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Thread: Walnut slabs, this seems like a really good deal...

  1. #1
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    Walnut slabs, this seems like a really good deal...


  2. #2
    Looks like a steal. Probably worth even payment ng the shipping fee to get in somewhere else.

  3. #3
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    They’re recently milled — that is, green, sopping wet. You’ll have to dry them before you build furniture from them. If you air-dry them, they might be useable in three or four years.

  4. #4
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    If those dimensions are correct, then it’s about 190 board feet of walnut, or $1.85 per board foot. Normally 8/4 walnut would run $8 - $10 per board foot around here ... so yes, run, don’t walk to buy the entire flitch! Air-dried walnut is gorgeous.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jamie Buxton View Post
    They’re recently milled — that is, green, sopping wet. You’ll have to dry them before you build furniture from them. If you air-dry them, they might be useable in three or four years.
    Holy crap, 3-4 years?

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tim M Tuttle View Post
    ... 3-4 years?
    You should be able to accelerate that with good drying conditions. Walnut normally dries fairly quickly. By storing in a dry place with good ventilation and employing fans (on the sides only) and a dehumidifier for the first month or two you should be able to cut that drying time in half, I would think.

  7. #7
    Time is a little exaggerated. Rule of thumb is one inch per year, but actually runs a little less. Of course, after air drying, I put my lumber in my shop to further dry to usable moisture content. Buy a moisture meter to accurately check moisture content.

  8. #8
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    On the contrary, my experience with thick walnut is that it takes substantially longer than that rule of thumb of one year per inch.

  9. #9
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    Thanks for the info all.

    What's the optimal humidity level for drying? I have an unfinished basement where they could be easily stored but I am guessing it's pretty humid down there.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tim M Tuttle View Post
    Thanks for the info all.

    What's the optimal humidity level for drying? I have an unfinished basement where they could be easily stored but I am guessing it's pretty humid down there.
    It should be lower than outside??? Unless it's loose stone.
    I am at the end of a similar "project". I bought into a couple of walnut logs about 2 years ago. They were milled to 8/4 and have been stickered, and banded, in a shelter logic building for the past two years. The logs are about 18"-20" diameter. One about 8', the other about 12'
    I am going to move them into the basement shortly, as it is wood stove heated in the winter and dehumidifier runs down the rest of the time. A year or so down there and they should be fine.
    I bought them for a bow front cabinet I want to make, and need to be able to steam bend the wood, so I do not want it kiln dried.
    "The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)

  11. #11
    If he wanted to kiln dry some or all of it, would it be possible to find a kiln owner who would dry it for a cost?

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tim M Tuttle View Post
    Thanks for the info all.

    What's the optimal humidity level for drying? I have an unfinished basement where they could be easily stored but I am guessing it's pretty humid down there.
    Air drying lumber shouldn't be done indoors if you can avoid it...you need air flow to help move the moisture away through the stickered material. Stacking outside with just a cover over the top to keep rain/snow from accumulating on top so the prevailing winds can do that for you is more efficient than running fans and trying to dry lumber in a humid inside location is going to be frustrating.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  13. #13
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    If you're in the KC area (where the lumber is advertised), you might get Urban Hardwood on 40 Highway to dry it for you.

  14. #14
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    Buy that material NOW! Good figure and very useable size at a ridiculously low price. It is not a good price, it is a GREAT price.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Edwin Santos View Post
    If he wanted to kiln dry some or all of it, would it be possible to find a kiln owner who would dry it for a cost?

    Sure, but you'll ruin the wood. Look at the color variation across the grain he's got - walnut brown to purple to greenish brown. A kiln will muddy all that to blah. Air dry is worth waiting for in walnut, especially if, as this appears to have, it stood long enough after the tree died to lose its bark and develop some character.

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