Air dryed red cedar

[Harold.]

A friend has some red cedar logs that have been cut for a year or so and want to have them milled into 4/4 boards. Will these need to be aired dryed some more or can he use them right away?

Harold

[Tom]

Harold,
Any wood that is in the log form is slow to dry.  There will be more moisture in the lumber you create than if it had been drying in board form all this time.  If it's Southern Red or Eastern Red Cedar you have two things going for you.  One is that the wood is quite stable.  I've used it with little air drying and it was acceptable.   The other is that it will have dried some in the log form so the lumber should not be as wet as it would have been green.

The downside is that the white sapwood may have yellowed and not be as contrasty white with the red heartwood as it would have been if it were cut fresh.  Also, Cedar is one of those woods that dulls a blade quickly but is soft enough to still be sawn with the dull blade.  You will have to pay special attention to your blades and not over extend them.  They will be going through some of the same stresses as if you were cutting a harder wood, you just won't be as aware of it.   Pick a time to change blades.  If you are sawing steadily, change at 3 or 4 hours whether you feel the need to or not.  Be on the lookout for deviations.  If the blade starts having trouble cutting knots, take it off.  This will allow you to sharpen that blade and get some life out of it rather than using it all up on its first trip.

Sticker the cedar the same as you would any lumber.  A meter will probably tell you that it can be used in 5 or 6 weeks.  Lots of folks don't wait that long.    

Oh!  treat it gently.  Discourage folks from throwing the boards on the stack or banging them too hard on the mill.  The wood is a bit brittle and will split if mishandled.

[DMax]

Sticker the cedar the same as you would any lumber.  A meter will probably tell you that it can be used in 5 or 6 weeks


Tom, I am having some ERC cut into one inch boards. Would this advice apply to logs that have been down ~ 2 years. Or would it be ok to stack without the stickers?

Thanks, David

[Tom]

David.  I never have believed in dead stacking even though I do it myself from time to time to save space.  Cedar would be the least hurt of most woods but the sap wood could lose its brilliance and even rot if the stack got damp.

Regardless of how long the log was "down", I would sticker the boards cut from it.  If I needed to flat stack later,  I'd put the boards in a controlled environment.   

[pigman]

I sawed about 500ft of ERC for a customer last spring. He finally picked it up this fall and left 2/3 of it for the saw bill. It had been dead stacked out in the weather all summer. To my suprise, it was in good shape. He said the logs had been cut for over a year and they looked it. I still sticker my own ERC. ;D

[DMax]

Thanks Tom and Pigman. I am about to go pick up ~2000bf, and am not looking forward to stacking it!! At least it is not a heavy wood.

[isassi]

I still can't believe how little I know about milling, and especially, drying lumber. I cut eastern red cedar a lot, and have always dead stacked it, with no adverse results. Guess I better straighten up, get a moisture meter, and do it right! And I was in this forum area to find out if I can use green stickers.... ???