Resaw Question

[Rob Calkins]

I have come across some choke cherry. It has only been cut down for a month. Is this good for anything? It is cut into 24" lengths, so I was going to cut it up for picture frames. I have cut it into 8/4 widths and was going to paint the ends with paraffin. Any thing else that I need to do? It is more if a learning experience than any thing else.

Thanks,
Rob

[Jim Becker]

Make sure the paraffin is VERY hot when you first apply it. It should "dry" clear, not cloudy. And then you should sticker and stack your lumber in a very well ventilated location (outside is best) off the ground and with just a cover on the top to keep standing water off. Do not tarp it. And do put weight on the top to help keep it flat while drying. Drying will take approximately 1.5-2 years, depending on the lumber and air flow. And air flow is critical to wick off moisture as it's released.

[Bill Huber]

Make sure the paraffin is VERY hot when you first apply it. It should "dry" clear, not cloudy. And then you should sticker and stack your lumber in a very well ventilated location (outside is best) off the ground and with just a cover on the top to keep standing water off. Do not tarp it. And do put weight on the top to help keep it flat while drying. Drying will take approximately 1.5-2 years, depending on the lumber and air flow. And air flow is critical to wick off moisture as it's released.

Jim.

Not to highjack this thread but you just answered a bunch of question that I have been thinking about for awhile.

Now is there someplace that he could take the wood and have it dried in a kiln and what would the final product differences be if any.

[Mike Cutler]

Rob.

Follow Jim's advice. I milled some choke cherry last year. I had some beavers take down a few trees winter before last. One was choke cherry.
It's the center pic.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=28914

This is a pic of the choke cherry coming off of the bandsaw.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=32750

It really is beautiful wood. The stuff I cut has a lot of figure to it. Expect a good amount of waste.

[glenn bradley]

Regarding stickers; I use at least 3/4" thick material that has bee cut to fairly parallel sides. I then put some old dumb bells or some other weight on top of the stack to encourage flatness or discourage warp.