How dry for glue-up

[John Bush]

I am in the process of making playground fixtures for our town and will be using cedar. The best deal is green, rough cut stock straight from the mill. They don't dry it and I assume the moisture level will be 25-30%. Any suggestions on moisture level and Tightbond III bonding?? Does cedar dry more quickly than other species?? I would like to get this up and running so the kids can play this spring. Thanks, John.

[Tony Bilello]

pay the consequences.
If the moisture content is that high, it will air dry itself during and after the stuff is built. Expect shrinkage, warps, cracks etc.
Maybe you will be one of the rare few that gets lucky, but dont bank on it.
I am sure there are people on here that will tell you how to work with green wood but this nis not a time to experiment.

[Bob Childress]

I am in the process of making playground fixtures for our town and will be using cedar. The best deal is green, rough cut stock straight from the mill. They don't dry it and I assume the moisture level will be 25-30%. Any suggestions on moisture level and Tightbond III bonding?? Does cedar dry more quickly than other species?? I would like to get this up and running so the kids can play this spring. Thanks, John.

My dealer says he only buys cedar green. Air dries it (stickered) for 4 months and then sells it. It dries quickly, but even then will be about 14% . Good enough for your needs. My dealer, BTW, is Wall Lumber, no slouches when it comes to information. :)

[Tony Bilello]

My dealer says he only buys cedar green. Air dries it (stickered) for 4 months and then sells it. It dries quickly, but even then will be about 14% . Good enough for your needs. My dealer, BTW, is Wall Lumber, no slouches when it comes to information. :)

But 4 months will miss the spring deadline.

[Andrew Joiner]

I would get a sample and test it. Polyurethane glues are supposed to work on wet wood. The Titebond may not hold as good.

[Bob Childress]

But 4 months will miss the spring deadline.

Quite right. If the deal is good enough, maybe they can play in late summer. :) Otherwise, plan B.

[Howard Acheson]

Check the adhesive you plan to use to see what wood moisture content is required. Most PVA adhesive require the wood to be less than 12% EMC. Drying green wood to that parameter will take more than a few months particularly if it is more than 1" thick. As already said, wet wood can be significantly weakened by an improper drying method.

There can be significant liability to the maker of playground equipment if something fails. Be absolutely sure that the engineering is solid and that you do not rely on glue joints for strength. In fact, many adhesive manufacturers specifically exclude their products use for load bearing applications.

I would contact the manufacturer of any adhesive you plan to use to ensure that the product is used as intended. I would also contact your insurance company to ensure your are covered for anything you build.

[John Thompson]

My neighbor down the street builds outdoor swings.. chairs.. etc. for a living. He will often use wood that wet but... he uses bolts.. washers and nuts to attach. The lumber dries after the fact in his case as the jointery is not a critical as a piece of inside furniture so...

Is there a reason you are going to use glue for outside play-ground fixtures? I would probably not trust glue in the scenario you mentioned.

Sarge..