Lumber is stacked in a special way to maximize the surface of each piece of lumber exposed to the air and to support each piece so it will dry straight and without unnecessary warping.
Air drying hardwood lumber.
At this complex the largest of its kind in the u s robert has the responsibility for air drying and then kiln drying about 70 million board feet of hardwood every year.
Robert mcguffy has headed up the wood drying sequence at the anderson tully company s vicksburg mississippi hardwood processing facility for decades.
A good foundation is critical to successfully drying wood.
As a very rough estimate it can take 6 to 9 months to properly air dry 1 inch thick red oak hardwood lumber.
Proper stacking of lumber for air drying involves building a strong foundation careful placing and spacing of the boards in the stack and providing roof protection figure 1.
Air dry isn t dry enough for indoor use.
Depending on the species and your climate it can take from 2 to 12 months to bring 4 4 lumber from green to air dry 12 to 20 percent moisture content depending on your location.
Keep a fan circulating air around the pile until it reaches your desired moisture content.
We offer an express kiln drying system also as an option for drying your lumber.
If you re planning to use the lumber for outdoor projects airdrying outdoors is fine.
At an additional cost your hardwood lumber can be dried in a matter of days.
The most common method used to air dry lumber is to lay narrow sticks perpendicular to the layers of lumber to create an air space between each layer so the moisture can escape.