Drying erc 1 1/2 to 2 inch thick

[1woodguy]

   If you were making a dining table from erc how long would you dry two inch wood? Top is going to have some type of epoxy

I posted about ticks and looking over cedars the other day

Signed contract on property 
it has about 10acres thick in cedars out back and clumps and scattered eelsewhere
Won't close for about a month
front and two sides mostly fenced back isn't
Will get it surveyed
back neighbor said cut on him if I want justleave the oaks
Haven't had a chance to hit up side neighbor about cedar

I could sell the front off in the spring after a little work

STILL DON'T HAVE A MILL !!!!!!!!!!!!

Naturally wife says I am going into debt on this blah blah
And she don't want to go deeper with mill and all the stuff that goes with it

One Reason I took the leap for land
I have places to cut but if I start making bucks off it worthless trees for now turn into dollar signs for them later and they may change their mind
and this property would enable me to stockpile
While I can then if problems arise can cut trees off this

  I am a fairly proficient woodworker
And could make and sell quite a few items


So do you think this was an ignorant decision?(getting land with cedars)

If you jumped into this would you get a mill?

Wife says...cut trees find someone to mill on site on halves
Or pay them... Or buy the wood from them
Cause she knows me and said this evening  (  Even if you got a manual mill for 5 or 10 k
Within a year it will cost 30 to 50 thousand more)
I know I am not leaving the cedars if I sell property

So get a mill?if nothing else to stock up on lots of lumber
Don't want to do woodworking full time been there and before you know it it's 60 80 hours a week or more and word of mouth gets you more than you want to do andwhen ya get to that point  it isn't fun anymore
You either kill yourself working   
learn to say nope or double prices with 50% non refundable down on wood signs an 25% other and still have to much to do


You Folks  know tons more about milling running a business  and I'm sure a lot more about woodworking
Suggestions comments?? Or great ideas

Sorry for rambling

[ellmoe]

   Just to cut the trees off of one property. I'd hire a sawyer and save my capital/credit for something else. If I was to buy a mill, I'd by used, planning on getting most of my money back at resale. If the wife was against the purchase... well you know the phrase, "If Mama ain't happy... ."

Mark

[taylorsmissbeehaven]

I have to agree with Mark, you gotta live with the wife so keeping her happy is important! Could you cut the trees, hire a potable sawyer to come and mill them, and then sell the wood? If you showed her a little money it could go a long way toward that mill you want. Thats how I get my hair brained skeems by my wife. Its a give and take. Just my two cents, Brian

[1woodguy]

Hi!
  How long would you dry the erc at2inch or less if it's for a dining table.
Or would a solar kiln be necessary? Thanks

[Tree Feller]

   If you were making a dining table from erc how long would you dry two inch wood?

Until it was at or slightly below 12% Moisture content. That could take anywhere from six weeks to three months, depending on the time of year.

Cedar becomes very brittle at MC's in the 7%-8% range, thus the recommendation for 12%...which also happens to be the average EMC of air dried lumber in most of the country.

Cedar is also a very stable wood and you should not have any movement problems if building at 12% MC and then moving it indoors into a 8% EMC environment, especially if it is finished with epoxy which will greatly slow down moisture exchange.

[1woodguy]

thanks!

[shelbycharger400]

The cedars I dropped In winter here, I milled a few at 1 to 2 in thick. They dried in about 2 months

[shelbycharger400]

I had a 3 in thick mantle, 8 in wide and 5 ft long.. dry as can be in 2 months.  But I would spray it down with the hose every day or so, then let it sit in the sun all day.

[1woodguy]

Curious if I just air dry without heating them up what about the little bug tunnels and sawdust coming out a year later?
  does 8% moisture kill them? Or heat?
If I hit with the heat and kill everything and then store it for a time and the moisture content gets back to 12% can I still have a. Problem with the bugs later?Do I need to store inside ?
Years ago after making a few things and coating with poly for shine I got the fine sawdust and bug holes  months later and have seen this in others projects also  that's the reason for my question
This was in the white wood sap

[WDH]

Was it cedar that the beetles were in or was it another species? 

[Tree Feller]

Heating the wood to 132 degrees throughout will kill any bugs. An increase in moisture content will not cause them to return.

If air drying, you can treat the wood with a borate product to prevent bug infestation but I've never done it to Cedar.

[1woodguy]

WDH
it was erc I built out of in the past that later had sawdust and little holes show up
It was in the white part
   Got a load out of Arkansas none came out of it
But the stuff one of my neighbors sold me from a land clearing job that he had milled was the bad

[1woodguy]

The holes were like what you see some times in ash or hickory that sits and little yellow and black kind of like yellow jacket looking bugs get in

Sawdust tunnels in cedar they were a lot smaller never saw any bugs in the cedar
Have saw this on logs left around with the bark on in the past