Raining on my freshly milled wood questions

[redoakneck]

I just milled some red oak and was not able to get it to a dry place and now it is raining


The bucked ends are anchor sealed, the ripped faces are not. I know letting them sit outside makes them grey and fade, but how does it affect long term drying and warping. They are not weighted or strapped yet. The boards are 1.25" thick, 25" wide and 13 feet long. I have tried to post pics but keep getting knocked offline when I preview.

I will try to get them in asap but the rain is soaking the muddy trail to the wood and I may not be able to get them in for a week or more.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

So go out there and put stickers between them, makeing a narrow stack, covering it where they are now, so they will start getting rid of the moisture/rain ASAP. Then bring the lumber in, stack/sticker properly as soon as you can...

Rob

 

[Talltom]

Freshly milled boards are already close to saturation, so a little rain won't hurt them. Mold/fungus is more likely to develop on the faces of cut boards stacked on top of one another, but that would take a few weeks to develop and will die off as the lumber dries. I would store them vertically out of the sun for a day to let the surface dry before stacking in order to avoid sticker stain. Make sure your stickers are dry.

Sunlight will gray the boards more than water, and the water will actually delay warp, which occurs most as he boards start to dry. As long as they are reasonably supported where they are, warp shouldn't be a problem.

 

[redoakneck]

Thanks guys, will get them stickered asap!!!

 

[Talltom]

If you can't start drying them in a controlled manner, i.e., supported every couple feet on supports that are flat and in line, with the stack strapped or weighted, its easier to keep them wet until you can. Strap them together with binding straps without stickers and if the sun comes out but you still can't haul them out, cover them with a tarp to keep them moist. This will also make the stack rigid and minimize warp when the stack is only supported off the ground at two points. Getting more than 2 support points straight in the field isn't likely.