how long to dry poplar

[Jerry McFalls]

I know the general rule is 1 year per inch on oak but does poplar take that long? :confused:

[Frank Drew]

Jerry,

If we're talking about air-dried lumber: Depends a bit on your local conditions -- although I think one year per inch is an absolute minimum -- but I've always thought longer was usually better, that wood continues to get milder with continued air drying. I never ran any controlled tests on that hypothesis, but it seems to go along with my experience over a number of years using both air- and kiln-dried stock.

And it also important to get any wood for a project into the relative dryness of your shop well in advance of working it up.

[Chris Padilla]

Perhaps Jim Becker will chime in as I know he cut poplar on his own property and is/has been drying it. I say don't rush a good thing and if you want to be absolutely certain, plunk down a couple c-notes for a moisture meter so that you can monitor progress over time. Keep track of things and you'll know what to expect in the future.

[Jerry McFalls]

Let me clarify a couple things. I do have a mini Ligno moisture meter and I am speaking about air-drying. My poplar has 10% moisture content at present using the short pins. It is cut to an inch thickness. I bought it from a sawmill but don't know when the trees were first dropped. I got it and some red oak the same day. Thanks to all who've posted. :)

[Frank Drew]

If you let the lumber air dry like it should, there is no reason to let it set there for a year doing nothing.

The lumber I air dried, I let air dry like it should; why are you assuming otherwise? And I'm not sure what you mean by "doing nothing"; any wood not currently being worked up is similarly "doing nothing", isn't it?

My point was that carefully stored wood improves over time. Like wine :D.

[Jerry McFalls]

I should have also asked at what moisture content can poplar be used for drawers? Also at what moisture content can red oak be used for furniture? Is there a chart somewhere with this information without being so technical it makes my head ache? I'm new to using sawmill lumber and bought some with the intention of using it in a few weeks. Now it looks like I need to buy more for my current project from another source and use this lumber in future.

[Peter Quinn]

My point was that carefully stored wood improves over time. Like wine :D.

I get your point and second it. While I have never air dried any lumber, I have worked with some lumber locally sawn and air dried by a friends uncle. I built some doors last year with butternut 'randoms', or culls, random thickness from 4/4 to a very heavy 6/4 that were all finishing at 13/16".

I figured I'd joint one face, plane the thicker material to 4/4, re-joint and plane it all to finished thickness. I figured the thick stuff would move being planned down that far given my experience with KD butternut. I figured wrong. All the lumber was at around 9-10% measured from the center of a fresh end cut, or anywhere else for that matter. It remained dead flat from 1 5/8 down to 13/16"! This was some of the most stable stuff I'd ever seen. It had been 'aging' for almost 8 years.

Beyond stability, some air dried woods seem to have a luster that there KD cousins lack. My experience with air dried butternut, walnut and cherry was that they just glow a bit more than KD at the finishing end. I guess poplar won't glow no matter how you handle it, but it might be a bit more stable. Wish I had enough space and patience to dry my own.

[Chris Padilla]

I've seen 6-8% MC being recommended for wood being used in furniture. I think 10% in poplar is probably just fine.

One key, though, is to let the wood acclimate to your shop over several days to week+. Check the MC daily and when it isn't changing anymore, I think you're good to go.

[Jim Becker]

Jerry, I had good success with my poplar at about 9-10 mos with good airflow through the pile. It was better at a year, however, relative to getting to the ambient MC for this area...which is about 12%. No problems with it. And I've gone through about 1500 bd feet of it.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

There is no absolute for air drying lumber as there are too many variables from location to location. Tell me air dried lumber properly stacked in Las Vegas and New Orleans are going to be the same moisture content when dried for a given period. And that's not to mention air flow, exposure to sun, precipitation, temperature, starting moisture content and species. The only way to know for sure is to use an accurate moisture meter. And the only way I know to check acccuracy of a meter is to measure moisture in a cutoff, weigh it and oven dry it till there is no further weight loss and calculate moisture content and compare to your meter. That said, the rule of thumb of drying a year is a convenient time to remember and should take care of most drying in most locations....in hot dry locales it can be extreme overkill.

[Jerry McFalls]

I'm in Rock Hill, SC about 29 miles from Charlotte, NC. I guess my best bet unless a fellow creeker pops up from around here is to check with a local cabinet maker and see what the moisture content normally runs for this area.

Thanks everyone. :)

[John Thompson]

I am down the street from Rock Hill in Atlanta, Jerry. I have been working with poplar and red oak for 36 years. As Richard stated.. there is no absolute % that is perfect as it has too many variables to figure as they are different under various cirmcumstances.

With that said.. between 8% - 12% is ideal. I would let it acclimate to your shop as I find 10% in summer and 8% in winter is almost ideal for our area. But.. I will work with it within 2% of those figures either direction as "ideal" % can become quite elusive from day to day. Cut into one of those puppies and see what content you get in the center. If you are within 2% of that 10% you mentioned.. what-cha waiting on.. Xmas? :)

BTW... rip one of the pieces and the amount of tension release after a day will tell you even if you don't have a moisture meter. Remember that a pin meter reads shallow and that a board will be dryer toward the open end. It can vary as much as 5%-6% from end grain to center of board. And if you don't think it can change over-night especially after ripping.. rip a piece and let it sit exposed on your work-bench over-nite just after an after-noon thunder-storm.

Good luck...

Sarge..

[Jerry McFalls]

I appreciate the info Sarge. I'll start working up the lumber tomorrow if the moisture is within reason after i check the middle of a board. :)