I argued against air drying lumber for 2 years... now I'm eating my words

Had a buddy tell me to stop using my kiln for everything and let some ash and walnut air dry for at least 12 months. I told him he was crazy, that kilns are faster and more consistent. Well I finally tried it with a batch of walnut boards I cut last spring. Let them sit stacked with stickers in my shed. Just pulled them down last week and they are dead flat and the color is way richer than anything I've kiln dried. No cracks either. My kiln batch from the same log had 3 splits. What convinced you guys to switch methods on a project?

2 comments

2 Comments

matthew_reed505d ago

Read somewhere that the slower drying gives the wood fibers time to relax naturally.

aaronf404d ago

Oh yeah, that definitely makes sense! The slower drying lets the wood adjust without getting those internal stress cracks or warping issues that pop up when you rush things. I've seen pieces that were dried too fast just split right down the grain a year later.