Seasoning Lumber

[Cyrus Brewster]

I hope I'm in the right forum for this. I will be building lots of bee hive equipment through the winter and have a supply of green lumber. My question: Given the small dimensions of the hive pieces, do you think shrinkage will be a significant factor? I've never bought rough-cut green lumber before. Perhaps warping would be a bigger concern.

Thanks,

[Ted Calver]

Cyrus,
Welcome to the Creek! I hope you enjoy your stay. I think you will have to tell us a little more to get decent advise. What wood are you using? What tools are available? What is the finished product and does it make any difference if you build it with green wood (maybe green wood could mold inside a hive and cause problems). Others will surely think of other questions. Good luck

[Paul Greathouse]

Cyrus

Has your green wood been air dried and for how long? If it has air dried at least a year you shouldn't have too much trouble with shrinkage or warping. I'm assuming that the hives will be used outside at the same general humidity levels and weather conditons as it is now.

And as Ted asked, what kind of wood are you dealing with?

[Joe Little]

I have raised bees and the heat generated inside a hive is enormous. I think it would be best for the wood to be very dry before you begin.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

Welcome to SMC, Cyrus. Shrinkage of wood would most probably be a problem with fasteners. A friend built some boxes to hold flower pots and used oak that wasn't dry enough and actually had screw heads popped off.

[Cyrus Brewster]

OK, I should have given more information.
1. I will be using pine fewah from the mill
2. Max finish dimension (each piece) will be 20" x 10" x3/4"
3. The hive boxes will be left unfinished and situated in the sun when populated
4. I will be able to stack and cure pieces (a little over finish dimension) for 90 days max prior to final dimensioning and assembly

My concern is only for the first batch of hive bodies for next spring, as subsequent ones will be air dried for a longer period of time.

Also I have table saw, planer, (getting a jointer)


thanks for your help.

Cy

[Scott T Smith]

Pine usually dries relatively quickly; I would not be afraid to use 4/4 pine that had air dried for 90 days for your application; it should have completed most of it's drying by then.

You'll want to stack and sticker it well, out of the weather, and make sure that you have good airflow across the stacks. Targeted airflow is 300 fpm, give or take.

Search the archives for information on air drying. Also, the USDA has some great information regarding air drying as well.

Even better, when the pine has air dried for 60 days see if you can move it into a warm, dry environment, such as a workshop, etc.

[Izzy Camire]

I have a sawmill and as a result I dry a lot of wood. The rule of thumb I use is 8 months of air drying for softwoods like pine and hemlock. One year for hardwoods.

I have found that on average 12" wide pine boards will shrink about 3/16" across the width. Shrinkage on the thickness is negligble.

[Cyrus Brewster]

Thanks to all, My shop is dehumidified and I'll sticker it there with some air flow. What the heck, if I get a few bad boxes no great loss.

Cy

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

If you build with Green, factor 6% shrinkage.

[David Freed]

There are several people saying you should dry it for several months. If you aren't going to finish them, you DON"T want to do that. If you let it dry that much, build your hives tight, and then put it out in the weather, it will swell and cause problems. You will have to build the hives with would movement in mind. When the sun shines on them in the summer, the wood will shrink. The next day when it rains all day, it will swell. I agree with Scott. If you dry them for 90 days, most of the shinkage will occur during that time. Half or more will occur in the first month in fairly warm weather.

[David DeCristoforo]

I just season mine with a little salt and pepper. Some people like to use garlic but I think that is too "heavy" for the subtile flavor of wood. Some woods need no seasoning at all. Walnut for example has a distinct flavor that can stand on it's own and woods like cedar have such a strong natural flavor that any seasoning at all is pointless.

[Art Mulder]

Thanks to all, My shop is dehumidified and I'll sticker it there with some air flow.

Cy -- put a box fan blowing on the stickered pile and the drying rate will be faster.

[Scott Crumpton]

I'm not real familiar with the exact construction of hives, but it seems to me that there should be no cross-grain joints other than where the sides meet the top and bottom panels. Therefore, as long as you attach those in a manor that allows for any wood movement you should be good to go. It's not fine furniture after all. :)

[Steve Clardy]

I just season mine with a little salt and pepper. Some people like to use garlic but I think that is too "heavy" for the subtile flavor of wood. Some woods need no seasoning at all. Walnut for example has a distinct flavor that can stand on it's own and woods like cedar have such a strong natural flavor that any seasoning at all is pointless.



Yep. Hey you forgot to include Cherry. :D

[David DeCristoforo]

That's not a seasoning... it's a flavor...

[Steve Clardy]

Oops. I had Cherry Pie on my mind.