Air Drying Lumber In Attic

I ve had small stacks of wood drying in the attic the basement and the garage.

Air drying lumber in attic.

Wood will reach an equilibrium air dry mc or emc at that rate but it will continue to lose moisture and shrink when brought indoors. When you airdry lumber it s not unusual to lose up to 10 percent or more to drying defects. At this complex the largest of its kind in the u s robert has the responsibility for air drying and then kiln drying about 70 million board feet of hardwood every year. Lumber defects occur when drying is too rapid which leads to surface checks and end splits or when drying is too slow which results in sticker stains and discoloration from fungal growth because air drying is at the mercy of the weather drying rates are difficult to control.

Here s my experience with attic air drying. The thicker the wood the longer the drying time. Remember you don t have to bring in the whole stack at once. Instead of bringing the lumber to the heat i set up a box and with fans and hoses sucked the attic air to the lumber.

Allowing lumber to passively sit at a given humidity level in order to obtain a desired emc air drying may be the simplest and least expensive method of seasoning wood but it is also the very slowest. Drying wood in the attic the attic is a handy place to dry small quantities of lumber. Typically you can achieve a moisture content of 10 15 percent by air drying alone although this will vary according to your local climate. Air drying lumber over time can help reduce stress in boards.

Drying times can vary significantly depending upon wood species initial moisture level lumber thickness density ambient conditions and processing techniques. After reaching 20 moisture content stack the lumber in a place where it can remain for an extended period of time until it reaches a point of equilibrium. That made it much easier for me to hoist all of those boards into my attic for longer drying time and storage. You can air dry 4 4 lumber indoors from 15 percent to 8 percent in a single heating season.

Here are some tips and cautions. How to air dry lumber find a knowledgeable sawyer. Just bring in enough to satisfy your needs for the coming year. Sticker lumber on hard surface ground floor or 2nd floor of shop.

Since we are planning to use these resources the idea is to air dry the lumber until it will give up no more moisture without assistance and then look at different ways to complete the drying process. Water in your attic can damage wood. Robert mcguffy has headed up the wood drying sequence at the anderson tully company s vicksburg mississippi hardwood processing facility for decades. Do some research on the drying schedule for the type of wood you are considering drying.

Osb sheathing makes for a cheap. Here is how it works successfully for me. Though attics are typically hot and dry a leaky roof or pipe condensation or severe weather can cause water to enter your attic. How to dry out an attic.

Also air drying for a period of time prior to loading it in the attic might be a good.