Yellow pine drying and sterilization

[forrestM]

hello,

I am getting close to cutting some yellow pine (I’m pretty sure it’s loblolly)

I’m cutting it at 1” x 6”  and planning to finish to a 3/4” x ~5” flooring for my house. 

I am not yet ready to install, but need to cut the logs before they sit much longer, so I am planning to cut and stack directly into my Nile l200m. So I don’t get any stain, I am going to dry them to 15% and then take them out of the kiln and let them sit out of the weather. My assumption is that once the wood is down to 15 percent risk of staining, etc should be eliminated if I keep it dry?  

Hopefully, in a few months, when I have finished closing in my house, I will put it back in the kiln to take it down to 8%, and sterilize and set the pitch at the same time by taking it up to 160 degrees for 24 hours. Then I’ll straighten it and deliver to my friend who will tounge and groove and plane it into my flooring. 

I wanted to get some clarification on the pitch setting and sterilization process...with some poplar I have dried, I took it to 15 percent and then turned off the kiln unit, but left the fans running. The next day I came back to unload it and it had gone down to 14 percent. Do I want to stop the compressor and start the sterilization before I get to 8% so that it doesn’t continue to dry? Would you do that at like 12 or 13 percent?

Also, do I dry syp at dB 120 and wb 75 like poplar and other group one woods?

I’m in Virginia. 

Any advice is appreciated! 

Thanks,
Forrest

[K-Guy]

Hi Forrest
We recommend setting the dry bulb to 160° F , turning the compressor off and when the dry bulb reaches 160°F leaving it for 24 hours for 1" wood 48 hours for 2". If the wood is really sappy leave it longer to cook the pitch even more.

[forrestM]

Hey Stan, 

But you always do that once you’ve reached final mc? And it doesn’t typically cause the wood to over-dry beyond that? 

[Southside]

Can you just sticker it and put a few fans on the stacks? It will be at 15% very quickly this time of year that way. Likely faster than in the kiln. 

[K-Guy]

doesn’t typically cause the wood to over-dry beyond that? 

No the compressor is off any drop in moisture content will be from equalization.

[forrestM]

Is dB 120 and wb 75 the appropriate schedule for 
Syp?

@k-guy

Thanks,
Forrest

[WDH]

That is what I run.

[K-Guy]

Yes it is.

[scsmith42]

Be sure to reduce your load size if you dry SYP from green in an L200. Usually I only load 1K bd ft of green syp for maximum drying rate.

If you load too much, the compressor can’t remove water fast enough and your lumber will severely mold during the first week or so of the kiln run.

[forrestM]

Thanks to everyone. 

[forrestM]

 

 

 

 Cut my blanks yesterday in the heat and humidity! Stickered directly in the kiln as I sawed, with some extra fans blowing across. I had some little patches of blue stain, and I am hoping a quick kiln zap down to 15 percent will stave it off. I read a lot of posts on how quick it can take over. It was a 12 hour day, and I didn’t see the patches spread as I was loading, so that’s good. The wood has been in my Nile l200m for 16 hours, has reached 120 dB, and lost about 10 percent moisture already. Avg is between 40 and 50 percent. 

Ended up with close to 860 board feet of 1x6 blanks. Had one more log, but wanted to keep the load size low. Should be plenty for my 400 sq ft floor. 

Hoping the high heat and humidity in the kiln doesn’t encourage the blue stain - from what I’ve read it should be ok, but I really want clear flooring!

Do you think I should sterilize now, even though I will be drying it down to final moisture in a couple months when I’m ready to install?

Also, for a house with wood heat, and minimal air conditioning, what should my final mc be for Virginia? My plan was to take it down to final mc, remove from the kiln, straighten to 5 1/2 inches, and take to my friend for tongue and groove and then install. 

It was my understanding hardwood floors need to be 7-8 percent, but syp doesn’t want to be that dry?

Thanks, 
Forrest

[Southside]

You don't want your pine to be below 9 or it will give you problems when it comes time for the millwork. 

Also when the MC is that high the numbers you are seeing on the screen are not accurate. So 50 to 40 means things are going in the right direction, but don't take those values as gospel. Get to 28 and then you can be comfortable with the values. 

Where will you store the lumber for the next couple of months after it comes out of the kiln? 

[K-Guy]

Once you are at about 15% you have be done with most of the shrinkage, you could machine it then. When you are ready finish the drying to 7-8% and install.

[scsmith42]

Do you think I should sterilize now, even though I will be drying it down to final moisture in a couple months when I’m ready to install?



Thanks,
Forrest

Do not sterilize until the lumber has reached close to it's final MC%.  In most species Sterilizing at too high of a MC% can cause honeycomb inside the lumber.

[forrestM]

I plan to keep it on stickers, in one of my drying sheds (concrete floor, roof, and open on all sides ) until I'm ready for it. 

is it often the case that people will dry to 15, machine, and then finish drying prior to installing? 

good tip about honeycomb risk when sterilizing at high moisture content.

a good final mc would be 10 percent with syp?

[forrestM]

would I be better off storing it indoors, dead stacked? 

[btulloh]

I would dry to the target mc before machining. Then store inside dead stacked. Then the recommended process for flooring is move it where it will be installed and let it adjust to that climate for a week, then install it.  

Just reinforcing what was mentioned earlier, i accidentally took a load of syp  down to 5-6 percent that i was using to make shiplap with a chamfer. I got it machined ok, but it was a bit crispy and less than wonderful to machine.  Usable, but less than ideal. I won’t be burning the cookies again after learning my lesson.

[Southside]

is it often the case that people will dry to 15, machine, and then finish drying prior to installing? 

That's not a recommended plan.  You will be surprised at how much movement you will experience between 15% and 9%-10%.  I straight lined a load one time of reclaimed lumber, then finished and heat treated, it in the kiln.  This stuff was ancient and had been at EMC for decades.  Unloading the kiln it was clear to me that I had screwed up. it was an absolute nightmare to run through the moulder.  

[YellowHammer]

I would dry to the target mc before machining. Then store inside dead stacked.

I won’t be burning the cookies again after learning my lesson.

I agree.  It would be like putting the icing on the cake before putting the cake in the oven. Bad things happen.
Yep, once the cookies are burned, they are burned.   

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

I am curious why someone would want to sterilize syp.  What insect is likely to cause damage when at 9% MC?