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No Sticker Stain!

Started by WDH, March 10, 2016, 07:42:21 AM

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WDH

Drying red maple in Middle Georgia can be a challenge because of gray stain and/or sticker stain resulting from a chemical reaction in the wood from higher temps and high humidity.  I have even had gray strain and sticker stain when air drying in the winter.  Customsawyer and I cut some nice curly red maple in early December.  I was concerned about it gray staining because soon after I stickered it, the weather turned wet and it rained it seemed like every day for the first two weeks.  I ran a 42" barrel ran on the stack for the first 6 weeks 24/7.  The maple air dried to 15- 18% moisture content and went in the kiln early last week.  I removed the wood a few days ago and skip planed it.

I stacked the wood with 1" stickers and kept the air flow high.  It came out very nice with no sticker stain or gray stain, even with it being so wet with high humidity in the early drying cycle.



 



 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

fishpharmer

Wow! Wow! Very beautiful lumber!
Built my own band mill with the help of Forestry Forum. 
Lucas 618 with 50" slabber
WoodmizerLT-40 Super Hydraulic
Deere 5065E mfwd w/553 loader

The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls looking like hard work. --Tom A. Edison

Deese

2004 LT40 Super 51hp w/6' bed extension
Cooks AE4P Edger
Cat Claw sharpener/Dual Tooth Setter
Kubota svl75-2 skidsteer w/grapple, forks, brushcutter
1977 Log Hog Knuckleboom loader/truck

GeneWengert-WoodDoc

The grey stain you mention is called an enzymatic oxidation reaction.  As such it is very sensitive to temperature and the presence of water in the wood.  For every 20 F cooler, the reaction slows by half, so at 50 F, it is 1/4 the speed at 90 F.  When we had the rain, we had a lot of 40F at night...even slower.

The fans are a good idea indeed...remove moisture at a good speed when the air is 92% or drier, even if cool. 

I have seen wood dry well initially and have a nice non-grey outside, but then drying slowed and temperatures were warm, so the core did oxidize to the grey.  So, try to keep drying going at' all times when warm outside and wet inside.
Gene - Author of articles in Sawmill & Woodlot and books: Drying Hardwood Lumber; VA Tech Solar Kiln; Sawing Edging & Trimming Hardwood Lumber. And more

xlogger

Timberking 2000, Turbo slabber Mill, 584 Case, Bobcat 773, solar kiln, Nyle L-53 DH kiln

thecfarm

Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

YellowHammer

Congratulations.  You da man!
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Joey Grimes

Those are awesome I know some guitar builders who would love to get there hands on some of that!!! What would you ask per bf ?
94 woodmizer lt40 HD kabota 5200 ford 4000 94 international 4700 flatbed and lots of woodworking tools.

WDH

It has all been pre-sold  :).
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Denny

I've read articles about using lower temps to initially dry soft maple. I start my SM at 120-100 and rarely have any gray or sticker stain, but I do see gray in the cores of my lumber.  Is 120 degrees too high to start out SM ?

GeneWengert-WoodDoc

120 is a bit high for the whitest color.

The grey core is likely because you do not drop the humidity fast enough.  As the wood dries, you need to increase the depression so that the core dries as fast as the shell so you have light colored cores.
Gene - Author of articles in Sawmill & Woodlot and books: Drying Hardwood Lumber; VA Tech Solar Kiln; Sawing Edging & Trimming Hardwood Lumber. And more

customsawyer

Nice looking lumber. I think the stickers are actually ¾" thick but they are fluted. I like the way they worked.   ;D

Two LT70s, Nyle L200 kiln, 4 head Pinheiro planer, 30" double surface Cantek planer, Lucas dedicated slabber, Slabmizer, and enough rolling stock and chainsaws to keep it all running.
www.thecustomsawyer.com

WDH

You are right.  I forgot that they were "your" stickers  :D.

I do believe that the fluted stickers contributed to the positive results, so kudos to the sticker procurement Guy.  He is also the same Guy that procured the log  ;D.  Good job, Jake. That is some fine lumber, and I am proud to be associated with it. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

customsawyer

You have always bragged on your memory, but when you have my fluted stickers it seems to be slipping.
Two LT70s, Nyle L200 kiln, 4 head Pinheiro planer, 30" double surface Cantek planer, Lucas dedicated slabber, Slabmizer, and enough rolling stock and chainsaws to keep it all running.
www.thecustomsawyer.com

WDH

I thought that they (the stickers) were mine now.  Oh, OK, my memory must still be slippin'  ;D. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

YellowHammer

Are the stickers "H" shape or the spiral configuration?
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

WDH

Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

customsawyer

All the fluted ones are mine and I might share a few of the square ones.  :D
Two LT70s, Nyle L200 kiln, 4 head Pinheiro planer, 30" double surface Cantek planer, Lucas dedicated slabber, Slabmizer, and enough rolling stock and chainsaws to keep it all running.
www.thecustomsawyer.com

WDH

I did not see your name on them.  I will have to look again  ;D. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Bruno of NH

The maple looks great :)
Lt 40 wide with 38hp gas and command controls , F350 4x4 dump and lot of contracting tools

Glenn1

Danny,

When you go to the sterilization cycle, do you still use the auxiliary fans?
Vacutherm IDry, Nyle 53 Kiln, New Holland Skid Steer, Kaufman Gooseneck Trailer, Whitney 32A Planer

WDH

Yes.  I leave all six fans running.  The two in the unit and the four additional fans. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

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