Advice on buying lumber.

[Matt Guyrd]

I'm still quite green in the woodworking department, but enjoy the learning process, including the wealth of info here on the Creek.

Tomorrow I will be taking a road trip to a look at (and hopefully load the back of my truck with) a bunch of cherry (possibly some walnut and poplar too).

I am told that the cherry was kiln dried but as been ricked outside for the last three years, uncovered. Is this something I should be concerned about? I'm sure the stack(s) will look weathered, but what is the best way to make sure I am not buying crap besides the obvious (rot, for instance)?

Any other advice on purchasing rough-cut lumber I should be aware of? FWIW, this is not a retailer/wholesaler/mill sale, from best I can tell...just a private sale, and the price is rediculously cheap (you get what you pay for?).

Thanks!
Matt

[Chris Barton]

Matt,

I wouldn't buy it if it has been in the weather. You have to ask yourself the question, "why would someone go to the trouble and expense of kiln drying wood only to put it back into an environment that will cause it to twist, and warp?"

[lou sansone]

I agree with chris
something does not sound right about leaving good cherry outside uncovered. I process a decent amount of wood and it is always covered on top while air drying, and stored in a weather tight building once air dried. Leaving wood out in the rain will basically ruin most species. Maybe just the top boards are bad, but I would be very carefull in looking at this wood .

lou

[Frank Fusco]

As a relative beginner also, I find this very interesting. I do not that the comments did say "some species". There is a furniture factory a couple counties away that stacks all it's wood outside, I believe it is oak. If stacked to allow air circulation, why would all except the top (sky facing) not be acceptable? And wouldn't most of the surface fading be planed or sanded away?

[Alex Berkovsky]

Matt,
Are you by any chance going to that place on the last exit of NJ Turnpike?

A Guide to selecting and buying lumber (http://www.workbenchplans.com/plansnow/060501-plansnow-download.pdf)

[Michael Conner]

As a relative beginner also, I find this very interesting. I do not that the comments did say "some species". There is a furniture factory a couple counties away that stacks all it's wood outside, I believe it is oak. If stacked to allow air circulation, why would all except the top (sky facing) not be acceptable? And wouldn't most of the surface fading be planed or sanded away?

More than likely this company has their own kiln. It is pretty common to air dry in a yard like you describe. They are most certainly sacrificing the outer boards to the elements in return for the the energy savings in the kiln. If they can air dry before kiln drying, they will save a significant amount of money in energy costs. The boards that are exposed on the outer part of the stacks will most likely be unusable.

I frequently place poor boards (bad knots, lots of wane, etc.) on the outer portion of the stack to protect the inner boards when air drying.

Regarding the original post... I would not buy lumber that was kiln dried, then stored in the elements. At the very best, this lumber should now be considered air dried only. I would expect a lot of degrade and moisture content no better than AD.

[Matt Guyrd]

Thanks for the input, thus far.

I was told that the lumber was KD and stored in a warehouse, then the guy lost his storage and had to move the lumber outdoors. If it is stacked properly, should much of the inside stack be okay with the exception of MC?

I'm a skeptic by nature, particularly when it comes to spending my money, so I'll be sure to give it a good look-over. As mentioned earlier, the price is dirt cheap, which is a red flag in itself, but I have to look for myself...hopefully my green eyes don't deceive me and this will be one of those rare finds. I'll post my findings this weekend.

Alex, this is not in NJ, but if you know of a good stash at the end of the turnpike, I'm listening. :D Thanks for the link too!

Matt

[Kelly Anderson]

Last year I bought a bunch of rough sawn red and white oak that had been stacked, stickered, bandeded with metal straps and left outside under a tree uncovered for I don't know how long. Don't know if it was air or kiln dried. Everything to the outside was silver. I bid on and got the 2 better stacks of 4/4, another guy got the other 2 stacks of 4/4 and since no one wanted the 4x4s I got all of them for $10.00 (I think there were 10 stacks all together of 4x4 & 2x4 8 and 10'long:D). The 4/4 was the best since it was on the bottem, the worst of it was on the top 2 layers or so, and the red 4x4s did not fare as well as the white but all of it that I have used so far has been pretty good.

[Michael Conner]

I should have said in my earlier post that I would not buy the lumber as KD. However, if AD lumber will meet your needs and you can pick through or cut around any degrade, AND the price is right KD left to the elements should be no different than AD.

I suppose my concern was the fact that you mentioned the wood was KD and then left out. The fact that it was KD really means nothing at this point (other than the drying effort and energy were wasted).

[Matt Guyrd]

Thanks again, fellas.

I went to the seller's farm to look at his lumber and much like Kelly's post, the lumber was stacked and stickered nicely. The wood was grey/silver (weathered), but a very thin slice with a pocket knife revealed the beautiful cherry colors just below the surface. The lumber is a mix of 4/4, 5/4, and 6/4.

Needless to say, I tossed off the top two layers and loaded the back of my pickup with approx. 400 b/f (surprised my front tires stayed onthe ground!) and drove home with a smile.

Yes, Michael...I too consider the lumber AD versus KD. Surprisingly, much of the wood is straight and flat. I now need to stack, sticker, and determine the MC.

Thanks again to you all!
Matt

[lou sansone]

good news. glad it worked out for you.
lou

[Chris Barton]

Matt,

I am glad it worked out for you. I would suggest you get a moisture meeter so you can track the moisture content before you use the wood in a project. I have a very small digital meeter with pins that has been very useful. This can save a lot of heartache later when a projects starts to split and warp because the wood "seemed" dry but was probably at >15%.