Air drying pine

[charles mann]

I have no idea what species (long, short or lob) the logs are, but were growing in the NE tx (new boston/texarkana) area. 

Im building horizontal bee hives, trailer (i know, white oak is better, but that is not what iv got) and framing/decking for a porch, which will eventually be insulated, fully enclosed for honey harvesting and woodworking. 

Id like to use the lumber this winter to build swarm traps and hives to house the caught bees. Currently temps here in central tx are in the low triple digits. 
Would 2-3 month of these high temps and another 1-2 months of lower temps be enough time to drop the mc for at least building hives and traps? Hives will be 8/4 and traps 4/4. 

[doc henderson]

I would think so.  you could cover with some plastic and do a makeshift solar kiln if needed.  the hives I believe need to fit well and not bind so dry is good, but if they will be outdoors then 12% might suffice.  I have dried 2-inch elm to 7 % on my drive this way.

[scsmith42]

4/4 syp will air dry to 15%MC in the summer in around 60 - 75 days.  8/4 is 90 days or so.

However, if you put fans on the stacks you can reduce that by 50%, give or take.

[doc henderson]

Book Review: Solar Cycle Lumber Kiln - Vermont Woodlands Association

they have a video on building with just plastic on the stack of wood.  I added fans and an accurite remote temp and humidity gage.

[moodnacreek]

Green pine lumber will blue stain while on sticks in warm weather and if there is not enough air flow through the stack it will mold , turn black and grow white fuzz. The blue stain may not be an issue as you are using the lumber not selling it but the other things you don't want.

[charles mann]

the hives I believe need to fit well and not bind so dry is good, but if they will be outdoors then 12% might suffice. 

Have you been to the box store lumber isle lately? fitting well with box store lumber is, well, subjective ;D. I have yet to find commercial cube box hives built to fit well. The tighter the tolerance, the less they have to seal off with propolis, but harder to get the frames out, but iv also been using saw dust and wood glue as a filler to take up some of the gap i cant close with clamps. if i can build 4 out of box store lightening bolt straight lumber, im sure what i mill will be no worse than what i can buy. 

[charles mann]

Green pine lumber will blue stain while on sticks in warm weather and if there is not enough air flow through the stack it will mold , turn black and grow white fuzz. The blue stain may not be an issue as you are using the lumber not selling it but the other things you don't want.

i am not worried about ample airflow. that is what fans are for if needed. 

[Southside]

Are they a top bar type of hive? Just curious why so heavy. The ones we had were 4/4 lumber and once full of comb and honey were a bear to move. We don't use that style any more, had too many issues for our location.

[Ianab]

Air drying pine in our climate can be problematic because of the humidity. Even in winter it's not cold enough to stop the mould and fungus, and the drying is so slow they have a chance to get established. Summer actually works better here, but you NEED that good airflow as it's a race between the drying and the fungus. 

[charles mann]

Are they a top bar type of hive? Just curious why so heavy. The ones we had were 4/4 lumber and once full of comb and honey were a bear to move. We don't use that style any more, had too many issues for our location.

Not a top bar. Some call it a long lang, but im building 3 (50 frames, 25 per colony, 2 colonies per hive) conversion hives to move from the standard langstroth (cube box style seen everywhere in the usa) to a layens (european) frame. With my back, lifting 50-60lb boxes chest high isnt very good on a bad back, even though i just had surgery on halloween of last yr.

Edit:
Horizontalhive.com is where i got my plans, but im modifying them for more frames so i can house 2 colonies per hive. 

[Southside]

I will check it out. Thanks. You could have gone with the "Flow Hive", just turn the knob is all you have to do.  :D  :D  :D

[charles mann]

Air drying pine in our climate can be problematic because of the humidity. Even in winter it's not cold enough to stop the mould and fungus, and the drying is so slow they have a chance to get established. Summer actually works better here, but you NEED that good airflow as it's a race between the drying and the fungus.

At times, we do have stagnant air but again, that is what fans are for, as previously mentioned. Our winter are also short and not cold enough at times, for a long enough period to kill off fungus and spores. 
But new zealand climate is not texas climate, not to memtion central tx, where humidity isnt near what it is in deep east tx or coastal tx. So its like comparing grapefruits to tangerines.  ;D

[charles mann]

I will check it out. Thanks. You could have gone with the "Flow Hive", just turn the knob is all you have to do.  :D  :D  :D

Uhhh, yea, thats a negative ghost rider, the pattern is full. Those are the biggest gimmick and waste of $$$ in my opinion. Id rather pay the gov more in taxes. 

[Ianab]

Yeah, with low humidity and fans for airflow you should be able to get it dry before the fungus gets a start, even with the higher temp. Almost like a solar kiln, without having to build a box.

As you say, the climate here is different, and the "dry in the colder weather" advice isn't the best for us, although it's still good with hardwoods that actually need slower drying. But you can't really dry pine too fast.

[bushhog920]

Sticker no wider than 4' and leave 2" between each board. If you have a way to move the stacks first week or two outside in the open will get the mc down fast. After 2wk put in a barn to finish air drying to avoid damage.