Wood gloat: Maple at $0.25/bf

[Alex Shanku]

Friend of my sister operates a tree service at the very tip of Michigan's lower peninsula. Well, I asked him a week or so ago if he ever comes across any maple, to save some for me and bring it down state next time he visits.

Well, he sure out did himself. The other night he came back with ~180 bf of maple cut to ~ 5/4" x 10" x 9'. Turns out he had two maples that needed to come down and a close friend with a portable saw mill.

Total cost of 180bf = $40

Currently, it is all stacked in my dry basement, drying.

I think I am going to finally make a real work bench with a maple top.

(Edit for Jim and the gang)

[David Wilson]

Alex That is a defenite gloat

[Jim Becker]

Sounds like it may be a major gloat...but I don't see any proof...

[Dan Drager]

Nice Score,

Be careful of drying in your basement. That wood has a LOT of moisture in it.

[Ted Christiansen]

Alex,

I have had good success drying wood in my basement. I have dried cherry, walnut, ash, usually freshly cut (wet). It would be safer to dry outdoors for a couple of months first and then move inside. But as long as there are no forced air vents nearby blowing on it you should be ok. Of course each species dries differently, so your mileage will vary.

Ted

[Jeffrey Schronce]

But as long as there are no forced air vents nearby blowing on it you should be ok. Of course each species dries differently, so your mileage will vary.

Ted

Ted,
What is the problem with that? Dry too quick and check/crack?
Thanks
Jeff

[Jim Becker]

Actually, air flow is critical to the drying process and that's one reason why drying outdoors is preferable to a basement, garage or attic. You need air moving through the stack to "wick off" the moisture as the wood releases it. You also need to make sure the ends of the boards are sealed to reduce the chance of cracking...end-grain will tend to release moisture a lot faster than the other surfaces. The best material for this is AnchorSeal (a waxy emulsion), but you can get away with a couple coats of old paint if you need to. Some sawyers use hot wax, but it has to be applied correctly and very hot...if it doesn't solidify clear, it wasn't hot enough.

Outdoor drying does not require you to cover more of the stack other than that top and that's prevent standing water, snow, ice, etc., from accumulating. Again, the air must flow through the stack. Weight on top will insure that the top layers "tend" to stay flat.

If you must dry indoors, you can use a slow-speed fan to move air, but still need to get weight on the top of the pile. 5/4 Maple will likely take 10-15 months to get to 12% MC which is about when it becomes usable.

[Don Henthorn Smithville, TX]

It helps in the first few weeks to drape a tarp over the side the prevailing winds come from so that the wood doesn't dry too fast initially but after that I just kept it covered over the top and kept the top weights in place

[John Schreiber]

Congratulations. That looks like it could be a beautiful bench someday.

[Julio Navarro]

Darn, I think I see my work bench in there...how did that happen???

Great gloat and real nice score!!!

AND friend

[Mark Hulette]

Darn, I think I see my work bench in there...how did that happen???

Great gloat and real nice score!!!

AND friend

Julio - I agree! Very nice friend

Alex- Congrats on the maple! Just love the way it smells...mmm I want pancakes! You are fortunate to have such a good contact in the tree removal world. Treat him good and you'll have a great source for years to come!

PS- looks like a nice gun safe in the background. I need to get one of those!

[Don Bullock]

Fantastic buy. I hope you plan on showing pictures of the work bench.

[Jerry Olexa]

THAT is a MEGA Gloat...Congrats!!