Air Drying Thick Slabs

[Magicman]

As seen in another topic, I sawed these 1 1/2", 2", & 3" Tulip Poplar slabs yesterday. They are about 24" X 60" and quite green.  The guy has nothing and I sawed them Goodwill.  He wants to build tables with them but obviously not until they are dry.

I am sure that he could sticker them but would propping them up/leaning them against a wall be better. 


They could be stickered on top of this whack or...


Leaned against the wall on top of this whack?  This old shed is quite drafty.

[blackhawk]

I would definitely stack them horizontal with stickers with as much weight on top as possible.  Slabs will cup and twist much more than dimensional lumber.  I flatten my own slabs and do it for others on my CNC.  Many times, I will have to remove 3/4" from the total thickness of a 10/4 slab to get it flat on both sides.  

[Wlmedley]

A few years ago I cut several 2" thick poplar slabs out of a curved log around 8' long. I didn't have any place to put them on stickers so I just leaned them against the wall of my woodshed which was mostly out of the sun. They dried pretty flat and made table top and a couple benches out of them. I've dried quite a bit of odd sized pieces by leaning against inside wall of my shed.They seem to dry pretty fast also.

[Kit B]

I'd definitely sticker them with as much weight as possible on top.

[Dave Shepard]

I am in the flat camp as well. Even marble slabs leaned against a wall will slump over time.

[SwampDonkey]

flat and stickered my friend. I'm not a sawyer, but have seen how wood moves. It can develop a slight bow even if almost vertical and will certainly cup. Weighed will probably be better to. I've had perfect looking 8/4 birch twist like liquorice twister candy coming off a perfect no defect log and stacked, but just laying on top of the stacked pile. Perfect looking logs isn't always perfect dry lumber in the end. It's like having nice healthy potato plants and find they are full of knobs and growth cracks once dug up. 

[customsawyer]

If he has to dry them up against the wall. Have him lean them on edge, like YellowHammer has his display rack in his store. I vote for stickered with weight but understand, that sometimes we have to do what we have to do.