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jeffrey bailey
01-15-2016, 12:06 PM
I am having about 150 board feet of cherry sawed up and would like some opinions about air drying. I have seen some different ideas online. I saw where one guy even stacked it in his basement with a dehumidifier. I have one spot on my wrap around porch that is out of the way but it is on the south side and will get a lot of sun which I have read will dry it too fast and cause checking and splitting. Any ideas and opinions will be greatly appreciated.

Chris Padilla
01-15-2016, 12:11 PM
Check out our Sawmill and Kiln Drying Forum. The guys talk about air drying there as well and how to handle that.

Cody Colston
01-15-2016, 8:50 PM
That area on your porch will be fine this time of year. Sealing the log ends (or board ends) with Anchorseal or something similar will help in preventing checks. Lay down some 4x4's on the porch deck, spaced about 16" apart for the length of the boards. Place a sticker centered on each 4x4. Stickers should be a min of 3/4" thick and about 1" or 1 1/4" wide. Lay down the first layer of boards and then place another row of stickers centered directly over the one below. Repeat until all the lumber is stacked and stickered.

The sunlight won't dry the lumber too quickly in winter but it will darken the Cherry boards on top. You can place a sheet of cheap plywood over a layer of stickers to cover the top of the stack. Cinder blocks, sand bags or more 4x4's will keep the plywood from blowing off.

By the time temperatures warm enough to support fungal growth, the Cherry should be too dry for it. Depending on where you are located, the lumber will eventually dry to about 12% moisture content. The time to reach that value also depends on your locationa and the thickness of the lumber.

For more advice on sawing and drying lumber, check out the sub-forum Chris noted.

Izzy Camire
01-15-2016, 11:49 PM
I guess if it were me I would try to find a place in the shade where as the season warms up the wood will be in a slow drying area in the yard. The method of stickering above is sound. the important part is that the base of the pile is coplanar as best as possible across the entire area.

Danny Hamsley
01-16-2016, 7:24 AM
Don't stack it up against a wall. The stack needs air flow around all sides, top and bottom.

richard b miller
01-16-2016, 9:43 PM
i am sort of new to wood working but a virgin to getting lumber from a mill. i was talking to a guy that does
a lot of furniture building here and he gave me the name of a good local mill. hence, no more buying from a box store.
he did mention sealing the ends of the green wood, but what is/are "stickers"? i think my grandson has some dinosaur stickers!;)
thanks
rich

Danny Hamsley
01-17-2016, 8:14 AM
They are the spacers between the layers of wood to allow air to move between the layers and move out the water vapor from the evaporating water from the wood.