Comments on: The Art of Air Drying Beautiful and Stable Lumber

By: Scott Rigg

Scott Rigg — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:40:04 +0000

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.

By: Mitchell

Mitchell — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:18:17 +0000

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

By: Mark MacMullen

Mark MacMullen — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 23:39:13 +0000

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.

By: Richard Prokopchuk

Richard Prokopchuk — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 05:41:35 +0000

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.