First time post

[Martin Titmus]

Hi to everyone out there - am living in a chalet high in the French Alps and am getting into my woodworking here in an increasingly big way (see pictures at www.mountain-air.co.uk (http://www.mountain-air.co.uk))- have learnt a lot from looking through various threads and would like to kick off with a question. Have recently had to completely replace my balcony (pine) due to wet rot / uv damage etc (extremes of sun storm and frost etc) and on local advice have used Douglas Fir which has worked really well and will hopefully outlast me! Found a good source of Douglas at a local French yard which is sawn into boards and under cover but not kiln dried etc. Dont know the moisture content but would I need to check this prior to using inside for a staircase ??- cant wait for my stock to dry and cost of buying superior quality dried timber seems prohibitive - am i likely to suffer from excessive checking if i use this? - any advice greatly appreciated

[Betsy Yocum]

Welcome to the Creek Martin! I'm sure you'll get lots of good advice here as I have.

Betsy

[Jason Tuinstra]

Martin, I'm not the guy to answer your question on this one, but I just thought I'd chime in to say welcome! We're always glad to have another woodworker hanging around.

[Jack Hogoboom]

Martin,

Sorry, but I have no advice to give you. Welcome aboard. Bonjour, etc. I sure wish I was with you in the Alps. Guess I'll just have to be content with my copy of "The Sound of Music." I look forward to reading your posts!!

Jack

[Tyler Howell]

Welcome Martin,

What a beautiful creative atmosphere you live in. I'm sure there is lots to inspire, and challenge your WW skills. I also look forward to seeing more of your work and the view from your windows.

[Marshall Harrison]

Welcome Martin,

Unfotunately I can't answer your question but I'm sure someone can as there is a lot of knowledge here.

[Steve Clardy]

Welcome to the Creek.

I would check with some other woodworkers or carpenters in your area to see what advice they have on moisture content on lumber that they use.
Maybe someone there would have a moisture meter to give you an idea of what you would be dealing with and how they air dry their wood.
Here in the USA we usually let lumber air dry a year for every 1" of thickness, etc etc.
Steve

[Jerry Olexa]

Wecome... Is this interior use? you mention UV damage, etc. Is that through the glass? Give a little more detail and we can help. Glad to have you. You live in a great spot. If its exterior, I have other suggestions. Jerry

[Dan Gill]

Welcome, Martin. I'd check to see how long the stock has been air drying. If it's to be used outdoors (as I suspect - I don't know of any inside balconies), the moisture content is going to equalize to what you have outside. If it's been drying for a year per inch thickness (just under three cm), I'd use it.

[Dan Gill]

By the way, I don't suppose you are coming to the Dallas, TX barbecue this weekend?

[Martin Titmus]

thanks everyone for your words of welcome and kind remarks re my location - the exterior balcony shown on the front of my website is the one in question and i have now finished it - cantilevered from the front of the chalet and 10mtrs wide by 3mtrs deep - quite a first project for me and well worth the investment in a second hand combi m/c (robland x310) as i had to cut about 600 mortice and tenons!! - i'll post pics of the finished article when i have invested in a digital camera. the staircase i want to build is internal which is why i am uncertain if the wood is sufficiently dry - i dont yet trust the guy at the woodyard too much (typical savoyarde artisan with a large dog and a 'galloise' hanging permenantly from his bottom lip) so the investment in a moisture meter is probably a sound idea - what content should i be looking for as a max??
regards
Martin

[Martin Titmus]

thanks for barbie offer dan - am paragliding sat pm so if i get enough height and catch the jetstream i'll drop in
martin

[Steve Clardy]

Try to find out what your average air moisture content is there, outside. Air dried wood will only dry to that percent. Here in Missouri where I am, that is 12 pecent air moisture, an average.

Kiln drying will get down to around 6-8 percent moisture content. But after it is kiln dried it will rise back up to whatever the average moisture is.

[Dan Gill]

Well, I mis-read the original post. Okay, it's an inside staircase. Never mind . . .

[Martin Titmus]

thanks dan and steve in particular - i'm off to look for a meter - good excuse for another new toy!

martin

[Jim Becker]

Welcome aboard, Martin! I don't think you'll regret having a moisture meter available as it's quite handy for evaluating material for all your projects.

[Steve Clardy]

thanks dan and steve in particular - i'm off to look for a meter - good excuse for another new toy!

martin
Alright!!!! Sounds like you have the new toy, er, tool thing down pat.;)

Steve:)

[Aaron Koehl]

Wow... the Internet is everywhere! ;)

[Chris Padilla]

Welcome, Martin, and we are glad to see you have an affinity for new tools...it is something of an illness over here.... :D We also like lottsa pics...LOTTSA! ;)

[Jim Ketron]

welcome to the Creek Martin come dip your feet in the waters fine

Jim

[Christian Aufreiter]

Hi Martin,

welcome to SMC. It's nice to see another guy from Europe participating here.

Regards,

Christian