Drying oak help please

[bhub]

I have 14 pieces of 22" wide 12 ft long 1 3/4 thick sequence cut red oak. I have it stickerd and sealed.  The heat is killing me. My boards have been drying for 4 weeks . I just can/t slow it down. They are end checking badly. I put a tent over it with the ends open it doesn't seem to be helping. Any advice . This is clear beautiful red oak.  I have 8 piece of 8 inch
x 1 3/4 by 12ft long quarter cut from the center
They are in the same stack --They are fine.  THANKS

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[Tom]

The most important thing is to seal the ends of the log before sawing or right after making the boards.  A commercial product like anchor seal is the best way to go, but, anything is better than nothing.  Parafin, old paint, tar (makes a mess)

The aim is to slow drying on the ends of the boards.
Direct sun is a real killer.

A drying trick is to make sure that the stickers at the end of the boards are within 3 inches of the end.  That helps to slow drying on the end.  The ends of boards are like open culvert pipes.  The water runs out of them.  The ends dry faster than the rest of the board, so, the defect shows up first there.

You might be able slow the cracking by wetting the ends of the boards now.  It is just a gamble though.   When end splitting starts, you usually can't stop it. that is why immediate attention with a sealant is important.  You have to catch the log before it starts end splitting.  Sealing the ends of the log forces the water to leave through the sides and that slows down drying and wood movement.  Sometimes it stops it almost to perfection and the log suffers from other defects.   Once you begin the process of making lumber, it is best to follow through to the end of the process as soon as possible with no procrastination.  That process begins with severing from the stump and doesn't end until the lumber is dried and placed in storage.

I don't know what you can do now that the splits have started.   A fresh end created by trimming the end, and then sealing it, might help.

[bhub]

Thanks Tom
I sealed the ends of the log with anchor seal. I stickered them the same day.  They were doing great till last week.. I  normally only cut cherry and walnut.  It seems to be much eaiser to dry. I may just cut the ends and re-seal then sticker  them in my  shed.  I would hate to loose it all. Right now I still have 9 or 10 foot  boards. My shed does wonders with my cherry and walnut-  Its much cooler and the air moves nice but no sun

[beenthere]

.....
I sealed the ends of the log with anchor seal. I stickered them the same day.  ........

If not sealed right after bucking the logs then considerable end-grain drying may have occurred negating the application of the sealer just before sawing into boards.

You also may be seeing stresses in the log being relieved now that the boards are free to move.

If me, I wouldn't end trim, then re-seal, and then continue to dry. I'd just continue to dry and salvage as much as you can when dry (can end-trim at that time and I'd think you'd lose less wood).  Just more to think on. 

[Snag]

bhub - I sawed a big white oak a few weeks ago and had the same fear.  I had end sealed right off, but didnt have a nice shady (level) spot to slow dry it.  Because white oak is hard for me to get, I ended up stickering it in the basement.  I have a dehumidifier going and turn 2 small box fans on once in a while to prevent mold.  I dont want to make a habit out of doing this, but it has probably been 6 weeks or so and no problems yet.

[Wyatt]

I have had good luck with shade dry. Black mesh made for covering lumber piles. Mine sit on an open concrete pad next to barn, (I use anchor seal when I can )get covered with scrap ply to keep most of the rain off and then the sides completely covered with shade dry. This does keep the sun down and helps shed water and wind.

It is possible the logs were damaged when cut and you didn't know until drying started. Some can split from felling, especially if mechanical means are used.

I agree, not much can be done at this time, but try shade dry next time. Also i try not to cut in summer heat.

[VA-Sawyer]

You might try one of those 10 X 20 tent style garages. I've seen them with sides and end panels for about $100. I think your problem is simply drying too fast. The tent with ends will keep the sun off the pile and you can vary the drying rate as needed by opening or closing the end panels.
VA-Sawyer

[UNCLEBUCK]

When I make oak or ash hayracks with fresh sawn boards I use the widest boards I can get for the decking ,no end sealer, sometimes 20 inch wide and always 1 inch thick .  The racks lay out in the sun ,rain,get beaten,abused and after one year I slop on some waste oil . Just fastened down edges with a 3 inch ring shank galvanized air nail . Never any trouble , if I pulled the nails out of the edge I could rip em down and run through the planer and have new boards . The sun shines hard on one side only and never the bottom side . Whats the reason?  I believe it be air flow .  All the boards on my shack are going to be firewood someday , why?  Only one side got air flow .

[Left Coast Chris]

I have been drying some white oak in the last two years and have a couple of observations:

Oak tends to take more end seal than the pitchy woods.  I always use two coats.  Baileys end seal recommends two coats........... or it says "two coats may be needed".

If end spliting occurs I hit it early with another coat of end sealer forcing more into the splits.  It seams to help since the splits are creating more surface side grain to further speed drying.

Your outside air humidity is something to watch.  If it is 10 or 20 percent humidity, watch out. Here in Northern Calif that is common.   If you can close it up some how and allow the air to become humid that is a good idea.  I have a barn that I cannot close up so I partially tarp the pile and watch closely for mold.  At the first slight sign of mold I pull the tarp off for a couple of days then put it back on providing more air space at the ends of the pile to allow partial air flow.   It works pretty well.
In humid areas such as the southeast............ you probably could not partially tarp....you would have to experiment for your conditions.