Cherry vanity - one step closer - rails & styles

[Matt Ocel]

I through in a balck walnut inlay.
Thats my helper, after each time I hit the wedge, he barked.
Maybe he was keeping count.:D

Seriously speaking -
What next?
1) How long to dry before I can mill it up?
2) Then band saw it.
3) Then joint it.
4) Then plane it

Is that the typical process?

I also have a cherry croch, do turners use these, because if they do I'll find a turner to give it to.

[Scott Loven]

Seal the ends ASAP
Band saw to desired rough thickness ASAP
Sticker and dry for 1 year per inch of thickness
Joint and plane square, bring into your work shop to acclimate for two week or more.
Joint and plane to final thickness+(1/16 for final sanding after assembly).
Seal the ends of the crotch and offer it up to a turner if you do not want it. I am not a turner but I believe most would prefer to turn it right after it was cut to reduce the drying time.

[Matt Ocel]

Scott -
What should I seal the ends with? polyeuothene?
If I band saw to rough size, should I band it somehow?
What is sticker?

[Ross Ellis]

Paint ends with Anchorseal or other green wood sealer. I sometimes use spray paint in a pinch.

Boards should be rough sawn, then stacked with stickers between each board. Stickers are thin strips of wood (usually previously dried) that are even thickness used to let air between the boards. You can see then if you look close in the picture below. They run perpendicular to the boards. Cover the boards with something so they stay mostly dry. Old-timers use a piece of metal roofing, plywood etc. nothing fancy, just to keep the bulk of the rain off. Make sure plenty of air can get to the boards, they are as flat and level as possible, and they stay somewhat dry. You can also weight the top boards if you choose.


Air drying pine:
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp135/Jowlz1/IMG_0002.jpg

[Scott Loven]

Poly, old house paint, wax, no need to buy something special. Do it more then once if you have the time. The idea is to seal the ends to make the moisture leave the wood more evenly, if you don't the ends will split, and your yield will be less. The sooner after the tree is cut, the better. Sticker (http://www.lazycreekwoodkiln.com/Images/Oak_Lumber.jpg) for a lack of a better definition is to put sticks between boards to let air in to dry all the boards evenly. You can put weights on top to help keep the top boards flat. I used 3/4 OSB strips on my cherry a few years back.
Scott