Dusty, I clamp a piece of Uni-Strut to the slab and use it as a fence for my circular saw.
You can see it on the horses in the 4th picture.
You can see it on the horses in the 4th picture.
Heres what we are doing this Sunday....
- Thread starter CaseyForrest
- Start date
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l2edneck
Small Job Specialist
Noticed the lack o snow
Great pics,,,,,Tons a fun,,,,,,,,
Great pics,,,,,Tons a fun,,,,,,,,
my Stickered Boards
I havent been able to get the pictures of me milling from my dad yet but here are pictures I took of my boards once I got them stickered in the basement. I used furring strips as my stickers and regular weight plates (obviously) as my weight. I have two fans blowing on the boards through the stack to try to promote air flow. the temp in the room is about 70 degrees and a humidity level of about 50% ( that is with out the heat on in the house) it will get much hotter and much drier in the room that it is stacked in. (remember my goal is to have these ready by december) enjoy the pics and again, thanks you Kris for everything on sunday I cant express my gratitude enough. View attachment 39017
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Can anyone tell me if putting straps around the boards is bad for them? I want alittle extra force holding those boards straight and I was thinking of wrapping straps around them just infront of the weights on the ends.
I havent been able to get the pictures of me milling from my dad yet but here are pictures I took of my boards once I got them stickered in the basement. I used furring strips as my stickers and regular weight plates (obviously) as my weight. I have two fans blowing on the boards through the stack to try to promote air flow. the temp in the room is about 70 degrees and a humidity level of about 50% ( that is with out the heat on in the house) it will get much hotter and much drier in the room that it is stacked in. (remember my goal is to have these ready by december) enjoy the pics and again, thanks you Kris for everything on sunday I cant express my gratitude enough. View attachment 39017
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Can anyone tell me if putting straps around the boards is bad for them? I want alittle extra force holding those boards straight and I was thinking of wrapping straps around them just infront of the weights on the ends.
Ok....First thing is you need more stickers. You should have them spaced 12" to 16" apart.
I use ratchet straps to cinch my boards down, its a great, inexpensive way to keep you stack from moving. With the length of those boards, I would use at least six. You should also keep the weight on them as well. Make sure where you have them stacked is level as well. If its not, as the stack settles, it will mirror the levelness of the floor.
I think some of the guys here will tell you to move that away from the furnace. It may get a little warm right there. Either that or leave it there, and loosely cover that stack to slow down the drying a little.
I use ratchet straps to cinch my boards down, its a great, inexpensive way to keep you stack from moving. With the length of those boards, I would use at least six. You should also keep the weight on them as well. Make sure where you have them stacked is level as well. If its not, as the stack settles, it will mirror the levelness of the floor.
I think some of the guys here will tell you to move that away from the furnace. It may get a little warm right there. Either that or leave it there, and loosely cover that stack to slow down the drying a little.
Also, get yourself one of those little two pin moisture meters. Check it frequently. If you see its drying to fast, slow it down somehow. The other guys here can tell you how fast it should be drying. You can also give the ends 1 or 2 more coats of Latex paint. Or more if you like. Keep the ends sealed up tight.
thanks casey,
the reason that i used only 3 stickers is because i was told that the moisture tends to escape where the stickers are and that will cause staining on the boards. that was my reasoning. I will definitly watch the moisture content and try to block the furnace from directly hitting the stack. Unfortunatly, since we are trying to sell the house, my wife said no boards in the finished part of the basement, well we only have an 800 square foot basement so that did not leave me much room elsewhere. you work with what you got! thanks for the suggestions, I will get more stickers in it tomorrow and get those straps around the boards aswell.
the reason that i used only 3 stickers is because i was told that the moisture tends to escape where the stickers are and that will cause staining on the boards. that was my reasoning. I will definitly watch the moisture content and try to block the furnace from directly hitting the stack. Unfortunatly, since we are trying to sell the house, my wife said no boards in the finished part of the basement, well we only have an 800 square foot basement so that did not leave me much room elsewhere. you work with what you got! thanks for the suggestions, I will get more stickers in it tomorrow and get those straps around the boards aswell.
You are right, moisture does tend to wick through the stickers. I forgot to tell you, only because I dont ever do it, you should rotate your stack occasionally. That will allow you to see whats going on with it, and catch any issues that may otherwise go un-noticed. Sort of the same reasoning behind why you rotate your tires.
I dont believe any staining would go deep enough into that wood that wouldnt come out when you plane it. I may be wrong.
I dont believe any staining would go deep enough into that wood that wouldnt come out when you plane it. I may be wrong.
Make sure you dont cinch a strap down anywhere other than directly in line with the stickers. And youll want to check the straps as well, youll need to keep adding tension as the boards shrink.
woodshop
Addicted to ArboristSite
If you start with clean DRY stickers, and there is enough air flow through the stack so it doesn't mildew, there should not be any problem with sticker stain. Once in a while, I do get a little stain or discoloration where the sticker was with some boards, but casey is right, one pass through the planer and its gone.CaseyForrest said:
aggiewoodbutchr
Addicted to ArboristSite
My $.02
As the others have said...
More stickers, if they are dry staining should be minimal.
Straps are OK. They will need to be checked and tightened regularly.
Monitor the boards closely. If surface checks appear then they are drying to fast. You will need to relocate them to a more humid area, maybe even outside, for a while.
Also, you need to move that fan to where it blows through the side of the stack, not directly on the end. Where he fan sits now it will dry those ends faster than the middle of the boards causing accelerated checking.
I know you are in a hurry to use you lumber but you don't want to loose what you worked hard for. Good luck!
As the others have said...
More stickers, if they are dry staining should be minimal.
Straps are OK. They will need to be checked and tightened regularly.
Monitor the boards closely. If surface checks appear then they are drying to fast. You will need to relocate them to a more humid area, maybe even outside, for a while.
Also, you need to move that fan to where it blows through the side of the stack, not directly on the end. Where he fan sits now it will dry those ends faster than the middle of the boards causing accelerated checking.
I know you are in a hurry to use you lumber but you don't want to loose what you worked hard for. Good luck!
oldsaw
"Been There, Milled That"
Yes, more stickers. Every 16" or so. Stickers have two jobs, the first is to let air circulate, the second is to keep the boards straight so they don't sag in the gaps. Wet boards like to do things that you don't want them to, like twist, sag, warp, cup, and skew. That's why this hobby is so much fun. :hmm3grin2orange:
Mark
Mark
woodshop
Addicted to ArboristSite
Good call, I agree completely... the ends of the boards tend to dry too fast as it is, which is why they check. A fan on them will make that situation worse. As I and others have said in posts... putting wet lumber in a dry relatively warm house in winter will in my humble opinion, dry out the boards to fast unless you take steps to make sure they don't. Remember... moisture in winter air is lower than summer because cold air doesn't hold as much moisture as warm air. So then when you pull that air into a house and heat it up, the RELATIVE humidity of that air goes even lower... very dry air. Not the best place to dry wet lumber right off the tree. I too wouldn't want you to spoil all that nice lumber you worked so hard for.aggiewoodbutchr said:
2 more questions...
i really dont want to ruin these boards either, so can anyone recommend another method of drying. Unfortunatly, I donot have alot of space at my house so I am kind of stuck.
second question... how often should I be rotating these boards and in any specific pattern (similar to rotating tires)??
I cant say it enough... THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO IS OFFERING ADVICE AND SUGGESTIONS FOR MY SUCCESS.
i really dont want to ruin these boards either, so can anyone recommend another method of drying. Unfortunatly, I donot have alot of space at my house so I am kind of stuck.
second question... how often should I be rotating these boards and in any specific pattern (similar to rotating tires)??
I cant say it enough... THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO IS OFFERING ADVICE AND SUGGESTIONS FOR MY SUCCESS.
Your location is fine, just keep an eye on them. They will tell you if they are drying to fast. If you notice they are drying to quick, throw a sheet, or some plastic over just the top, leaving the sides open.
I would rotate the stack about 1 a week. Just flip them all over to the other side.
Just had another thought...if you have a Garage, you can stack them there for awhile.
I would rotate the stack about 1 a week. Just flip them all over to the other side.
Just had another thought...if you have a Garage, you can stack them there for awhile.
dustytools
Addicted to ArboristSite
Davvyd, Im not at all familiar with your neck of the woods but there should be some type of kiln drying service around fairly close. Try calling local mills and lumber yards for help. Some times even local universities have some type of program. Good luck.
thanks casey and dusty. I will definitly keep an eye them and "listen" or watch for signs. Dusty, i have called around and what i found was that people were not really willing to do such a small amount. they say that it would be extremely expensive just to turn on the mill. you are right though, i would prefer to have someone who knows what they are doing dry them, but hey, I started it, I MAY AS WELL FINSIH IT! Right? wish me luck
hautions11
ArboristSite Operative
Drying
Davvyd, we all started somewhere. Others drying experience is far more in depth then mine, but I like the just try it attitude. The wood was basically free, you had a great time milling it, and you learned A LOT! What more can you ask for. Several of the boards you have are quite thick and from Caseys description, you have some extra length on your boards. Keep a close eye on them and you will probably do fine.
Davvyd, we all started somewhere. Others drying experience is far more in depth then mine, but I like the just try it attitude. The wood was basically free, you had a great time milling it, and you learned A LOT! What more can you ask for. Several of the boards you have are quite thick and from Caseys description, you have some extra length on your boards. Keep a close eye on them and you will probably do fine.
dustytools
Addicted to ArboristSite
I also agree with the do-it-yourself attitude as doing it yourself is a great teacher. Much like yourself I am air drying some lumber that I have milled and am anxious to learn from doing it myself. I have based my startings on ideas and opinions of the more experienced people within this great site. There are also a lot of great ideas on milling and drying on various sites on the internet.Good luck with your project. Btw I wasnt trying to push the kiln-drying issue by any means, I just thought that with your limited time allotment that you might possibly benefit by looking into it. Good luck.
woodshop
Addicted to ArboristSite
air drying wet lumber
"Understanding Wood" by Bruce Hoadley. 2d edition. Taunton Press
ISBN 1-56158-358-8
I bought the first edition back in 1980 when it first came out. This second edition has a few more color photos, some more up to date info, but basically is very similar to the first edition. If anybody here is really serious about wood, its identification, its physical and mechanical properties etc etc... this is a fairly easy to read book. The chapters titled "Water and Wood" and "Drying Wood" are full of info essential for woodworkers, or people like us milling lumber.
I know this book has been talked about before in other posts, but it is such a good book full of good info on so many aspects of wood, including drying wood, that I have to hawk it again.davvyd said:
"Understanding Wood" by Bruce Hoadley. 2d edition. Taunton Press
ISBN 1-56158-358-8
I bought the first edition back in 1980 when it first came out. This second edition has a few more color photos, some more up to date info, but basically is very similar to the first edition. If anybody here is really serious about wood, its identification, its physical and mechanical properties etc etc... this is a fairly easy to read book. The chapters titled "Water and Wood" and "Drying Wood" are full of info essential for woodworkers, or people like us milling lumber.
