And now I wait

If you have room, sticker-stacking with weight on top, or ratchet straps, etc, will reduce movement while drying.
 
You may want more blocks and stickers, vertically aligned, possibly moved to the very, very ends. Paint ends. Stickers and some stable, dry wood on top (2x's/ dry board/ plywood strip), then weight.

You're looking for ripples, I think with those offset stickers.
 
milled_white_oak_stacks_20190109_092830_resized.jpg

Here are some boards I milled with ms660 and 24" Granberg mill and have been sitting out like this for 3 years or so.
This thread and all these pictures and comments are motivating to do more and finally do something with these boards.
-- but you can see the severe checking in the ends.... not grade "A" material, but one could make some nice things from them.
 
Mis-tint paint is $12/ gallon at Home Depot.

I'd aim for more weight, as possibly, all stickers aligned. Seems to me that tacking the stickers to a vertical board with an little air-nailer would be a easy way to keep them lined up. I fight this battle, especially when I have 'help'...people often like to rush to finish, too often. Not, breathe, think, and work efficiently.


I'm thinking of putting down a straight board or set of 4x4s on the bottom my stack as well. Slow down the moisture loss on the bottom of the bottom board. Dunno is that's important. Haven't heard of people doing it.
 
Call me insane but I rotate the stack every month. It is due next week. I will align the stickers then. I will apply paint within the next few days. I think the wait time and all the thinking is part of the fun. Beats watching Netflix.
 
What Raj said and I like sticks that are at least 1" wide so placing them is a no brainer. I once had sticks that were close to being square in cross section and it was a pain to place them.
 
We just got a load of some nice white oak from the recent Lake of the Ozarks job. That and the beautiful Black Logs Matter material... Now just need time to crank up the Timber King and saw it all up!
 
Bought a stack of second hand foam insulation, insulated the kiln. -8C wind chill down to -18C last night, the kiln kept 14C with dehumidifier, circulating fan and halogen light on. Got 4L of water over night.

I have a layer of foam separating the top half. It's easy removable, 2ft by 4ft boards.

20190110_091534.jpg
 
Trailer, just because it was free. And I'll move it a couple times. Inside is just under 4ft wide 10.5ft long and 6ft high. Windows are just held in by expanding foam. I hope to make a larger, angled, window panel to collect more sunsine.
Also add a larger angled roof that can cover some airdry on the back side.

20181228_123105.jpg
 
I saw somewhere that they use a rectangular stick to have 2 useful thickness, either to speed up or slow down the drying.
 
anchor_sealed_rounds_20190110_114142_resized.jpg

yeah, I have some anchor seal, but have become disillusioned in it.... it seems the rounds I paint with it ... and even ends ...(even soon after cutting) still get splits.
(need to do spring cleaning on the porch)

For stickers I bought some cheap long 1x4's (3/4 x 3 1/2), ripped them into 3 equal pieces (~1"), then cut them at 2' lengths =~ 24 x 3/4 x 1

It seems a 4x4 base (pair of 4x4's running parallel with stack) could help ensure level foundation.
 
You cannot keep rounds from splitting.
The tangential and radial shrinkage causes it.

That is why one should never include the center marrow in a turned object, it will split.

The only way around that is to stabilize the cell structure with something like Polyethylenglucol.
 
Well that explains my futility with rounds then.

...but don't many people successfully carve/turn bowls out of rounds?

Is Polyethylenglucol like antifreeze?
 
You can turn a bowl out of a round if you make the bottom so thin that it can flex.
Then it can get rid of the shrinkage by flexing instead of by splitting.

Some wood types are less prone to split in rounds than other, like yew.

I don't know what PEG is exactly. I'm a logger, not a chemist.
 
Very cool setup. I see a couple chairs and cups of coffee and hours spent watching wood dry.Do you have an exhaust? If yes, is it automated or running on a timer?
 
You are thinking polypropylene glycol, aka food grade antifreeze. PEG is different, used in laxatives and for preserving stuff, among other things.
 
I thought about the rounds splitting and I found a way, but never took the time to try it.
With a thin blade like a bandsaw, you cut the round in 2, 3 or more parts, then let it dry gently. Most of the shrinkage will occur freely, widening the cuts, but not by increasing the internal tensions (much less at least). Now, cut again at the previous cuts to eat the excess of wood in the middle, not touching the bark. Cut many times, keeping the kerf's sides parallel, until the outsides of the different parts meet again each other. Smooth the sides nicely, and glue back together the parts. The reconstituted round shouldn't move now, excepted if the ambient humidity changes drastically (don't drop it in the pool).

Is that clear or muddy?
 
Back
Top