Sun dried wood preparation

[Alan Schell]

There is a guy a few miles down the road selling some 12/4 White Oak for about $.50 /foot. It was dried in a barn for say, 6 or 7 years. And then it was moved out into the open for a 1 1/2 years, should it stay stable when brought in to a climate controlled shop? Is there anything special that needs to be done to prevent warping? Also, while it was outside it has taken on a light coating of black mildew. Should I be concerned about running it through my planer?

[Dennis Ford]

If it has been left outside, it is no longer dry but still worth more than 0.50/bd.ft. Some staining will show after planing but it won't hurt the planer (unless there is hardware in the wood somewhere)

[Chip Lindley]

Yes, certainly worth .50/foot for 12/4 white oak!! Expect some ruinage, but that is why it is so cheap!

A garden sprayer with bleach water might be used to spray down the faces and kill the mold before moving it into your shop for stickering. Less is more when you begin to plane the oak and the mildew becomes airborne. Wear a mask as some folks are particularly allergic to these spores. Beware! And, I hope you have a good DC to catch the stuff!

Stack the boards with stickers to let them air dry and acclimate to your shop. You are stacking the lumber now to let it dry further from being outside. But no use in taking chances with your *stash.*

[John Keeton]

Chip, I am just curious - do you get a royalty check from Coca-Cola for "product placement" every time you post? If not, you should check into that!!

On the mildew issue, I agree with Chip - make sure to avoid inhaling the dust from milling the wood. I doubt the staining is very deep, and although you don't state the use you are going to make of the oak, 12/4 should give you considerable room to plane off any dark areas. In my experience, the mildew won't be more than a 1/16" in depth unless it has been exposed a long time. Take a knife and check it.

Still a good deal no matter what!

[Alan Schell]

I appreciate the replies. I think that i will go ahead and get it. I will treat with bleach, sticker, wait, wait, wait, and use a dusk mask the time is right. I do have dusk collection setup as well.