I am working on our deck, replacing decking lumber, using 5/4 treated SYP, and some of was is sopping wet yesterday although the stamp says "KD." The standards for kiln dried lumber sure don't mean much. I had no choice, either buy it or go without. The actual thickness is 1", thickness doesn't mean much either.
To minimize splitting I doped the ends with poly U based spar varnish. I cut them to fit, yesterday then at the end of the day doped them, the ends seemed dry enough that the poly U penetrated into the end grain. There was a heavy dew last night, but just now the lumber feels dry. It was a sunny warm very dry windy day today. I think the lumber will be dry enough to paint in a couple of weeks, maybe a month, despite the rule of thumb, 1 year of drying time per inch of thickness....
What do you think, is a couple of weeks or a month long enough in our dry warm windy area? I treated a couple of cuts offs, and may take them to work and run a moisture in 2 weeks, then 4 weeks.
With regards to Neander, I am using just hand saws, no power except for a drill to put in screws. I can't imagine using my circular saw, the sharp handsaw is too handy, and is easier to cut dead on the line with.
With regards to life in the Texas panhandle, I saw a tarantula in the neighbors yard a few days ago, with legs maybe 4 or 5 inches in diameter, body maybe 2" long and 1/2" diameter. The males migrate this time of year looking for females, I watched him for a minute or so and didn't bother him. About two weeks ago I killed a scorpion in the bathroom sink, and on Thursday a driver ran over a 41" western diamondback about 2' from our curb. (It's skin is now on a couple of planks on our porch on my Sunday go to meeting saw horses. I am going to start curing it this evening, I fleshed it just a bit ago, and hopefully it will turn out to be a hat band.
The critters are not every day events, in fact pretty rare. We have only had 4 rattlers killed in our yard or within a couple of feet of our yard in 28 years. The other critters are about that rare too. My wife did kill a pretty good sized centipede in the kitchen sink this year too, the body about as big around as a pencil. She ran hot water till it expired. We live right on the edge of town, next to a vacant lot, catty corner from a pasture. Still, it happens once in a while that you have unwelcome guest critters, I have caught a few coach whip snakes in our yard and the neighbors too. I take them to the pasture to let them go.....nasty critters, coach whip snakes.
Any advise on the drying will be much appreciated.
Thanks and regards,
Stew
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