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Cupped cherry slabs from solar kiln

Started by Glenn1, January 01, 2018, 08:39:29 PM

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Darrel

Speaking of cottonwood, 3rd or 4th log/tree I sawed on my mill was a big old cottonwood that I had to trim the butt log with a chainsaw to make it fit the mill.  Slabbed it at 6/4, put it on sticks and let it air dry.  Cupped something aweful.  I thought about putting in back on the mill to flatten it but there wouldn't be anything left. So it's been sitting there.  About a year ago I took the cover off to use it to cover some good wood and I noticed the other day that it is starting to flatten out. Don't know why it's flattening but I think one of these days soon, I'll have to check it out. With no cover, it may be rotten, had a very wet spring.
1992 LT40HD

If I don't pick myself up by my own bootstraps, nobody else will.

ellmoe

Quote from: WDH on January 08, 2018, 07:46:55 AM
It takes an old sweetgum log to develop that beautiful heartwood.  Growth stress like competition or poor site slows growth and can trigger heartwood formation.  I plan to harvest a big ole sweetgum and quartersaw it in a few weeks.
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I seen 12 - 14" dbh sweet gum that was heart, "wall to wall", and 30" with no heart at all. Not knowing where or under what conditions they came from, I assumed it to be growth and stress related.
Thirty plus years in the sawmill/millwork business. A sore back and arthritic fingers to prove it!

GeneWengert-WoodDoc

Appreciate that sapwood in cottonwood dries really fast. The heartwood which often has bacterial infection will be around 140% MC and will dry very slowly with bacteria, taking months and months. This is worse with thicker. So the sapwood will shrink and cup. But then as the heartwood dries later and shrinks, the cup will decrease. Unfortunately, it is not likely to flatten perfectly.
Gene - Author of articles in Sawmill & Woodlot and books: Drying Hardwood Lumber; VA Tech Solar Kiln; Sawing Edging & Trimming Hardwood Lumber. And more

PA_Walnut

Quote from: YellowHammer on January 02, 2018, 11:00:12 PMPut all the weight you can on it, even hen solar kiln or air drying.  It won't stop all cup, but it certainly helps.  Didn't you make some concrete slab weights? 


Yellow, I need to get some more weights and saw this about "concrete slab weights". Seen any posts or details here on ones that are practical and reasonable to make?
I own my own small piece of the world on an 8 acre plot on the side of a mountain with walnut, hickory, ash and spruce.
LT40HD Wide 35HP Diesel
Peterson Dedicated Wide Slabber
Kubota M62 Tractor/Backhoe
WoodMizer KD250 Kiln
Northland 800 Kiln

YellowHammer

Not really using much concrete for weight anymore, I've switched over to using marble and granite slabs for weights.

I was using a concrete septic tank lid.
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

K-Guy

Yellowhammer

That's a crappy weight to use!! :D
Nyle Service Dept.
A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.
- D. Adams

WDH

Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

YellowHammer

For some reason all my wood had a peculiar odor.....
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

PA_Walnut

Quote from: YellowHammer on May 23, 2018, 10:41:35 PMNot really using much concrete for weight anymore, I've switched over to using marble and granite slabs for weights.


Interestesting. Did you make a "bin" or pallet with them attached? I have been considering building a pallet with cement blocks strapped down to it. Another item on the ever-growing task list.

I thought it was just all about sawing logs. :D
I own my own small piece of the world on an 8 acre plot on the side of a mountain with walnut, hickory, ash and spruce.
LT40HD Wide 35HP Diesel
Peterson Dedicated Wide Slabber
Kubota M62 Tractor/Backhoe
WoodMizer KD250 Kiln
Northland 800 Kiln

WDH

I use a pallet with a layer of cement blocks as a weight. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

YellowHammer

Just an 8 foot long oak pallet, top and bottom decking screwed on, and stacks of flat rocks.  I believe about 3,500 lbs.  
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

PA_Walnut

Quote from: WDH on May 25, 2018, 07:21:01 AMI use a pallet with a layer of cement blocks as a weight. 


I was thinking of doing the same. Yellow's granite is pretty cool. Thanks.
I own my own small piece of the world on an 8 acre plot on the side of a mountain with walnut, hickory, ash and spruce.
LT40HD Wide 35HP Diesel
Peterson Dedicated Wide Slabber
Kubota M62 Tractor/Backhoe
WoodMizer KD250 Kiln
Northland 800 Kiln

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