What stage of cutting is best for drying the lumber?

[54Dutchman]

Looking at the differant topics I came across the question on the pattern for cutting a log to lumber; it looked like there were primary cuts that would cut the log into larger parts and then resawing to make the log into the rough cut parts.  The rough cut parts could be used as is or have other finishing like planing or molding.  At what point is it best to dry the lumber ??? ???
This may be covered already in some place but I did not see it :P  Thanks for any direction on this - I am still in the planning stage and trying to get everything in focus (the need to make sawdust is getting so bad that it is getting in my eyes)

[beenthere]

Best stage to dry lumber is as soon as you can sticker it in layers in a drying situation....be it air drying or kiln drying.

[scsmith42]

Best stage to dry lumber is as soon as you can sticker it in layers in a drying situation....be it air drying or kiln drying.

Correct, and if your objective is to ultimately make 4/4 lumber, you're better off drying it as 4/4 versus drying it as 8/4 and then resawing.

[Ga_Boy]

To get e highest quality material, it is best to sticker the material as soon as it comes off the saw, then straight in to your kiln.  You minimize drying defects by controlling the rate of moisture loss.  If the material dries too quickly you get defects like internal checks or the ends of the material will split.  If you dry the material too slowly, you can end up with molds and fungi.

[54Dutchman]

Thanks for the replies, it sounds like once the tree is down the quicker it is made into rough lumber the better quality end product ;D

[WDH]

Yes, and cut it to the desired dimension green out of the log.  Resawing dried cants results in a lot of waste because like Scott said, thick lumber, like cants, does not dry well.  You need to do it right the first time.

[REGULAR GUY]

Hope ya'll don't mind if I come in and ain't trying to take over. When ya say cut to sizes ya want, how much to allow for shrinkage? If I wanted the finished product to be a 1 1/2"   by 3 1/2"stud for example, shouldn't it be cut 1/8" oversize for air dry?   Hope I'm not buttin in.            Regular Guy

[scsmith42]

Hope ya'll don't mind if I come in and ain't trying to take over. When ya say cut to sizes ya want, how much to allow for shrinkage? If I wanted the finished product to be a 1 1/2"   by 3 1/2"stud for example, shouldn't it be cut 1/8" oversize for air dry?   Hope I'm not buttin in.            Regular Guy

You're not butting in, and it's a good question.  Shrinkage rates vary per species and the type of cut (typically referred to as tangential and radial shrinkage).  For instance, quartersawn oak shrinks about 1/2 as much in width (radial) as it does in thickness (tangential); flatsawn is the exact opposite.

Usually I allow 12% for shrinkage in thickness of quartersawn oak, and about 6% for width, but each species (and even some sub-species) is different.  Woodcentral has a good shrinkage table at:  http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/woodmove.shtml

[WDH]

If your finished product at 1 1/2" was planed, I would add 1/4 for planing and 1/8 for shrinkage.  For example 4/4 hardwood is usually sawn 1 1/8" thick rough green.  This would easily dry and plane down to 3/4" finished.  If it is rough sawn construction lumber that will not be planed, I add 1/8" in the case of 1 1/2 dimension lumber.  So that would be 1 5/8 green off the saw.  This would be equivalent to 2x dimension lumber from the store.

[54Dutchman]

Regular guy - you are not ' butting in' that's what I like about this forum - people jump in and give advice, ask questions - just like you meet a bunch of people all interested in forestry and willing to share what they know.  Makes a person feel special right off that there is still a group of good folks willing spend their time with you. ;D ;D ;D

[Clark]

I'll follow Regular Guy's method and "butt in" too!

I was thinking about having some basswood cut for fur stretchers.  Final dimensions are to be 3/8" or 5/8" thick.  I have some doubts I'll find a sawyer to cut that thin without them raising their rates significantly...or walking off the job.  Since the final products is somewhat rough I was thinking that I could have them cut at 5/4 and 6/4, dry and then resaw and plane to final dimensions. 

My thoughts are that the 5/4 and 6/4 would dry with less possibility of warp/twist/cup/etc. but at the same time they aren't so far out there in thickness that they won't dry right.  In fact, that size should dry pretty easily and normally.  What I'm unsure of is how will the boards act when resawn? 

Clark

[Magicman]

Final dimensions are to be 3/8" or 5/8" thick.  I have some doubts I'll find a sawyer to cut that thin without them raising their rates significantly...Clark 

When I am sawing, any lumber that is sawed less than 1" gets scaled as 1".  In other words, when I make a pass through the cant, the sawn lumber is in multiples of even inches.   A 5/8" X 6" board is scaled as a 1X6.  A 1½" X 3½" is scaled as a 2X4.  Also, my per bf sawing rate is the same no matter what dimension lumber that I am sawing.  Other sawyers may and probably do charge differently.

I would never saw and dry lumber with the intent of resawing it later.  Saw the dimension that you want and allow for drying shrinkage.

[54Dutchman]

When I am sawing, any lumber that is sawed less than 1" gets scaled as 1".  In other words, when I make a pass through the cant, the sawn lumber is in multiples of even inches.   A 5/8" X 6" board is scaled as a 1X6.  A 1½" X 3½" is scaled as a 2X4.  Also, my per bf sawing rate is the same no matter what dimension lumber that I am sawing.  Other sawyers may and probably do charge differently.

I would never saw and dry lumber with the intent of resawing it later.  Saw the dimension that you want and allow for drying shrinkage.
[/quote]

Do you use a resaw to get to your final dimension or cut it on the bandmill? ??? ???