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My first try at air drying

Started by biziedizie, June 22, 2003, 09:54:14 PM

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biziedizie

  Lastnight I took apart the stack of 1x6 fence boards that I had been drying. The boards were nice and straight and looked great. :) I was very impressed with how they looked but I did notice a few things that I didn't expect. :D The width of about 15% of the boards were about an 1/8 to a 1/4 different then the rest of the boards. :o  Is this natural???
  I did notice that these boards that were off did come from the bottom of the pile and from looking at the grain they were cut from the outside of the logs.
  I stacked them exactly as Tom had told me in an earlier post and covered them with plywood. Thanks Tom. :)
  Did I do something wrong or is this mother nature doing what it's spose to do???
  Should I run them through the table saw? Is this what you guys do?
  I did point this out to the lumber store and he said that we will just reduce the price to under cut the other guys to compensate for the diff in width.

      Steve

Fla._Deadheader

Hey Diz, if they wuz on the bottom of the pile, maybe they wuz the first ones ya cut, and ya got better and more acku-rate, with "sperense".  ::) ::) :D :D :D :D
   What breed of wood???
   WHY woodja use a table saw, when ya got a HUGE edger just sittin there??????????
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

Kevin

Just soak them in water before you take them into sell.   ;D

biziedizie

Mr Deadheader the wood is cedar, my favorite wood to cut. :)
  Your right about the tablesaw comment......wasn't thinking as I was very tired when I wrote this. :-/

Kevin how do I splain it to the lumber guy if some of the boards are wet? :D Do I just tell him that some were cut in the rain. ??? :D

  K first of probably my only break today as it's gonna be a VERY LONG day. 8)

   Steve

Fla._Deadheader

Deliver it on a rainy day ????????
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

Tom

That's one reason to cut wood that you intend to sell to the public a little bit over.  Wood shrinks a pretty good bit when it dries.  Rather than try to be a guru and describe shrinkage (I'm no guru :D)  I'll send you to this link that has shrinkage statistics on it.

http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/FPLGTR/fplgtr113/Ch03.pdf

Get down to page 3-8.

You will recognize the picture but if you will study the chart you will find that cutting through and through produces flat and vertical grain boards.  The shrink at different rates. You are ultimately after a 6" board that will dress to 5 1/2 inches or maybe 5 5/8's to conform to dressed standards.   I generally cut widths an eighth over and if the wood is particularly pretty, perhaps a quarter over.

I've never known anybody down here to be very particular of the size of fence boards as long as they match close enough no to look funny.  It's the thickness that can be important.  When a fellow builds a 3 or 4 board fence he doesn't want the boards to sag.  I make sure he has a full inch and try to talk him into 5/4. ;D :)

Tom

I just went back and read your post again.  It sounds like the bottom of the stack is wider than 6".  I wouldn't be a bit concerned with that. You are selling rough cut wood.  You are doing them a favor by providing them with extra wood to dress.

That's been a problem with the marketing of band sawmills.  The manufacturers have harped on how accurate they are that you can cut dressed lumber.  You can't cut dressed lumber.  You can cut lumber that my approximate dressed lumber but there is nothing like a planer to make it right.  That's what they make planers for.  

You just be sure that you leave the planer enough to do its thing.

Sawmills are for breaking down logs. :)

Fla._Deadheader

Tom, tried to get pics for ya. The "yard birds" at the lumber Co. were pretty upset that we lapped the boards over each other, so they had to handle each board by hand. Told them my son and I stacked 'em by hand, from the ground, in 45 minutes. That made 'em even madder??, is that a word?? :D :D
  Then they took 'em inside and unloaded- BY HAND onto the floor. NOW, they have to load 'em BY HAND tomorrow and move and sticker them BY HAND???????? They wouldn't let me anywhere near the piles.  :D :D :D :D :D  Do I have that effect on anybody else ???? :-[ :-[ :-[
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

Tom

Harold,
Most of those guys learned that in "Attitude 101" in college.  You do know that a lumber yard employee needs to have a "BS" in aggravation, don't you.   :D  If they didn't have an hourly paycheck they'd starve to death.  Most of them have no idea what the real world is about.

Maybe you can use their attitude to sell them more wood.  They want to use the forklift.  Put your questionable wood on the inside of the stack and they will never see it. :D

I'll have to admit that I don't like lapped board stacks either, but, it sure travels on a trailer better.  One layer holds the others.

Offer to let them off-load the sawmill and stack it the way they want. :D  If you can do that, I may even bring my mill and between the two of us we could have them humping.  They would be glad to get it anyway from then on out. :D :D

Larry

"Put your questionable wood on the inside of the stack and they will never see it."
 

Tom,
In the tobacco raising business they call that "nesting" where you put the bad leaves in the center of the bale.  Get caught once and you will never sell another leaf of tobacco.  Suppose it would be the same with lumber.
Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

Fla._Deadheader

   This is "spooky". That's perzackly what I told 'em. :D :D :D
   They had a fit cause the wood was wet. Didn't have the heart to tell 'em that it just came out of the river the day before we sawed them, and, they had been there for over 100 years.  :D :D :D :D
   One of em caught his hand on one of the uprights that keep the load on. He kicked trailer AND the forklift. THEN I told him that the standards come out, if they are in the way!! ::) ::) :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
   BTW, they were of the african persuasion. ::) ::) ;D :) :) :) :)
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

Tom

I know, Larry and I shouldn't suggest it even in jest.

Larry

Tom,
I knew you were jesting ;D -- just didn't want anybody to pick up any bad ideas. :D
Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

Fla._Deadheader

Now, I would NEVER do anything like that. ::) ::) :D :D :D :D
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

dail_h

   Biz,now you did it "Mr Deaderheader" he'l never let us forget that.
   Larry,did you raise tobacco? If so where,when,and what kind?
World Champion Wildcat Sorter,1999 2002 2004 2005
      Volume Discount At ER
Singing The Song Of Circle Again

Larry

Yeap Dail I used to grow tobacco.  The small base on our farm went from around 3,000 pounds to 702 pounds this year so I lease the pounds out.  Buchanan County and Platte County Missouri has the biggest base.  Doniphan County Kansas also has a base but it is pretty small.  Our market is Weston Missouri.

I looked at your profile and saw that you were from NC so I guess you guys flue cure your tobacco or something.  Our tobacco is hung in big tall barns about August, strip in November and December and packed into bales around 100 pounds or a little more.

Used to be thought that tobacco and hogs were a mortgage lifter in this part of the country but no more, I guess the buyout in Congress is going to save us all.
Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

biziedizie

 :D :DWhat the h%$# happened to this thread? :D :D

  Ohhhhhh I see! Mr Deadheader has been here :D :D

  I've tried stacking the crap in the middle of the stack but the owner makes his yard ape unload it 1 board at a time and he stands there and inspects it. :D >:(

  I deliver at the end of the day and walk across the street and have a cold one in the pub. :)

    Steve

ohsoloco

Hey, this thread went from cedar, to tobacco, and beer....what happened to the food  ???  :D

biziedizie

Don't think I could be thinking about food right now. :-X My other best friend Lisa came over lastnight so I stopped working and we got into the beer and shooters. :) :)

  Had a great time in more ways then one but I sure paid for it this morning. :D :D

  Can't wait till 7:30 as that will be cocktail time. ;D ;D

  Gotta cure this double DanG hangover.

      Steve

Furby

 THAT is a new one! :o :o :o

 And I thought I had seen it all, here!

Steve_M

Steve

I'm with you on that one.

"ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKE STEVE A DULL BOY" 8)

Steve
2001 WM Super LT40 Electric and WM Twin Blade Edger, just a part timer custom sawing and cutting salvage logs.

biziedizie

You got that right! Like it's 12:30 and I started at 5am so that's 7 hours and I think the day is over. 8) It's too hot to work anyways.

  My other pal Deanna called and she's gonna drop by for a BBQ. :) Hope she doesn't forget the 24 pack of Bud. :D

  Oh oh is this gonna be a repeat of the other night. :o :o :o

    Steve

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