OldJarheads Milling Thread...

[WDH]

Cutting the ends square.  I anchorseal before sawing. 

[doc henderson]

I think the mold will be ok after the surface is dry.  looks nice.  You could build a temporary solar kiln to get them started, figure how much space you need in terms of length, ht, and width.  stacking and stickering will help keep it flat but that thick will prob. do what ever it wants.

[OlJarhead]

Thanks for the ideas.  We are running up to the property this weekend and I can pick up stickers there so we can do a full stack and sticker when we return.  For now I've been trimming ends and applying arborseal.  Incidentally, I also apply to my logs first (saves so much work really) but my sister didn't have any and my new batch arrived after we left to mill up the logs so I was left with trimming ends and sealing at home...tough go on 2 1/4" walnut slabs that are 18-23" across and 60 to 75" tall!  Those are heavy suckers!

Meanwhile, with them all standing upright (since I can't sticker them yet) I placed a fan in the garage and a dehumidifier.  That thing drew half a tank of water into itself in about 4hrs!  WOW!

I am hoping the air movement in the garage with the big fan and the DH will help the slabs dry while we wait to sticker, then I can sticker them in the garage for now and place the big box fan facing the stack to drive air through it and the DH in the room to get rid of the moisture.  It aint a kiln, nor it is a nice stack outside with wind to drive the water out but here where we live it's the best I can do for now so I'm hoping it works out while I make plans to either build a kiln or pay someone to dry the stuff.

[OlJarhead]

Wow!  In the first 4hrs the DH removed about a half gallon of water, then overnight it was filled and shut off.  46% humidity outside and there are cracks in the doors of the garage so it may not be because of the wood but it was warm yesterday (over 80F out) and the garage was warm and humid (I'm sure the wood had something to do with that) so I think it's drying.

No more mold and no major new checks that I can see but I still have some to trim and endseal.

[OlJarhead]

About half way through getting all the slabs trimmed and sealed.  Most of the big heavy stuff is done so the back half should be easier.

I placed a 20" box fan and set it on the high setting to push some air around the garage.  On this side (please ignore the mess!) it pushes away from the doors.


Next I placed the dehumidifier on the other side of the garage with it's exhaust facing the doors.  My hope is to move the air around the room somewhat, in a circular pattern.  Not sure if it is working or will help but it's the best I have at the moment.


This thing was FULL over night and will be again so I'm debating shutting it off for the weekend since I won't be here to empty it.  Otherwise I'll need to run a hose to the outside for it (might be a good option).
 
Thought you might like to see this one ;)_


And...



But this isn't a good sign! It is one of the longer slabs that it's the right width for a bench so my wife decided it should be one ;)  But I need to get it sealed asap before that check gets worse!


And then


I also need to get the bases of these slabs off the concrete.  My back has improved some so I'll get to it this afternoon (have to work my day job first).

[OlJarhead]

After dumping yet another gallon of water out of the DH I noticed that bottom check (above) was well into the wood now :(  I may have to cut that 1 1/4" piece in half to try to save it.

51% humidity today (and it rained a few times) and it's just below that in the garage.  The DH might just be keeping up with the outside air moisture but it sure feels and smells more humid in the garage.  I rigged a hose up now and am hoping I'm doing the right thing here.

[btulloh]

Those checks are an opportunity to use bow ties. They are going to occur in some of the slabs. Don't think of them as defects.

[OlJarhead]

Those checks are an opportunity to use bow ties. They are going to occur in some of the slabs. Don't think of them as defects.

Oh certainly, for some, but when they split the slab in half... ;D :D ???

[WDH]

Slabs dry better stickered in layers.  That prevents drying too fast which is probably why you are getting the checks.  I have had poor luck drying slabs individually, they dry better in a herd.  When stickered, the humidity increases between the layers and moves out of the layers to less humid air outside the stack.  When dried singly, this cannot happen.  The slab is getting full blown air on all sides.  If stickered in layers, it is important to put a layer of stickers on the top layer of the stack and stack some "nurse" boards on top to protect the topmost layer. 

[OlJarhead]

Yup, understood, hence my desire to get them stickered ASAP.  Just didn't work out that way so figured this was the next best option until I can sticker them Tuesday.

[OlJarhead]

A few pics of the slabs drying.  Some the 29th, the 2nd of the same shot today (the 31st)...

You can see some of the checks are getting a little wider



 
Some pretty heavy checking despite the very heavy coating of anchorseal.  However, I expected this because of the checks int he logs.  They were felled just a few days before I milled them and seeing the checks I thought "uh oh".  Not sure why they were checking in the hearts from the start but my guess is that it was due to the tree dying.  I wasn't dead yet but it was rotting in the stump and soon to come down.

Some slabs are doing better than others mind you so we'll see how many bowties I'll need to hold it all together!

[doc henderson]

you may do this already, but could add shade cloth around the stack to slow things down. although at this point, it is what it is.  you can bow tie, or rip up the center to get the crack and joint and re-glue.  with lots of branches and some pith, some cracking is prob just stress in the wood.

[OlJarhead]

Never tried a shade cloth.  Do you just use an old sheet so the wind gets through it?

[doc henderson]

you can see it and buy it from UC coatings, but also at a garden center.  i bought one when i picked up some trees to plant for my wife as a tarp.  it is more like netting with 1/8th inch holes;  keeps the sun off the edges and lets less but some breeze through.  i think it will help little now but would be good for next time.  i bought mine at a tree nursery.  i am sure amazon would be the fastest and cheapest, if you cannot find it locally.  looking at the slabs, I think much of this was predestined Sir.  

[OlJarhead]

Got my moisture meter today 8)

The pine I've been making paneling and flooring out of measures 8.5% at the end vs 23-30% for the walnut measured at the end of the slab (easy to penetrate there).  Whereas, on the surface the slabs are measuring 17%

[OlJarhead]

Wow!  41.5% if measured at the top of the end grain on some slabs and often lower near the bottom of the slab (10 or more % lower).  Interesting!

I can only surmise the water is both rising as it evaporates as well as either travels to the end grain or is just that wet throughout!  No wonder walnut takes so long to dry.

Some of the pine measured even lower (as low as 6%)

[D6c]

Never tried a shade cloth.  Do you just use an old sheet so the wind gets through it?

I bought some rolls of burlap at garden store and ran them on sides of stacks... mostly on sunny sides.  Works ok but lifespan is about one season.

[doc henderson]

remember for different species you usually have to change a setting on the meter, or use a conversion factor.  if you measure pine at the walnut setting it will read low since pine is less dense than walnut.  Hope you are having a good time.  thanks for letting us see your progress.   8)  you can go measure stuff in your shop or house to check your meter.

[OlJarhead]

Two weeks of air drying after a week or so in the garage and I am seeing some pretty low numbers that surprised me (somewhat).  Bear in mind the humidity hear can be VERY low.  Though it is 64% this morning it will likely drop to around 20% this afternoon.  It's high desert here and low humidity is normal as well as very little rain.  As such I've seen 9/4 pieces drop into the low 20's already and some 5/4 stuff around 16% and that's at the end not the flat!!!

Too fast?  Can't say I can do anything about it but the checking seems to have stopped at this point and the wood appears to be stabilizing. 

Heck, I even have the stack close to my sprinkler system so it gets some moisture twice every other day!  It's still going to be kiln ready in about two more weeks if this keeps up.

Not sure I know what to make of it.

[Dana Stanley]

Are you checking it near the surface, the ends, or do you have a sacrificial piece, and check in the middle if it?

[doc henderson]

@OlJarhead the ends and edges will be drier.  As thickness increases, there will be a bigger difference between the outside and the core,  this is part of why wood checks and why we use a kiln to reduce the difference by letting some humidity build up in the kiln.  highere at night in a solar kiln to reduce stress.  I believe most of the degrade happens at higher moisture content, so any degrade might already be done.  @GeneWengert-WoodDoc   At this point I would sit back and see haw it goes.  I have really enjoyed your thread.  
In hardwoods, the sapwood is less dense than the heartwood and will read less MC as well.

[OlJarhead]

Thanks guys.  Since this is my first use of a moisture meter I'm recording everything and paying close attention to your posts!

I noticed right off that surface moisture readings were a LOT lower which corresponds to what I'd read (the surface dries, the moisture on the inside migrates to it and evaporates etc).

I have found the ends are much higher than the surface and don't use the surface at all.  Just the ends.  Since it's all stickered and covered I don't open up to check a center on a piece I could sacrifice but I may do that once the ends start reading 16% on the thick stuff so I have some way to gauge them.

My plan is to build a garage kiln as soon as the MC drops to 16% or so.

[doc henderson]

what meter are you using.  I have a pinless meter and if it is covering an area less than its base, it under reads.  less also on rough wood than smooth.  I have a wagner.  

[btulloh]

Sacrifice a piece and use the oven-dry method to see where you're at on mc.

[OlJarhead]

what meter are you using.  I have a pinless meter and if it is covering an area less than its base, it under reads.  less also on rough wood than smooth.  I have a wagner.  

General Tools MMD4E Digital Moisture Meter Pin Type.