[OP]
Contributor
I got quite a bit of cherry and walnut from a friend who had it in his barn for a few years,it's all rough sawn to about an 1"-1 1/8".Currently all the lumber is around 12% MC,I am going to stack it in my shop which is climate controlled summer and winter,to finish drying to the shops EMC.Since I typically start with 7/8" thick lumber,would I be better off to plane it now,I was wondering if that would help the drying process,or just leave it thicker and plane it as I use it?
Contributor
Max, it will dry more quickly if you plane it first, but I doubt it will take a week off the time required for it to dry. The impact is greater the higher the MC.
John
Member
If it was me, I would leave it as is in a rough state until it is dry.
Assuming the boards are 8'-10' in length, you are going to lose a lot of thickness trying to get to a S2S state, let alone a S4S state full length, just to save on drying time.
By waiting until you need it and then cutting the board to the actual rough length at that time and then jointing/planning it, you will get more usable board milling down to a S4S state when you actually use it.
Also, if the boards twist or cup after you plane it in it's current state, you will lose even more wood, because you will have to process it again.
Rob
Member
The only reason to touch it is:
1: If there are some noticeable twists. You could take those off to make it easier to stack.
2: It was rough-milled, in which case I personally would skip-plane it just enough to be able to see the grain.
Otherwise, leave it be !
If you're worried about drying time, then sticker it. Personally I wouldn't bother as it's already pretty low.
Last edited by Allan Speers; 09-29-2015 at 6:55 PM.
In Memoriam
Planing green lumber before drying, especially Oak lumber, will reduce surface checking. I don't know about the Cherry but the Walnut is not prone to surface checks, anyway. Wood that is sawn with a circle-saw is more prone to surface checks because the saw will tear the fibers and actually create mini-checks, especially if the blade is dull. A band saw will not cut if dull and a sharp band produces much less tearing of the fibers.
Surfacing of the rough-sawn lumber also has the advantage of making all the boards a uniform thickness and saves some planing later when the lumber is dry and harder. It would speed drying by about 8% if done when the lumber is green. The 1 1/8" stock would have been a good candidate to plane to about 1 1/16. The 1" stuff was probably better left alone as the final thickness after finish planing might not be thick enough due to any warp, cup, lumber length, etc.
It is too late for your lumber as it's already dried to outside EMC. Bringing it from 12% to 7% will not cause any further degrade and the drying time would not be shortened enough to make it worthwhile.
Cody
Logmaster LM-1 sawmill, 30 hp Kioti tractor w/ FEL, Stihl 290 chainsaw, 300 bf cap. Solar Kiln
Member
What is the EMC in the place where your piece is intended to be used? Around my parts, 12% EMC is as good as it gets.
[OP]
Contributor
It's hard to say,every job is different.I have some new houses coming up that I plan on using the walnut for the kitchen,bath's,laundry etc.I like to see the lumber in the 6-9% range,I have never had any problems with those numbers.I would be nervous sending anything out at 12% around here,I would like to see this lumber get down to atleast 9% before I work it.Right now,my shop has been 40% RH,so in theory,the wood should end up around 8%,I am just trying to push it along a little faster if possible.Originally Posted by Todd Burch
Contributor
You want your wood to be at EMC with your shop when you work it. What the EMC is where the furniture will eventually end up is far less relevant; that's what you account for in the design and build process. Having the EMC of your shop similar to the eventual environment, as yours appears to be, is ideal.
John
Member
I disagree. You have to take both into consideration. Buy a table or an all wood front door in Houston and move it to Phoenix and see what happens. But we can also agree to disagree.
Contributor
I disagree. You have to take both into consideration. Buy a table or an all wood front door in Houston and move it to Phoenix and see what happens. But we can also agree to disagree.
OK, let's discuss it. How would you handle it if you lived in Houston and had to build a door for a house in Phoenix?
Tables are made in hundreds of places and shipped to thousands.
I know a very well respected door maker in Colorado who ships doors all over the country without problems. His lumber all comes in in the same MC range.
John
Last edited by John TenEyck; 09-30-2015 at 7:33 PM.
Member
That's an easy one. I wouldn't do it. ��
Member
LOL. Sometimes the answer is so simple.
I hav a friend who builds high-end ($10,000 and up) acoustic guitars. He usually builds one at a time. if it's a custom order, he adjusts his shop humidity based on where the customer lives. But you know, that's with GUITARS.
Member
I got to thinking about the table aspect of this. I would venture to say that the tables you are referring to are mass produced and have just enough real intact wood in them to be called a wood table.
Todd
Contributor
There are or were dozens of American furniture manufactures who use solid hardwood. There are several here in NYS. Used to be lots of companies around High Point, NC, too. They ship anywhere.
My friend, who also builds furniture, used to live in MD, then he moved everything to FL, then he moved everything to NYS. He has never had a problem with his tables, cabinets, or rocking chairs.
And the guy I know in CO ships his exterior doors anywhere. He accounts for the expansion/contraction between the wood he's using to what will happen where it will live in the wood he chooses and in the design and construction. It's no mystery.
John
[OP]
Contributor
It is not possible for me to try to adjust my shop conditions to match the customers house conditions. Sometimes we have 3-4 jobs going on,anything from new construction to putting in a new kitchen in an old farmhouse, I would literally drive myself nuts worrying about it.I know working with wood in the 6-9% range has never caused me any problems over the last 20 year's, so I'm sticking with what I know works for my area.On a side note,I only work locally,so I am not dealing with drastic environmental changes.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote