Flash drying sugar maple

[moodnacreek]

Anybody have luck doing this?  It is supposed to stop the dreaded sticker shadow that ruins hard white maple. You stand the just sawed boards up in the sun or wind for a day or so before sticking. Every time I try it it rains.  To beat having to stick twice I have used very narrow rough sticks [3/4"] but 1 false move and they tumble.

[69bronco]

I did it once, was in the process of building a pole barn. had the roof on and stood them up all around the inside for a couple weeks before sticks. Worked well

[Don P]

Wind hits both sides and has no heat, the sun is not a help IMO. 

Would the wooden "clothesline" with the A looking stack work (my copy of "air drying of lumber" is AWOL :D), the lap of boards coming up from both sides would be a problem, maybe short pieces of stick nailed to the horizontal board to separate the boards along the line?

From "Drying eastern hardwood lumber" air drying is most rapid in the first 3 or 4 days, I'd leave it in whatever your flash dryer is for that long and then put it on sticks, you got the quick surface moisture. Air drying hard maple in your climate is 80-165 days to 20%, in a fan shed it would be 8-10 days. If you can sticker under a shed and blow on it you'll be somewhere in between depending on airflow.

[moodnacreek]

Of course the problem is the cupping and that happens fast in the conditions needed to dry the sap on or near the surface. Sugar maple is all sap because there is no heart wood. Kinda like a cucumber . I refuse to buy hard maple because of the extra work but somehow I always get a few nice ones mixed in a load and hate to see the larger ones, fresh cut, go to firewood. People hate sticker marks on any wood and might ask if it will plane off. [It never does]               I wonder if those who use grooved or profiled sticks can stack it once and be done?

[Stephen1]

I have been drying a lot sugar maple for a local,  Canadian Cheese boards. I use the breezewood fluted stickers and the only thing i ever see is the marks or indents from the flutes.Usually the pine will have indents, not the SM . 

[moodnacreek]

I have been drying a lot sugar maple for a local,  Canadian Cheese boards. I use the breezewood fluted stickers and the only thing i ever see is the marks or indents from the flutes.Usually the pine will have indents, not the SM .

That is what i suspected but didn't really know, thanks.

[mike_belben]

Doug what if you mounted a pair of snail style carpet dryers above and below a nice clean gravity conveyor and advanced them down that line to flash off the immediate surface moisture?  Even if you need to rig a tarp up on clothesline or something to make a rain tent right in front of the permanent stickering site.

You could use a backpack blower to do a test trial on one piece and decide if its worth the effort

[moodnacreek]

Doug what if you mounted a pair of snail style carpet dryers above and below a nice clean gravity conveyor and advanced them down that line to flash off the immediate surface moisture?  Even if you need to rig a tarp up on clothesline or something to make a rain tent right in front of the permanent stickering site.

You could use a backpack blower to do a test trial on one piece and decide if its worth the effort

Mike, your always thinking. Didn't see this post as I can't sit in front type writer that has a TV screen for long with this back of mine.

[mike_belben]

Cmon ol man, gotta do your stretches and whatnot.  Jack lalane is probably still on his ab twister right this minute. 

[moodnacreek]

Cmon ol man, gotta do your stretches and whatnot.  Jack lalane is probably still on his ab twister right this minute.

Your sense of humor is approaching mine, if that is possible. You remember that ? guy? I thought you where younger.

[mike_belben]

Im 41 but lived with grandparents so there was a lot of johnny carson and yasser arafat on the tv.  

[YellowHammer]

Of c I wonder if those who use grooved or profiled sticks can stack it once and be done?

Yes, except during the 100F depths of summer.  Otherwise.....yes.  
I have no more solid stickers anymore.  

[Larry]

How do fluted sticks compare to the Breeze Dry sticks?

[Stephen1]

How do fluted sticks compare to the Breeze Dry sticks?

I use the Breezewood, but did ot realise they were different than fluted until you brought it up. 

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

The faster you dry (the lower the humidity) the whiter and flatter this wood will be.