Kiln or air dried oak for exterior gate?

[flanajb]

I have promised a friend I would make a gate for him as a return favour, but cannot decide whether I should use kiln dried or air dried?

Hoping I can use air dried as 3" kiln dried oak is about £55 / cuft and I reckon I need 2 cuft.

If I can use air dried, does anyone know anywhere in Dorset where I can purchase some from?


Thanks

 

[fetteler]

Use air dried for sure. Kiln dried has been dried to a much lower moisture content and will expand (even more than the air dried will!) when it gets damp outside.

Cheers,
Steve.

 

[flanajb]

Thanks Steve.

 

[Jamesc]

I work on and off for a high end exterior furniture company and they use kiln dried oak for all their work. The argument is that the timber will move during a season but if it is kiln dried then the joints are less likely to open up in the summer and so less complaints.
For me I would use air dried for the gate

Regards James

 

[longinthetooth]

Kilning is just a method of drying, whilst the issue in question is moisture content. Circa 80mm oak is unlikely to be kilned to 10 or 12% as thinner stock might be, it's more likely to be about 18%, which is maybe not so ridiculous in the context of a gate if the gate's to have a finish applied?

Air dried equally is a non-specific term when it comes to moisture content, but if the gate's to have no finish applied then air-dried might be more appropriate.