Air dried cherry?

[George Morris]

Hi to all a question about when is 5/4 cherry ready for turning into furniture? I had this stickered for 2 years inside a shed and it is now on racks on wall. I do not have a moisture meter any suggestions? Thanks!

[Martin Shupe]

George,

The rule of thumb is one year of drying per inch.

I'd say it is ready. Be sure to show us what you make.

[Kevin Blunt]

I agree with Martin. You said that the wood is stacked against the wall. One thing I would suggest is (in case you didn't already know) is to allow the wood to climatize ( is that spelling correct) to the shop for a few weeks before working the wood. This could be the make or break move for you when the project is done. This is of course considering the wood is not stacked along the wall in the shop already. IMHO.

[lou sansone]

the wood is probably ready for furniture, but will be in the 10% or higher moisture range. Once it gets into a centrally heated house, it will move toward 6% and shrink a little more. Keep that in mind when building

Lou

[Rob Russell]

Hey Lou - if you move anything into our houses this time of year, it's gonna head from 10% up! I don't know about you, but we don't central AC. The humidity in our family room at 6:26 is 75%. I've got a dehumidifer running down in the shop and would love to see the humidity stay under 60% but am happy if I can keep it under 70% during the summer.

Rob

[George Morris]

Thanks for all the input the lumber is stacked lying flat on braces comming out from the wall in the shop, no central air in house but in winter it is heated ,this is in tioga co. PA. I am going to try my hand at a end table for lamp an books, etc. Thanks again for info. George

[Howard Acheson]

To properly acclimate the wood, it should be stickered where ever you have it. If it is stacked one on top of another, the interior boards will be at a greatly different equilibruim moisture content. I would sticker the ones you plan to use for a couple of weeks before you use them.

[Chris Barton]

To properly acclimate the wood, it should be stickered where ever you have it. If it is stacked one on top of another, the interior boards will be at a greatly different equilibruim moisture content. I would sticker the ones you plan to use for a couple of weeks before you use them.

Howard's advice is very sound. If these boards weren't stickered then moisture content of the interior boards could be very high. Frankly, with meters available below $100 I would see it as a wise investment into the success of this and future projects. I check my lumber as I buy from reputable dealers and even with their best efforts at providing a controlled product, I often find boards that are still above 15% and labeled as <10%.

[lou sansone]

Howard's advice is very sound. If these boards weren't stickered then moisture content of the interior boards could be very high. Frankly, with meters available below $100 I would see it as a wise investment into the success of this and future projects. I check my lumber as I buy from reputable dealers and even with their best efforts at providing a controlled product, I often find boards that are still above 15% and labeled as <10%.

I agree with chris. meters are cheap and I have been burned a few times due to my own stupidly and inexperience. wood that is in the 15% range really moves when the heating season starts. It is best to know that ahead of time.

[George Morris]

What moisture meter would any recommend? Thanks George.

[Chris Barton]

I have the Moisturetech digital unit from Klingspor.

[Ron Blaise]

Hi to all a question about when is 5/4 cherry ready for turning into furniture? I had this stickered for 2 years inside a shed and it is now on racks on wall. I do not have a moisture meter any suggestions? Thanks!

I got some three year old Cherry last year and racked it in my shop for about a month. I just finished two book cases with it and had zero problems. Course I assembled with expansion/contraction in mind. Had to learn the hard way on that

[Brian Hale]

I'm sure you know this already but, once you finish machining it for the day, sticker it overnight so the freshly exposed surfaces can gain/loose moisture equally.

Brian