Drying time for green wood?

[John TenEyck]

Your stickered stack should look something like this. DO NOT cover the sides or ends, just put a piece of corrugated or similar on top. Put stickers under that, as well, so that air can flow across the top layer. Make the stack somewhere where it isn't directly exposed to a lot of sun but has good airflow. The stack in the photo is under a few shade trees, under an open shed would be ideal. Air drying wood in Savannah sounds like an exercise in patience with your high humidity, but clearly it can be done 'cause some beautiful furniture has been made there over the past couple hundred years. I live in NY, and a stack like the one shown will air dry to around 12 - 14% MC by Fall if I mill it in the Spring. After that, I bring it in and dry it in a dehumidification kiln I made, from plans several years ago in FWW. With it, I can dry about 275 BF in a load down to about 8% MC in less than 3 weeks, for a cost of about $20.

Any quality moisture meter is better than none. I have a Mini-Ligno that meets my needs and seems accurate within 1 - 2%, which is good enough for me.

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