David Wadstrup
12-05-2010, 3:04 PM
I'll soon be bringing 300bf of 8/4 and 4/4 Hard Maple into my shop/home. It's been air drying outdoors for about 12 years. It's winter here in New York and the forced air heat is bringing the Relative Humidity way down inside. It's going to be a big shock for the wood, and I'm wondering what I should do to minimize potential problems. Should I wrap it? How long do you think it will take to acclimate?
Also(I'm new to woodworking,) I've heard that it's important to "creep up" on final dimensions. How does one go about this? For instance, I'll be taking the 8/4 down to 1.75" with hand planes. Should I not do it all at once? And I will be ripping 16" wide boards into 4.5" strips. How do I handle this?
I know I'm asking for a book's worth of info. here. I've looked at Understanding Wood, though, and was overwhelmed with its depth. Is there any advice you could offer?
Thanks very, very much,
David Wadstrup
Also(I'm new to woodworking,) I've heard that it's important to "creep up" on final dimensions. How does one go about this? For instance, I'll be taking the 8/4 down to 1.75" with hand planes. Should I not do it all at once? And I will be ripping 16" wide boards into 4.5" strips. How do I handle this?
I know I'm asking for a book's worth of info. here. I've looked at Understanding Wood, though, and was overwhelmed with its depth. Is there any advice you could offer?
Thanks very, very much,
David Wadstrup