For most woodworking projects, green wood is dried before it is used. The process is an age-old art. Before there were modern lumber kilns (which use heat to accelerate the drying of wood) there was the time-honored method of drying lumber slowly — in the open air. In this video, I spend time with fine-hardwood dealer Rick Hearne to learn more about the air-drying process. Rick, who has decades of experience turning harvested trees into properly sawn and dried lumber, has a particular affection for the air-dried process, and while Rick’s yard (Hearne Hardwoods) uses a kiln for the final finishing of his lumber, he still focuses considerable attention on drying his yard’s lumber slowly — by air.
This concise video takes you inside Hearne Hardwood’s air-drying yard for a tour of how lumber is air dried including tips on how to stack lumber, recommended drying times, target moisture levels, and the benefits of “peacefully” drying lumber slowly and naturally. It’s useful information no matter what your skill level or area of woodworking interest. (3.5 Minute Woodworking Video)
Rick Hearne is President of Hearn Hardwoods in Oxford, Pennsylvania
Comments
Hello. I want to thank you for the video. I build solid and semi hollow body electric guitars. People often ask what is flame, or quilt or quarter sawn. Especially when terms like tiger stripe, fiddle back, ribbon, quilt, and the like are bandied about. Or to explain why a quarter sawn neck is more desirable. You mentioned Northern Pa and NY state as where some of the wood came from. I’m from Potter County. I bet you get some of the wood from there. My granddad had a sawmill near Genesee, Pa.
Keith’s Note: Thanks for sharing that Richard. Rick and his son Brian have told me that the Pennsylvania/NY region has almost ideal growing conditions for some species.
I have always wondered how ‘we’ did it before the kiln was invented. What a pleasure to see and hear. It’s like being there. Thanks.
Well done, informative video. Thanks again. I wouldn’t mind a bundle or two of that wood sitting in my backyard. I’m just not sure I could keep my hands off it for three to five years. Cheers
A neighbor down the street has some 5 year old hickory that has been airdried only. I have looked at some of your videos and am wondering how crucial is kiln drying for the constuction of a bedroom set? I was thinking that even if it is kiln dried to 8%, as soon as you bring it home and it sits for a couple of weeks moisture content will jump to whatever percentage the ambient air is, correct? Any advice you can give me on this subject would be appreciated.
Keith’s Note: Great question. One way to look at this is to remember that before the modern age, air drying lumber was the only way to prepare wood for furniture making. The finest cabinetmakers seasoned lumber by letting it age naturally – in the open air. So you are in good company.
Now let’s look at your situation. Your hickory is 5 years old. Using the “one inch per year rule” (as noted in this video), if the log was milled into a 1 to 5/4 inch thick rough boards, then one year of proper seasoning should usually be sufficient – two years would typically be more than adequate. Make sure it was stored per Rick’s recommendations here. The fact that your hickory has seasoned 5 years, would seem to imply that it is ready to go – if it was re-sawn and stacked/stored/stickered properly. Check for insect infestation and perhaps use a moisture meter to be sure you are at the ambient humidity for your area. If it checks out, you should be good to go.
And yes, the wood will acclimate to your location and climate. Perhaps move it inside to your shop and let it settle there for a few weeks to make sure it adapts to you your shop and home conditions, which may be different than the outside humidity in your area. This will allow the raw lumber to “move” a bit as it adapts to its new home and before you begin milling it, thus minimizing movement after you’ve started working with it.
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