What is the worst that could happen??

[David Pearson]

I am building a coffee table for my mother-in-law out of cherry. I have a lot of pieces of cherry from a tree that fell last July 4th. I slabbed a bunch for turning bowls, and have approx 20 pieces (quartersawn) that are 2x6x24. They've been air-drying in my basement since mid July. I was thinking about cutting some into 2x2's for the legs of the table. What do you think the worst thing that could happen would be? I know about the 1 year per inch theory, but this wood would be free....

[Gary Herrmann]

They're wet. They'll move. Curve and maybe crack a bit. Depending on how you build your table, the movement of the wood could affect the apron or the top of the table.

What is the worst that could happen? The wood will move, it will distort or crack the table in places. Depending on what kind of person your MIL is, you might never hear the end of it.

What is free worth?

[Bruce Pennell]

Check it with a moisture meter. The wood will let you know.

[Eric Fuller]

Dunno if this is a crazy idea or not, but maybe you could rough them out and stick 'em in the oven at low heat since they're short? No idea if it would work or not, but may be worth a try.

[David Pearson]

I was thinking about making a box out of mdf and sticking a light bulb in it, sort of a make shift kiln. Anyone think that is a bad idea?

[Eric Fuller]

Pretty much any low heat source should work. I have a goldenrod on my gun safe and have never had a speck of rust on anything. They're fairly cheap...may be worth a try.

[David Pearson]

Thanks Eric. I haven't heard of those. Seems to be perfect for a small kiln.

[David Epperson]

Since you already know some tricks of the spinny side, and since they are small pieces...Have you looked at using DNA to draw the moisture level down?

[J. Z. Guest]

The light bulb is a good idea, just make sure it is low wattage, and keep an eye on it for the first several hours. (it could start a fire if it makes or retains more heat than you bargained for)