air drying syp

[xlogger]

Last year when I cut and air dried some pine during warm weather lots of it darken. Some customers don't like it that way. I cut some around the first of this year and it looks good. When is a good time (or temperature)  to maybe stop cutting pine so it will not get like that?

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

It darkens because it is not drying fast enough right after sawing.  So, sticker it and get lots of air  blowing through the pile immediately after sawing and for the next week after sawing. Rain on the pile does not help get a good color, so also use roof cover with maybe 2 foot overhang.  Secure covers so they do not blow away.  Sticker should be dry and 3/4" minimum thickness.

[WDH]

I use 1" stickers and place fans on the stacks immediately after sawing for several weeks.  That helps immensely.  I put fans on the stacks of SYP anytime that I saw it. 

[xlogger]

I use 1" stickers and place fans on the stacks immediately after sawing for several weeks.  That helps immensely.  I put fans on the stacks of SYP anytime that I saw it.

I figured if I put on fans it would help, but my little fan area is only good for so much. Most of the time I've got live edge slabs in front of it. I didn't put any of the pine I cut around the first of the year under fans and it looks good. Maybe I'll try to get some cut before it gets too warm.

[Ianab]

If the weather is cold the mold / fungus that stains pine doesn't grow, or at least it's so slow that the wood has a chance to dry out a bit before fungus really gets started. 

In the warm weather, the fungus will win the race if you don't speed up the drying. 

[moodnacreek]

A ny pine I have to cut after April gets sprayed [by hand] with anti blue, put on dry sticks and roofed over. In my experience  nobody wants blue stained pine even though they like it grayed. This is the time of the year to get the pine done and save all the extra work.

[YellowHammer]

Anytime I cut pine or any white wood, I like to put my fans on it even in winter as a guarantee or precaution, but normally only for a week or two.  If I run out of covered space, which is often, I will bridge the stacks and fans with ten foot metal roofing tin. So a stack of stickered wood, a fan, then another stack of wood.  The roofing tin lays perpendicular over all three.  Everything stays covered and protected, even the fans.  Instant covered storage.  

[slider]

I have been using fans for years. Here in south Ga fans are a your best defense against mold. I started using bleach at first but fans are much better.

I was charging one dollar a day until my friend from the local power company came by and checked one of my fans. It was costing $4.50 per day to run this fan. Now i tell the customer up front about the charge and why it is necessary .

What i have found is that i you have a dirt floor it will darken the lumber over time. I think if you get it down to around 20 % and then move it to a cleaner spot it will help.

[moodnacreek]

Always wondered how they could saw the pine down south. Up here we have October to march + to get it done and of course as soon as it warms up somebody shows up with pine. I have only used fans for hard maple.  

[xlogger]

I have 3 12" fans that I run on my slabs, don't think they cost near that much to run. That pretty much. But the price of pine is not that much so any more expense added to what I have in it is not good. Like I said the pine I cut around the first of the year is looking good. Maybe I should only try to cut pine later in the fall. I've make several tin covers that attaches to a couple pallets that I use the forklift to set on top of my lumber or slabs that I do air dry to keep rain off. We have had some heavy wind lately and they are working good. 

[YellowHammer]

I started using nailed tin on pallets for roofing on wood that didn't need fans.  It works pretty good.  We try not to oversaw our covered storage, but it happens.  The big megamills around here stack like this, so I figure, with the correct species, it will work for me, too.  They basically put roofing felt on doubled up pallets.  Also, as in the photo, they pour thick concrete footers instead of concrete pads, hundreds of feet long, for a level surface to stack their wood.  

[xlogger]

This is my little stack of pine.