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Thread: Start drying green pine inside or out?

  1. #1

    Start drying green pine inside or out?

    First of all hello everyone on SMC this is my first post.

    Yesterday I brought home approx 100 BF of 4/4 wide white pine that was just circular sawn a few days ago. I don’t have a ton of room outside around my house for stacking this lumber so I stickered it up in my basement where my shop is. I live in southern PA and my basement usually stays about 60-65 this time of year. I have a dehumidifier running right now close to the stack. The wood before I brought it home last night measured 30-40%.

    My question is should I really be starting the drying drying process outside? I’m worried if the pine will dry too fast. I do have a space on the open back porch which would be under roof but in the open to airflow (it’s just my wife is not crazy about the idea). With the pine being wide I’m trying hard to not get surface checks down the middle of the boards.

    Thanks for all the help!

  2. #2
    I have better luck drying wood in a covered - but not air conditioned - space like a garage for the first few months.

    I get more checks when I dry wood in my basement, which sounds similar to yours.

  3. #3
    Thanks, I think I might go ahead and move it outside. Should I seal the endgrain? there are some minor checks already near the ends of the boards.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
    Posts
    12,298
    I prefer to dry outside too - off the ground, stickered, weighted, and covered in a way to keep off the sun and rain but not impede airflow. If it already has end checks, it might be a little late for sealer but I'd probably do it anyway to help prevent more from developing.

    I sawed a bunch of white pine and virginia pine some years ago and for me it dried nicely without major warping or splitting.

    Are you in south east, central, or western PA? I grew up in western PA south of Pittsburgh but have live in TN since the 70's

    JKJ

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Bucks County, PA
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    198
    I’ve used Anchorseal on the ends in the past and it has worked very well for me (I’m in SE PA). To avoid mold, I would start drying outside covered. Your porch sounds like the ideal place.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by John K Jordan View Post
    I prefer to dry outside too - off the ground, stickered, weighted, and covered in a way to keep off the sun and rain but not impede airflow. If it already has end checks, it might be a little late for sealer but I'd probably do it anyway to help prevent more from developing.

    I sawed a bunch of white pine and virginia pine some years ago and for me it dried nicely without major warping or splitting.

    Are you in south east, central, or western PA? I grew up in western PA south of Pittsburgh but have live in TN since the 70's

    JKJ
    Hi John, thanks for your comments. I live just north of Gettysburg. There is a local circular mill here. He also has a kiln but I thought I’d try my hand at air drying. Btw, Tennessee is beautiful!

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Robert Cherry View Post
    I’ve used Anchorseal on the ends in the past and it has worked very well for me (I’m in SE PA). To avoid mold, I would start drying outside covered. Your porch sounds like the ideal place.
    Thanks, I laid the base down last night on my back porch. Cinder blocks with oak 4x4s on top. I also sealed the end grain with some outdoor latex paint I had laying around. Planning on moving the wood tonight.

    Whats something good for weighting the stack? I was thinking more cinder blocks. Someone else said about ratcheting straps and strapping around the stack in a few places.

    Thanks guys for all your help!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
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    12,298
    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Steinberger View Post
    Thanks, I laid the base down last night on my back porch. Cinder blocks with oak 4x4s on top. I also sealed the end grain with some outdoor latex paint I had laying around. Planning on moving the wood tonight.

    Whats something good for weighting the stack? I was thinking more cinder blocks. Someone else said about ratcheting straps and strapping around the stack in a few places.

    Thanks guys for all your help!
    I've used cinder blocks for weights, solid blocks are heavier but really hard to carry! I've used ratchet straps before for a single stack of boards but you have to tighten them up periodically as the wood shrinks. Also, they are not too good for a wideer stack especially where you want to have an air "chimney" up the middle of the stack since the straps will pull the boards tight together and stop the vertical air flow. Most of my pine has dried straight without much warping even without excessive weight. Oak? persimmon? Not so much.

    I've read reports that latex paint is not very useful for sealing since water vapor will go through it easily, but I've never tried it myself. Maybe the exterior type is different. I always use AnchorSeal. Woodcraft and others sell a "green wood sealer" which I think is the same stuff.

    I assume you are using dry, narrow stickers, 1" or less. I put them down on top my 4x4s too to minimize the chance of fungal stain where wider boards touch.

    JKJ

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by John K Jordan View Post
    I've used cinder blocks for weights, solid blocks are heavier but really hard to carry! I've used ratchet straps before for a single stack of boards but you have to tighten them up periodically as the wood shrinks. Also, they are not too good for a wideer stack especially where you want to have an air "chimney" up the middle of the stack since the straps will pull the boards tight together and stop the vertical air flow. Most of my pine has dried straight without much warping even without excessive weight. Oak? persimmon? Not so much.

    I've read reports that latex paint is not very useful for sealing since water vapor will go through it easily, but I've never tried it myself. Maybe the exterior type is different. I always use AnchorSeal. Woodcraft and others sell a "green wood sealer" which I think is the same stuff.

    I assume you are using dry, narrow stickers, 1" or less. I put them down on top my 4x4s too to minimize the chance of fungal stain where wider boards touch.

    JKJ
    Thanks John! I think I’ll just put a couple cinder blocks on top. As for the latex I figured it was worth a shot. If I can get some anchorseal do you think I could just put it over top of the Paint? I’ve also heard titebond is a good end grain sealer.

    My stickers are 3/4” x 1 1/2”. I do plan to place them atop the 4x4s before stacking. The stack is just one board wide. They’re all about 15-17” wide. Just hoping to minimize and hopefully eliminate any cracking down the middle of the boards so I can keep them at full width for projects.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
    Posts
    12,298
    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Steinberger View Post
    Thanks John! I think I’ll just put a couple cinder blocks on top. As for the latex I figured it was worth a shot. If I can get some anchorseal do you think I could just put it over top of the Paint? I’ve also heard titebond is a good end grain sealer.

    My stickers are 3/4” x 1 1/2”. I do plan to place them atop the 4x4s before stacking. The stack is just one board wide. They’re all about 15-17” wide. Just hoping to minimize and hopefully eliminate any cracking down the middle of the boards so I can keep them at full width for projects.
    I suspect you won't have much cracking down the middle, unless the wood was highly stressed in the tree before cutting. (Bowed, twisted, leaning)

    Some things I've heard over the years that were good for sealing logs and end grain in boards:

    AnchorSeal (emulsified wax, brushed on or sprayed)
    Paraffin wax (melt and brush or dip, can be a fire hazard to melt if done wrong)
    Aluminum paint (never tried this)
    Oil-based paint, two coats
    Roofing tar (sounds like a mess!)

    I stack like that when I plain-saw trees into slabs. This is eastern red cedar - the most stable and easy to dry wood I've encountered. Someone said you really have to work hard to mess up when drying cedar! These are 8/4.

    cedar_P9064287es.jpg

    JKJ

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by John K Jordan View Post
    I suspect you won't have much cracking down the middle, unless the wood was highly stressed in the tree before cutting. (Bowed, twisted, leaning)

    Some things I've heard over the years that were good for sealing logs and end grain in boards:

    AnchorSeal (emulsified wax, brushed on or sprayed)
    Paraffin wax (melt and brush or dip, can be a fire hazard to melt if done wrong)
    Aluminum paint (never tried this)
    Oil-based paint, two coats
    Roofing tar (sounds like a mess!)

    I stack like that when I plain-saw trees into slabs. This is eastern red cedar - the most stable and easy to dry wood I've encountered. Someone said you really have to work hard to mess up when drying cedar! These are 8/4.

    cedar_P9064287es.jpg

    JKJ
    Great information. Thanks John!

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