Black Walnut and Eastern Pine

[burtle]

Hey guys, I'm having some Black Walnut logs milled tomorrow afternoon.

I have 3 logs around 15-16" diameter and 8' long.

I'm having some cut into 2x6's 2 1/4" thick and some cut 2" thick for cutting boards etc...

The main project for the Black Walnut is a kitchen table  36" wide by 4' long. The legs will be 4x4's.

The local guy milling them for me is going to cut everything to length for the table and is giving each piece extra due to drying/shrinking.

What do you guys suggest for drying? I have a basement I could put them in.

Or should I let them dry outside and cover them with a tarp??


I'm also having Eastern Pine milled into 2x4x10's. Of course extra will be added on due to dry time.

I have 3 Eastern Pine logs around 24-28" diameter and 10' long. I'm wanting to build a shed for storage, so I'll be using all of that for that project. I know I won't have enough.

What's the best way to dry it? Inside? Outside?

Length of time suggested on Black Walnut and Pine please.

Thanks in advance!

[Ianab]

Stack the walnut outside to dry at first. It needs air flow to carry the moisture away. Then get a cheap moisture meter. Need not be super accurate, it really just needs to indicate approximate moisture. When the wood gets down to around 15% moisture, that's close to as dry as it's going to get outside. Then bring it inside, into your house environment, and finish the drying there. Depending on your climate it will likely dry down under 10%. Use your meter to monitor the drying. When the moisture doesn't drop any more, then it's basically "dry" for the environment it's in. Could be 6%, could be 12%, depends where you live. 

Cover the top of the outside stack only. Tarp or old roofing iron will work, just need to keep the sun and rain off, while letting the breeze blow though the stack. 

For the pine / storage shed, just start building. Let the wood dry in place. Because the framing / cladding will be exposed to air (not sealed up in drywall) it can dry out in place. If you want to line or insulate it, do that later once the wood has dried out. (probably only a few months for pine)

[burtle]

Stack the walnut outside to dry at first. It needs air flow to carry the moisture away. Then get a cheap moisture meter. Need not be super accurate, it really just needs to indicate approximate moisture. When the wood gets down to around 15% moisture, that's close to as dry as it's going to get outside. Then bring it inside, into your house environment, and finish the drying there. Depending on your climate it will likely dry down under 10%. Use your meter to monitor the drying. When the moisture doesn't drop any more, then it's basically "dry" for the environment it's in. Could be 6%, could be 12%, depends where you live.

Cover the top of the outside stack only. Tarp or old roofing iron will work, just need to keep the sun and rain off, while letting the breeze blow though the stack.

For the pine / storage shed, just start building. Let the wood dry in place. Because the framing / cladding will be exposed to air (not sealed up in drywall) it can dry out in place. If you want to line or insulate it, do that later once the wood has dried out. (probably only a few months for pine)

Thanks a bunch! I'm just getting into wood working. I'm trying to learn as much as I can.

Do you have a preference on a moisture meter? I found a Proster moisture meter on Ebay for $12.00 shipped to my door. Is that 'too cheap'??

[Ianab]

Do you have a preference on a moisture meter? I found a Proster moisture meter on Ebay for $12.00 shipped to my door. Is that 'too cheap'??

It will probably work for this situation. Don't rely on it being super accurate, but if you measure the wood each week and note the numbers, you will see when it stops losing moisture. When it reads the same several weeks in a row, then that's basically as dry as it going to get. 

I have this "Cheap and Cheerful" little meter. 


It's reading 18% in that wood, which means it's not quite dry yet. It could actually be 17, or 19, but that doesn't really matter. It still needs to dry a bit more.

 Better meters will be more accurate, have calibration for different species, and probably built better. But the cheap little meters seem good enough for some rough checking of air drying wood. 

[firefighter ontheside]

A rule of thumb that I've always heard is it needs to airdry for one year per inch of thickness of the lumber.  Of course rules of thumb aren't always accurate.  Walnut seems to dry pretty quickly.  Either way, expect to have to wait a lot longer for the table legs to dry than other parts.  Get a pin type meter that has pins you can push into the wood a bit.

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

The outside environment in IL is around 13% EMC, so after a year you might reach 13% MC in the wood. Your kitchen is about 6.0% EMC in the winter, so you would need to dry the wood further than 13% or else it will shrink almost 2% in width and thickness.  So, do you have an attic in your house?  If so, and if you only have a few 8/4 pieces, put them in the attic after you end coat them with Anchorseal.  You should reach 6% MC by July 1 if you get them in by March 1.  The cool temperatures now will help develop good quality.

Note that a basement will not work as you will have a lot of moisture, so you will get mold and rust.

You do want to check the final MC accurately, so see if anyone near you has a $200 moisture meter you can borrow with pins.  Maybe a woodworkers group in Springfield?

The white pine will dry in place, but the studs will be different sizes giving you a wavy wall.  Plus when you buy the remaining pieces you need, they will be all be the same size and much smaller.  Plus you will see a few pieces of your pine warp. So, it would be best to dry the white pine with as much air flow as possible and as fast as you can.  Then machine them (saw or plane) to the required thickness and do not use warped pieces.  Be aware that some county building inspectors will want you to use graded lumber.

[burtle]

Thanks everyone!

The logs were milled and it all turned out well. I sealed the ends, stacked them, and put a sheet of tin on top of the stacks to keep direct sunlight/water from hitting the logs.

Now the waiting process begins. 

[PA_Walnut]

Good luck! You've embarked on a life-long adventure that continues to evolve and reward you!
Wood characteristics and methods are time proven and uncompromising. Learn the zen of how wood behaves (particularly related to MC) and build accordingly. Have fun!

[burtle]

Good luck! You've embarked on a life-long adventure that continues to evolve and reward you!
Wood characteristics and methods are time proven and uncompromising. Learn the zen of how wood behaves (particularly related to MC) and build accordingly. Have fun!

Thanks a bunch!

[marine5068]

Hey guys, I'm having some Black Walnut logs milled tomorrow afternoon.

I have 3 logs around 15-16" diameter and 8' long.

I'm having some cut into 2x6's 2 1/4" thick and some cut 2" thick for cutting boards etc...

The main project for the Black Walnut is a kitchen table  36" wide by 4' long. The legs will be 4x4's.

The local guy milling them for me is going to cut everything to length for the table and is giving each piece extra due to drying/shrinking.

What do you guys suggest for drying? I have a basement I could put them in.

Or should I let them dry outside and cover them with a tarp??


I'm also having Eastern Pine milled into 2x4x10's. Of course extra will be added on due to dry time.

I have 3 Eastern Pine logs around 24-28" diameter and 10' long. I'm wanting to build a shed for storage, so I'll be using all of that for that project. I know I won't have enough.

What's the best way to dry it? Inside? Outside?

Length of time suggested on Black Walnut and Pine please.

Thanks in advance!

I've milled Eastern White Pine as well and I used it for the board and batten on the outside of my firewood storage lean-to I built.
It was easier to buy the framing lumber and use my milled Pine for the sheathing.
Good luck and lots of info on here and other sites.