How to Cure Oak Lumber
It is possible to cure and air-dry oak lumber right in your own back yard. The three necessities for drying lumber are relative humidity below 100 percent, air moving around the lumber and energy to force water from the wood. In summer, these three conditions are provided naturally in most locations. One-inch oak boards may dry in two or three months. A two-inch board may require six months to dry and thicker lumber may take years to air dry completely. Air drying may also be used as a preliminary step toward speedy kiln drying.
Things You'll Need
- End coating for lumber
- Cinder blocks
- 4 by 4 timbers
- 1-inch wooden slats
- Sheet Metal
- Burlap or polypropylene fabric
Instructions
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1
Paint the ends of oak lumber with a coating to prevent checking. This splitting of board ends can begin a few hours after milling. If end checking does occur, trim the board back to fresh wood and then end coat.
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Choose a location for your air drying pile that is on a slight slope to prevent water from pooling under the stack. Never build your pile over vegetation covered earth, as this will create a higher moisture content.
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Place cement blocks on the ground as a foundation for your stack of oak boards. Position them six feet apart. Orient your pile so prevailing winds can get under the pile and remove cool moisture laden air. Build narrow, short stacks away from buildings or trees that may block air circulation.
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4
Place 4-by-4 timber bolsters on top of the cinder blocks to keep the lumber from sagging as it dries.
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5
Select oak boards of the same thickness to dry in one pile. A thicker board may cause warping because of a variance of moisture content.
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Position stickers, which are 1-inch dry wooden slats, at equal intervals across each layer of boards. This will facilitate equal drying and prevent warping. Place these 18 to 24 inches apart and always directly on top of each other as the layers proceed upward.
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Arrange the stack so that the longest boards are on the bottom row. Place stickers across the ends of all boards to retard warping. Use a pill box design to arrange shorter boards so their ends are even with the original layer and a box shape is formed of the entire stack.
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Fabricate a slanted roof over the pile of boards with an overhang of 2 to 3 inches. Use stickers to support sheet metal in position and cinder blocks to hold it down. Position the cinder blocks exactly above the stickers.
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Cover the lumber pile with burlap or polypropylene fabric. This will slow the drying of lumber and prevent checking.
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10
Monitor your drying stack to watch for checking or staining which indicates the curing rate and moisture content of your oak lumber. Adjust conditions by removing burlap covering to increase or decrease air circulation. Staining indicates wood degradation and possible decay.
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Tips & Warnings
End coating of freshly cut logs is advised.
Kilns, air conditioned environments, forced air and solar drying sheds are all controlled air drying methods that are also used to speed and optimize drying of oak lumber.
References
- Photo Credit wooden siding image by mashe from Fotolia.com
