Drying Time for a Red Oak Slab

[jrouth]

My Father-in-law sawed me a couple of awesome Red Oak slabs last month. They're now stickered in an old tobacco barn.  My wife would thinks one of them would make an awesome bar in a house we're going to start this summer.  I agree with her.

So the question is - do we have a chance to get them dry by them?  Take them to a kiln?  Or just put something cheap up for now and wait a couple of years to get them ready.  I think they're 3" thick.

Any/all advice appreciated!



 

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[WDH]

Probably take a year and a half to air dry them below 20% moisture.  A slow process. 

[Den Socling]

You don't need under 20% if they eventually go into a kiln. If you get them to about 28% in a year, most kilns wouldn't be afraid to finish them off with some air dried 8/4.

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

Very few kilns can dry 12/4 oak without extensive air drying first.  Such air drying must be very slow as the risk of cracking and checking is much greater for 12/4 compared to 8/4.

[WDH]

I have successfully dried 16/4 red oak to below 20% for mantle stock.  You put it on stickers under an open shed and forget about it for two or three years.  Even then, there is a little cracking. 

[logboy]

I just put the meter on some 12/4 and 16/4 white oak slabs. They read 15%. They were cut and stacked three years ago.