Suggestions for stacking end grain block in kiln?

[Brad_bb]

I'm going to make end grain flooring from a lot of timber drops I have.  It's been air drying for years.  I'm going to cut them into  3/4" thick pieces that are 3"x6", 3"x12", 4"x8", 4"x12" up to 8"x8".  Has anyone kiln dried flooring blocks like this?  If so, how to stack it in the kiln?  Just normal stickers much closer together?

[scsmith42]

If they've been air drying for years, since they are end grain I think that I'd just do a sterilization run on them.

Presumably they are already 10-12% mc, I think that the end grain will give up the last 2-4% rather quickly.

Yes sticker though.

[Brad_bb]

No, they are currently still timber drops anywhere from 6" long to 3.5 feet long.  They have been sitting for 5-7 years now.

If I have to have stickers 4"-6" apart, I hope it wouldn't be an issue. I wish I had the fluted stickers, but I don't really want to buy them just for this one drying project.

[scsmith42]

Brad, at that age they should have reached EMC throughout.  Fluted stickers - IMO - gain you little if anything on lumber already at EMC.

It would certainly be easier to sticker them in their current configuration, but much slower to get the last few MC% out of them.  Also, you will have a very hard time getting an equal MC% from core to shell in their current, thicker form.

Versus if you cut them to targeted thickness first, they will dry much more quickly (probably 1 - 2 days), but it will take you 20X longer to sticker versus in current form.

Can you cut one beam in the middle (if it's 5' long then cut it into a pair of 30" lengths) and use a moisture meter to check MC% in the core, and shell at the fresh cut end?  That information will help to guide you on the best means forward.