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About Air-dried Lumber
We’re Proud to offer Air-dried lumber
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Also see Seasoning FAQ |
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There are two primary methods of seasoning (drying) green (freshly sawn) lumber. These are kiln-drying and air-drying. Kiln-drying introduces heat in a controlled humidity environment to rapidly dry lumber. Air-drying relies on natural forces to do the drying and is therefore much slower.
Two good articles on the seasoning (drying) of lumber are listed below. These back issues should be available at your local library, we encourage you to read them in their entirety.
WOOD MAGAZINE, February 1993, issue #59,
“How to Succeed at Air-Drying Lumber” is based on information from
Robert McGuffy, who at the time of the article was responsible for
drying 70 million board feet of hardwood lumber annually.
FINE WOODWORKING, October 1966, issue #120,
“Seasoned Wood: What You Need to Know” by William W. Rice,
a consultant and wood technologist.
Both of these articles acknowledge many woodworkers prefer air-dried lumber. We believe properly air-dried lumber is superior in milling, finishing, final project appearance, and project durability. We concede, as Rice contends in his article, that this may be more preference than fact. No matter what your preference - whether kiln or air-dried - it is absolutely vital that the lumber is properly dried. The handling of the wood during the drying process and storage prior to use are also very important.
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Copyright (c) 2001 Swords Enterprises |
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