Drying timber

[esox20]

I have just purchased some 2" thick slabs of sycamore, i expected them to be seasoned and ready for use....however they are not...any ways of speeding the drying process or is it a case of stacking them with sticker spacers and seal the ends and let nature take its course........Anyone ever oven dried timber????? TIA

 

[Fitzroy]

'2" thick slab'. Not sure on what type of oven you have, but that phrase conjures an image that is incompatible with my oven!

You could find someone local to you with a kiln to dry it for you. Or build yourself a solar kiln (see YouTube) although I think you'll have to wait for next spring or summer for it to work.

F

 

[RobinBHM]

Sycamore is very prone to stick marks, so Id be careful what spacers you use.

 

[custard]

Sycamore is very prone to stick marks, so Id be careful what spacers you use.

+1

In fact you shouldn't use stickers at all with Sycamore, it should be "end reared", i.e. stacked on end under cover leaning against a wall or post.

 

[rafezetter]

Sycamore is very prone to stick marks, so Id be careful what spacers you use.

+1

In fact you shouldn't use stickers at all with Sycamore, it should be "end reared", i.e. stacked on end under cover leaning against a wall or post.

What about PVC strips - sections of a PVC flatboard cut up?

 

[esox20]

Thanks all...just trying to get a bit more info from the chap i got it from....

 

[Tetsuaiga]

Suppose you could reduce it to closer its final size to speed up drying. Depends what you're making and how much excess there is, as to how much you could take off.

What tells you its not dry? The weight, feel, or reading from a meter? I'm mostly just curious rather than trying to dispute anything with you.

If its small and fits in a microwave, that can work well. Look it up under woodturning. I've done it myself and had success with it, however it is always more risky than letting it occur naturally over time.

 

[esox20]

moisture meter...goes off the scale on mine ...24% +...slabs 2" thick 18" + square...will reduce thickness slightly...but need them about the size they are......will store them and wait ..........

 

[custard]

Sycamore is very prone to stick marks, so Id be careful what spacers you use.

+1

In fact you shouldn't use stickers at all with Sycamore, it should be "end reared", i.e. stacked on end under cover leaning against a wall or post.

What about PVC strips - sections of a PVC flatboard cut up?

I've never used them, but what I'm told by people who are doing this all day long is that there's no substitute with wet Sycamore for end rearing. In fact I end rear the kilned Sycamore in my timber shed, don't know if it's strictly necessary but why take the risk?

 

[Sgian Dubh]

Sycamore is very prone to stick marks, so Id be careful what spacers you use.

+1
In fact you shouldn't use stickers at all with Sycamore, it should be "end reared", i.e. stacked on end under cover leaning against a wall or post.

That's not quite the whole story custard. It's quite common (but not a universal practice) to end rack or end rear sycamore immediately after milling, and the purpose is to remove surface moisture as quickly as possible to reduce the likelihood of mould developing.

After a few days, a week or so at most, the wood should be stickered up in piles and dried. The stickering and piling are undertaken to reduce warp of different forms, e.g., cupping, winding, bowing, etc, as is normal for other wood species.

If the converted sycamore (or other sticker stain prone maples) are to be kiln dried the generally accepted practice is to immediately sticker up the planks, get the stack into the kiln equally quickly, and start the drying swiftly using temperatures below 30º C until the wood reaches about 20 per cent MC. Thereafter dry as normal for furniture grade wood. This is as much to prevent potential sticker stain as it is to reduce the likelihood of a dark core developing. Slainte.