Drying Sweetgum

[TexasTimbers]

Tom, Den, anyone smarter than moi, which translated means HEY EVERYONE
I have an idea but it is probably outlandish. I want to build a "cage" for the lack of a better term to dry sweetgum in. I'm going to Winnsboro today to pick up that pine today, and the guy says he can get lots and lots of sweetgum for me if I want it.
Now UI have lots and lots of wieght (scrap steel) I can stack on this stuff but sure as I stack 5000 lbs on a stickered stack, then I will need the piece of scrap steel at the bottom for a project.
Why couldn't I take a couple of I-beams, lay out some 2X4X¼" perpindicular every 18" or whatever is optimal space for sweetgum stickering, and make a "top frame" that would match it, and build it with ½" or ¾" all thread through every 2X to be able to hit it with the impact wrench to keep it tight  as the shrinkage dictated?
Just kicking it around. I'm not wanting to go sweetgum crazy here but I would like to find a way to keep a thousand BF or so in the pipeline throughout the year.
Does this sound like a a stoooooooopid idear?

[brdmkr]

Kevjay

I likely know less than you ;D, but I have been thinking about doing something similar when I build my kiln.  I was going to use 4x6s with a sticker on top of each (permanently attached), drill a hole through each 4x6 so that I could run a pipe through the hole.  I was going to put allthread on each side of the pipe.  I was then going to place a similar length pipe on the other end of the all thread.  Once the wood is stacked, my plan is to lay 2x4 on top, swing the allthread/pipe bracket up so that it catches the 2x4 on top and cinch it all down.  Anywho, I look forward to comments of others regard whether or not this sounds reasonable.  I think it is a good idea, but.... What do I know?

[DanG]

Naw, Kev, it ain't stoooopid, just waaaay too much trouble.  In my limited experience with the stuff, a moderate amount of weight should do the trick. Sweet gum don't just automatically curl up.  I've dried some of it straight and flat with no weight at all.  I've also noticed that it will start trying to move long after being stacked, though....six weeks or longer.

I've thought of a handy way to weight a stack, but haven't tried it yet.  How about taking some junk logs and cut them into short lengths, same as your stack width.  Then just put a few 4x4s, on stickers, on top of the pile and roll the logs onto them with the loader.  Sure would save a lot of lifting.

Brdmkr, two holes in your theory. 1:The lumber is gonna shrink and you would be forever tightening your clamp.   2:The acid atmosphere in a kiln full of oak will rust that all-thread in a skinny minute, so you won't have to worry about problem #1.

Best method I've found is to put about 2 layers of lower grade lumber on the bottom, then go with your best boards, working your way to the top with lower and lower grades.  That way, the good stuff will be weighted very well and your losses will be mostly in the low grade stuff.

[brdmkr]

Now Dan, don't you go messing with my DanG idears :D.  The first hole is no hole at all.  It would give me an opportunity to pet my lumber on a daily basis.  The second hole.... well now that is a hole :(.  I suppose I'll have to spend some time thinking of something else ???.  Stinking rust!

Never thought about that

[DanG]

Mike, just remember that gravity is our friend.  It keeps us from floating off into space, and also serves to keep us humble at times.  Use weight.  It can be in multiples of small quantities, for ease in handling.

[Ga_Boy]

Well,  if you wanted to do the bolting down method I guess you could use stainless steel all thread, that is assuming you can find some that you can afford.

All nuts, bolts, screws and everything else in my kiln is either aluminum, stainless steel, plastic or rubber.  So for no rust.

Them stainless steel screws, nuts and bolts are expensive.

[jimF]

The best method to keep lumber flat is to sticker neatly and dry fast - keep that water coming out.

[Tom]

You don't have to go to any special trouble to dry sweet gum.   First, you are already ahead of the game by knowing that it will move.   Now you have an excuse.  :D

If you cut it a little thicker than you would pine, like closer to 1 1/4, stack it high, keep it well back in a pole barn or drying shed where there is plenty of breeze to keep the moist air moved out of the stack, you will be successful.

I've given thoughts to weighting down stacks and have decided against it.  It takes a Lot of weight to make any difference at all.  If you were going to fabricate a device, like all-thread, then the device should be tensioning a spring rather than the wood.  You can't afford for the pressure to ever leave the boards or your efforts are in vain.  I'm not so sure that it helps anyway.

A stack of wood is real heavy, on its own.  It seems to me that it would make more sense, storage wise, to build a stack of valuable wood that may move and then add many layers of a lessor valuable wood or more stable wood, on top.  You're still drying the same amount of wood and, if you want pressure, you can get it from 10 levels of 2x4 pine stacked on top of  15 layers of 5/4 sweet gum.

I've got Sweet gum in my barn that is in a stack, mixed with hickory and magnolia, that stands to the  trusses.   Some is 4/4, some is 5/4 and some is 8/4.  I've never had a problem with it drying too crooked to use.  Most of it is flat as an ironing board and 15 or 20 inches wide.

So many folks think that the answer is quarter sawing.  I want to go on record as saying that I don't think that is the ultimate answer.  Some woods aren't pretty quarter-sawed.  If you are sawing boards for the figure, then pay attention to where the beauty is located.  There are recommendations in the Wood handbook that I am always touting as to whether to harvest flat or vertical grain.  That is a good place to start if you don't know.  A little experience of looking at the grain will allow you to satisfy your own eye.  Quartersawn cherry?  no sir!  Not unless you have a specific need for straight lines.  Magnolia is worthless if you quartersaw it.  Sweet gum might go either way, but I like flat grain best.  Now, Oaks and those woods with conspicuous medullary rays do pretty well quarter-sawn.  You wonder though, why the market is flooded with "grade".  Grade, to my understanding is flat sawed.  Well, a production mill has to make money somewhere and quarter-sawing is time consuming.  By turning the conversation to Grade, an educated man can "hyperbole" his way into such verbal antics as to appear to be a guru with direct connections to God.  Sometimes a fellow needs to look around the table for a little salt.

[Larry]

  By turning the conversation to Grade, an educated man can "hyperbole" his way into such verbal antics as to appear to be a guru with direct connections to God.  Sometimes a fellow needs to look around the table for a little salt.

:D :D :D :D
Not for sure if I understand that statement but sure is interesting trying to figure out the true meaning. :D :D

kevjay,
I tried it using galvinized eye bolts in my stretchers and chain between the eye bolts.  Buddy tried it using web cargo straps.  Both of us found out that wood shrinks and we had to tighten things up bout half dozen times.  Didn't seem to make much difference either.  Forest Service did some testing long time ago and even used springs...don't think there results were any better than what we got.

I'm now using the DanG method..."gravity is our friend".

[TexasTimbers]

Well you fellas have saved me alot of trouble. I'm going to stand-down the formation of the SAP (Sweetgum Air-drying Press) Design Bureau. ;)

DanG Tom, if you wax more eloquent than that we won't know what you are talking about.

[DanG]

Kev, as usual, Tom is way ahead of you.  He already don't know what he's talking about. ;D

Actually, that ain't true at all, but I thought it sounded funny, so I said it anyway. : :

[Tom]

Well, hmph!   I understood it.    ;D

Lets see now.  how can I say this in different words.  ???  :P  :-\

If someone wants to confuse an issue about drying wood, all they have to do is bring up Grade and reference every statement with a grade rule.  That makes them seem so important and knowledgeable that you won't question what they say whether you understand it or not because your impression will be that they are so educated and so much "above" you that they shouldn't be wasting their time with such lowly organisms as you. 

It also may hide the fact that they don't know what they are talking about too.  :D

[woodbowl]

The straightest wood that I've ever dried was an accident. Parts of July and August in the deep south are called dog days. It's hot, stickey, flies & gnats buzzin, and of course a rain shower, every day. My poor wood that I had stacked was never gona dry in these conditions. I worried about it but had no place to put it so it stayed. Around Sept. or Oct. the wood was dry enough to undo from the pile. It was all straight as a board.   :D straight as a board .......  :D .... get it  :D straight as .....    ...... anyway, to make a long story short, it reminded me of what an old man told me about drying wood outside and how to keep it from warping and checking. He would sticker it in the shade in a stack no wider than 3 feet. Every morning and evening he would spray it with the water hose from all angles as to soak all the boards, tops, bottem, ends, everything. He did this for about two weeks. On the third week he would hit it only once a day. The principal was that the surface flashed off a little each day allowing the inside wood to catch up and dry evenly, from the inside out rather than from the outside in.

[getoverit]

I took down a couple of those old timey solid garage doors a couple of months ago, and have all of this hardware left over from them, including some heavy duty springs. I have actually thought about doing the same thing, only using those garage door springs to keep everything nice and tight while in the kiln. They are about 2 1/2 feet long, and about 2" in diamter with "hoops" on each end to attach something to.... like an eye bolt. Rust wouldnt be an issue because they are painted or coated with somthing like a powder coat paint. They have been in the garage for over 40 years without rusting... should last a couple of trips to the kiln?

Anybody tried those?

[SawBilly]

ROCKS.......we have rocks and lots of them, just put a couple 4x4's (boards not Fords..) on the top and then pile um high with rocks, plenty of weight, won't rust, if you use small ones, one guy can do it himself, if you use big ones, use a tractor!!!!!

SawBilly

[TexasTimbers]

Hey Billy I didn't have no rocks but you think this willl do?
Well anyway, this ismy sweetgum press for now.