Moving out of 'stick'

[RogerS]

Currently a fair bit of my ash 'in stick' is around 13% according to my meter.

Looking at previous posts that seems to be Ok for occasionally heated rooms?

Is there any benefit in bringing in the ash into the workshop now? Will it dry quicker in my (unheated at the moment) workshop or is it better to leave it 'outside' ?

 

[Sgian Dubh]

13% is towards the top of the range of MC that most woods will exhibit in habitable buildings in the UK Roger.

Most woods will vary between about 7.5% at the bottom end and about 12.5%MC at the top end in service in most British houses. The wood will obviously get wetter if you stick the furniture in a damp storage facility for several weeks of course.

Still if your workshop air is drier than outside RH, currently at this time of year at inland middle England locations typically about 75% and has average atmospheric RH in the region of about 60% the wood wil come down to about 10- 11.5%MC.

You'll need a hygrometer to find out what your current typical workshop RH is. If you want a hygrometer they can be got for £15 at Maplins and work well enough. Slainte.

 

[RogerS]

Many thanks.

I have a hygrometer (from Maplins!) and the workshop is currently 17 degrees and 51% humidity. When heated it goes down to around 40%.

I guess I was wondering whether the the humidity outside plus the benefit of wind flowing (drying out) the wood would outweigh taking it inside the workshop?

 

[Anonymous]

You must enter a message when posting

 

[Sgian Dubh]

--- the workshop is currently 17 degrees and 51% humidity. When heated it goes down to around 40%.

If your workshop numbers are as you say then the MC of your ash will settle out somewhere close to 8%MC at 40%RH and approximately 10% MC at 51% RH. The final MC of a wood type at any given RH is difficult to predict precisely unless particular pieces of information are in place. Each wood species fits into slightly different bands of MC at a specific RH dependent upon many factors, e.g., the species, density, extractives content, structure of the timber, the FSP (fibre saturation point, and so on. Even woods of the same species vary in their response to atmospheric water vapour for the same reasons just listed.

Raise the heat to about 20ºC, retain the RH numbers you gave me, and both the MC numbers I provided will lower by about 0.5%. Slainte.

 

[RogerS]

Many thanks for the all the detailed information....sounds like next week is moving time :wink:

 

[Lee Brubaker]

Roger:

Before you lug 4 boxes of lumber into the shop....surely you have pieces of scrap already in there....check them out with your moisture meter. If the readings are no lower than your ash....not much point in moving the ash inside unless you intend to turn up the heat.

Lee