Drying time

[Shawn]

How long does it take to dry lumber for use? I 'm guessing this is a vague question. Assume were talking red oak, 6/4, 12" - 24" wide. Stickered 3/4" apart in a none heated shed over the winter. Please feel free to post your procedures. Also, what to know about outdoor storage. Thanks.

[dutchman]

Use dry stickers, about every 18", in a verticle line.
Should have level, with 8-10 "
clearance at the bottom for circulation.Moving air is very important.
Weight on top, to keep everything flat.
Over winter I can pull 4/4 down to @15%. Then take into garage and finish drying.
Run fan and dehumidifier @ 2 weeks usually @ 10%.
Plane to .850 x width check with dial calibers, when wood stops shrinking use it.

You should search for photos of stacked lumber, and air drying.

[Ianab]

Hi Shawn

A big factor in drying is air flow thru the stack. I dont know what sort of shed you are talking about, but if it's fully enclosed you are going to have trouble getting the wood dry at all.
If it's an open shed or something like a carport it will be much better for air drying, but with Oak that size it's probably still going to take 12 months to be reasonably air dry (i.e. under 15%) The thickness of the wood determines the drying time - the width has little effect.
You may be better off stacking the wood outside and covering the stack with a tin or ply roof for 6 months, then restacking it in the shed once it's mostly dry?  (Dutchman has already suggested that while I was typing)

Cheers

Ian

[scottr]

Shawn , if you'll read pages 23,24,and 25 they will help answer your question . http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documents/fplgtr/fplgtr117.pdf