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How fast can I expect to get 12/4 and 16/4 oak slabs from green to 8%MC

Started by Blackgreyhounds, July 12, 2015, 11:06:38 PM

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Blackgreyhounds

I've got some oak logs (white and black) that will be sawn up into 3" and 4" thick slabs.  I know that the best and safest way to dry them would be a nice long (years) air-drying down to ~12-15% with a final finish in the kiln.  However, I have some clients who may want it sooner.  So, what would be the fastest, safe way to get thick planks like these down to 8% MC.

beenthere

south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

GeneWengert-WoodDoc

You can dry them in a standard kiln in about 30 days, unless checks, honeycomb and cracking would be considered bad!  So, it is virtually impossible to dry 16/4 oak in a kiln to 8% MC unless it has had a year or more of air drying.  Even then, quality will be less than perfect wrt checking and honeycomb.  Kiln time would be 100 days for well air dried.

Vacuum is your only choice, but even then, you will have trouble with white oak, as moisture movement in white oaks is highly restricted...that is why we use white oak for wine and whiskey barrels (excluding chestnut white oak).

A suggestion is to saw four or five pieces of 4/4 from a log face and note the order of the pieces.  After drying, plane and glue them back together in their original order with a colorless adhesive.  The grain will be very close and they will look like one piece of 16/4...kinda.
Gene - Author of articles in Sawmill & Woodlot and books: Drying Hardwood Lumber; VA Tech Solar Kiln; Sawing Edging & Trimming Hardwood Lumber. And more

longtime lurker

RF or vacuum are the only ways I know of for getting it done quickly in any sort of volume. Zap small bits in a microwave maybe, other then that I know of nothing.

Go find you some nice timber that was cut years ago by someone else... buy at wholesale, sell at retail... I can tell you now there's more money in selling the fruits of someone else's labour then there is in sweating it yourself.  Instead of saying no to a customer - or even worse saying yes then delivering a product that fails to meet expectations - take the time to make calls and network and find the product somewhere else, then buy it , mark it up by a commercially competitive margin, and sell it.
Either that or no sale. The loss of profit for not doing one job will hurt far less then the loss of reputation for doing one job badly.
The quickest way to make a million dollars with a sawmill is to start with two million.

Blackgreyhounds

Thanks for the posts.  This is very helpful.  I'll probably cut a few 3" boards for a friend who does Stickley style furniture and let it air dry for a couple years.  That will give me some time to find someone who can finish it, vacuum(?)  The rest will become 4/4 - 8/4.

Den Socling

12/4 Red oak is easy fresh off the saw in 12 days. We have dried 10/4 White Oaks in 10 days. We will be loading 12/4 White Oak slabs tomorrow.

Blackgreyhounds

Thanks, let me know how it works out.  I'm still having trouble pinning down my sawyer friend. 

Dough_baker

Quote from: Den Socling on July 13, 2015, 09:06:15 PM
12/4 Red oak is easy fresh off the saw in 12 days. We have dried 10/4 White Oaks in 10 days. We will be loading 12/4 White Oak slabs tomorrow.

Dry 10/4 White Oaks in days.  :o  How fast

Den Socling

I'm currently drying 3-1/4" White Oak slabs. They went in the day after they were sawed. If this works, even I will be astounded!

Den Socling

 

 



 



 

This slab was White Oak 3.5" thick. It went in the kiln the day after the log was cut. It was in the kiln for 13 days. Not perfect but we're getting close. Besides that, who the dickens dries 3.5" White Oak. 10/4 is now looking like a cake walk.

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

Den Socling

It's written on the slab. 6.9 to 15.3. It should have had one more day. But that is low enough for a slab.

WDH

Took me almost 18 months to get 9/4 white oak to 13%, but that is air drying for the most part. 

You results are impressive to say the least. 
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

Den Socling

Thank you WDH. The drying schedule certainly isn't as simple as the one used for baseball bats but it works. I have tweaked it slightly and expect better results next time. I believe that we will be able to advertise 14 days for 12/4 White Oak fresh off the saw.

Cazzhrdwd

96 Woodmizer LT40Super  Woodmizer 5 head moulder

Blackgreyhounds

Here's what I wound up doing.  Had my logs sawn into 10/4 and 8/4 flitches and stacked them like I usually do with roofing sheets as top cover and burlap around the sides to decrease the sun and air-flow.  I'll let them air-dry for a while, then off to the kiln.  Next time I have some white oak to saw, I think I'll try some thicker boards and the vacuum. It just didn't make $ sense with less than a full kiln load.


  

   

 

Blackgreyhounds

P.S.  I decided against milling the red oak logs and instead processed them into 1.5 cord of firewood.

5quarter

There is a member here, Ironwood, who had an unorthodox way of drying large, thick slabs. I don't recall the details, but it involved a large steel chamber, fire and pressure. His charges would dry in a matter of days. it seemed vaguely dangerous, but his work is very highly regarded, so I have no doubt that he had a workable system going. search his posts, or maybe pm him. It's been awhile since I have seen him around here, but maybe he could give you some ideas.
What is this leisure time of which you speak?
Blue Harbor Refinishing

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