Air drying aromatic cedar

woodcat47 · February 28, 2016, 03:19:36 AM

I am starting a small side business with a manual mill. I will be cutting mainly cedar and was wondering how long it takes to air dry 1x, 2x and 4x lumber. I am in Texas near DFW if that helps and will be cutting mostly green trees. I won't be grading the lumber, most will be used for my own home, but some will be sold.

Ianab · February 28, 2016, 05:33:21 AM

Good news is, cedar is generally easy and fast to dry. Maybe 6 weeks for 1" boards? A bit longer for the heavier stuff.

Moisture meter is the real test.

WDH · February 28, 2016, 07:16:11 AM

With fans, maybe even 4 weeks to air dry 1" lumber under an open shed. 2" lumber will take about 2 to 2.5 times longer to dry than 1" lumber

woodcat47 · February 28, 2016, 09:55:28 PM

Cool, thanks for the answers....Moisture meter sounds like a good investment for me.

GeneWengert-WoodDoc · February 29, 2016, 07:14:37 AM

If you dry this lumber when it is really hot outside, the heat will evaporate some of the aroma, making the neighborhood smell nice, but the interior of your closets will not be as aromatic...so keep it as cool as possible when drying.

Cedarman · February 29, 2016, 07:33:44 AM

We use a pinless Wagner moisture meter. Not calibrated. But when it says 12% it is about as air dried as it will get. When it reads 8 to 10% in the drying room, is where we want it.
Green heartwood is about 25 to 30%. Sapwood pegs the needle. Have used it for 20 years. Showing a customer the MC makes them feel a lot more comfortable about the wood they are buying when they want it dry.

DelawhereJoe · March 02, 2016, 12:19:01 PM

You could possibly make a small green house to help dry faster, just remember to let it vent off the moisture .

yukon cornelius · March 02, 2016, 10:24:07 PM

I have seen a few issues when drying eastern red cedar. Fast drying can cause big cracking issues. Also avoid UV exposure all you can. Even fluorescent lights can cause quick discoloration. If stacked uneven or an item on top will cause a "shadow" of where the item was. Cedar seems to shock quickly in temp shifting before it is really dry.

woodcat47 · April 30, 2016, 09:16:30 PM

Thanks for the tips! While were are on the land we're on now, I will have the wood drying in full shade. Later I am not sure about the UV exposure. Eventually I will have a drying shed.