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Dennis Peacock
12-09-2006, 12:59 AM
Anybody got any good tips for drying pecan? I'm planning on air drying it and have the space for it. I got a call from a friend tonight that his buddy that owns a sawmill has a 48" diameter by 20 foot log of pecan so heavy that his skidder couldn't even pick it up. Wanted to know if I want the lumber from it and how I want it cut. Got the price a couple of hours ago.....$0.60 per board foot. :D Not too bad if you ask me and if I can get it dry without it looking like I dried it on top of the ocean waves. :rolleyes:

All tips and advice would be appreciated.

Andy Hoyt
12-09-2006, 10:53 AM
Dennis - saw the thing into nice thick boards - oh say 8 to 12". Buck these boards into lengths that are a few inches longer than their width. Forgo the drying process for now and de-rust your lathe.

Sheesh! :D

Rob Bourgeois
12-09-2006, 11:10 AM
Denis..I cut and dried a bunch after Katrina. All small 5 in wide 4/4 about 2 to 3 foot long. They dried fine in the garage with stickers. I havent used them yet due to my move. I anchor sealed the end grain. I weighted it down with bags of play sand.

I also "kiln dried" some by putting them in my electric smoker last year for a Christmas present(picture frame and spoons)....it dried out fine and hasnt split or anything in a year. Due to the high heat it was 15 minutes in 15 minutes out for a few hours while i was working in the shop.

Jim Becker
12-09-2006, 11:56 AM
Sticker and stack outdoors with plenty of air-flow. Only the top should be covered to keep rain/snow/ice from sitting on the wood. A bit of weight on the top is a good idea. The first layer should be off the ground a minimum of six inches...more is better. Stickers should be dry and made of something that will not affect/stain the wood chemically. (Oak is a poor choice for stickers due to the high tanins)

David Epperson
12-09-2006, 12:04 PM
Stickers should be dry and made of something that will not affect/stain the wood chemically. (Oak is a poor choice for stickers due to the high tanins)
This would have been info I would have been interested in a year ago when I stacked my Bradford pear wood to dry. Not knowing any better I simply ripped some of the first skim cuts from the portable band mill into stickers and used them. There were plenty of "scraps" generated when the sawyer canted out the tree. I cannot see where using stickers with the same moisture content hindered this wood from drying. And I had PLENTY to work with. But I'm a long way from attaining the title of novice yet, so take that into consideration.

Dennis Peacock
12-09-2006, 4:29 PM
Sorry Andy, but the LOML has some flatwork plans for some if not all of the 300-400 bdft that we plan to purchase. There are others near me that also want to buy part of it. It may all be stacked and stickered here at my house, but I'm just trying to figure out how to best go about this process. :)

Jim Becker
12-09-2006, 6:36 PM
David, wet stickers are more prone to staining than dry. DAMHIKT!

Gary Herrmann
12-09-2006, 8:33 PM
Sorry Andy, but the LOML has some flatwork plans for some if not all of the 300-400 bdft that we plan to purchase. There are others near me that also want to buy part of it. It may all be stacked and stickered here at my house, but I'm just trying to figure out how to best go about this process. :)

St. Louis is near you, right? RIGHT? :D

David Epperson
12-10-2006, 9:29 AM
David, wet stickers are more prone to staining than dry. DAMHIKT!I can understand how that might be. But I haven't seen any evidence of it in my pile, MIGHT be because it is the same wood, as I would immagine that mixed species would be the bigger problem. If I ever have occasion to do it again I'll keep that in mind.