dry anyway. Put the good side down in case of spills.
Don't just go with sawhorses, the slab will surely develop a bow.
Using wood expansion calculators, the wood will loose about one inch in width going from 28% rh to 10%.
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