Air drying large Calif. Valley Oak Slabs for Mantles

[Left Coast Chris]

I got a call from a local cabnet maker that is clearing a lot for a new shop.  He wanted someone to haul a dozen or so 8.5' logs (California valley oak) that range from 40" to 24" in diameter and make use of them to clear the lot.   8)        I volunteered...... thinking of cutting some large slab mantle pieces.  I have cut the wood before ........... it has beautiful grain and figure and air dried out pretty well as 5/4 thickness with a tarp over the pile and openings at the base on each end.  No mildew.  The loss was maybe 25% to 30% due to warpage which I thought was not too bad.  The logs were pretty straight and I painted the ends with Bailey's emulsion sealer.

Any advise on attempting to air dry the slabs? Here in Redding Ca. we have pretty low humidity and VERY hot summers with 110 degree days not un common.  The slab size I am thinking of is 6" thick x 8"-12" wide.

I have little experience with oak slabs so any advise would be very welcomed!

[jimF]

dry as slow as you can.  As you wrote your environment is hot and dry, and oak checks real easy.

[Frank_Pender]

77, our Oregon Garayana  Oak has some of the same sort of tempermants as your Oak.  I would suggest that you find a very cool and shadiy spot to air dry the wood.  I would also place a lid of some sort, such as plywood or tin to protect the lumber from the Sun.  You might also think about spraying the lumber with water, on some of the more hot days.  I soak the lumber on hot sunny days, even here in the Willamette Valley, to prevent the lumber from getting overly warm with the ultraviolet rays. Just some thoughts to ponder.

I always store the lumber after sawing and stickering with one inch stickers, in the darkness of my forest with a lid, to air dry before the kiln gets involved.  I let the lumber set in the forest for at least 90 days or more before the kiln gets a chance to drw out more moisture.

[Left Coast Chris]

Frank....... thanks for the insight.  I have a barn that I can store them in.  Never tryed wetting them down...... since I tarp them.   Sounds like you do not use a tarp?      Another issue I have had is with borers.  They are much larger than powder post  and can completely distroy a 1 inch oak board in a number of weeks.  Just before stickering  I spray with Tim-bor and that seems to do the trick most of the time.  I found out that leaving the bark on is a no-no also.

Another trick.......... since I do not have a kiln,  is to paint or wax the ends of the logs real well and let the logs sit for three or four months to do some slow drying.  It worked pretty well  for a batch of english walnut.  On the hot days I would hose down the logs with water say maybe every two or three days.   I did not get any big checks in the logs and seemed to have much less warpage loss after sawing.  Not sure I would try that with the oak due to the larger borers unles I took the bark off and sprayed with Tim Bor.  Not sure if the borers are going in or out.

[jimF]

If you have any surface checks, even minute ones, rewetting the surface will make them become big surface checks.  Just keep the drying slow and don't rewet.

[Left Coast Chris]

Thanks Jim.  Do you do anything for borers?