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Advice on... Moisture Content for Cabinet Wood & Maintaining Level in Storage

Started by H60 Hawk Pilot, November 04, 2010, 10:05:56 PM

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H60 Hawk Pilot

I'd like to try my hand at making a gun cabinet this winter. I have a good example of the one my Dad built from cherry in the 80"s, and inherited all his tooling and my own wood tools as well.

I did a search here and learned that Kilm dried wood is the way to go. The wood should be kept in-doors and the humidity and temp. controlled as well.

If anyone has any other advice.. I'd like to hear it.  I'm not building the gun cabinet to save money or whatever... building for the labor of love (inside project for winter).

Avery
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scsmith42

Both air and kiln dried wood will work; KD has the advantage of having undergone a "sterilization" at the end of the kiln cycle, which will kill off any little critters living inside the wood.

Lots of furniture has been built with AD wood though.

Use a good quality moisture meter to check your wood before starting your project.  For interior use, it should be in the 6% - 8% range.  If your shop is not climate controlled, you might want to add a dehumidifyier and set it to around 40%.
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and a mix of log handling heavy equipment.

Ianab

If you decide to use your own air dried wood, just bring the rough stock inside for a couple of months and stack it in a spare room, attic etc. Any place that's a similar average humidity to the final location. It will then dry down to the correct moisture content, what ever that is in your house. Around 8% would be normal for most US areas.

Just as an aside, when US kiln dried wood is imported into NZ it's common practice to sticker it again, to let it GAIN moisture and suit the local climate. Using 6% moisture timber in a 14% environment causes just as many movement issues as the other way around. The wood I work with is generally 12-14%, but the climate here averages about 80% humidity all year round.

Ian
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

WDH

Here in the deep South, I like the wood to be 9-10%.  It does depend on your climate, humidity, and circumstances.
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terrifictimbersllc

Air dry it outside.  Collect a lot more while you're waiting.  If you're like me by the time you figure out what you want to make it will be dry but you'll have forgotten what the boards look like so you have to open up the pile, pick out what you need and rough cut out whatever you need for your project.  Bring it inside, rough cut and plane it out some more, but still over size, then sticker it.  Ideally take up a good part of a spare room now you have a lumber pile in your house.  If you're like me by the time you have gotten around to making your project it will be dry.
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