Thread: woodwork q: green timber warping

I don't know much about green wood except I know that it warps after its cut....but how fast?
I want to get some boards to make a bookshelf thing (3 x 3 cubes). Boards will be approx 1" x 12" x 5'

Place I can get the timber saws (mills?) them from whole trees, they are rough cut & are fir.

I won't get around to building it till November probably, if I get the boards now is it too soon? Will they be warped & un-useable by then?
Getting the boards cut closer to November is an option.
I only really have hand tools, certainly no big planers to flatten off warped or bowed boards.

If temps etc matter.... its dry where I live (~30% humidity) & temps range from ~4c to ~30c right now.

Make it out of plywood.

that would be to easy! I like the look of natural wood.

I'm drunk and lazy, but there's been at least one thread on here about seasoning timber. I think steepconcrete started it, rootskier and at least one other had some useful advice.

It'll take time.

my poor search skills only found threads about seasoning firewood.

Any problems if I just build with it still green?
I know it'll take too long to dry properly... if its going to be a huge problem working with it, or if it warps beyond use then I can postpone the project until I find seasoned wood.

Put it on something very flat. Put something flat and heavy on top of it. problem solved.

Btw. Rough cut wood is going to be alot rougher than you might expect. Unless you ask for it there will not be a straight edge and even then it won't be truly straight. Pretty much no matter what it will be warped and you'll need a jointer to give yourself a straight clean edge to saw off of and a planer of some sort to flatten things out

You need to stack and sticker it. You should seal the ends of the boards to minimize end checks.

The wood needs to be dried quickly but not too quickly.

Air-drying lumber is an art. I think you might be better served going to your lumberyard and putting down $50 for some dry pine boards.

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...hite-oak/page2

it'll shrink, warp and crack, potentially. it'll also require a number of tools of which you might have (dunno)

Do not build with green wood.

Personally I would not build something I am putting in my house or near my hands with any frequency our of rough cut hemlock either. Rough cut=Splinter factory.

ok thanks. I think I'll still get the green boards, but will seal the ends & leave it in the garage... this can be a project for next spring or summer.

FWIW, I do have a small hand planer (no motor) & was planning to use that to smooth it off, remove splinters. Also plan on getting a smaller table saw so can be ripped etc.

Typicaly they check moisture level with a meter, green lumber will likely be 30% you need to get to 14% for building, unless you can borrow one the meter will cost >the wood you could buy at the lumber yard, I would tell buddy with the mill your situ and ask if he has anything kicking around already dry that would fit your app

I got a bud with a wood lot and acess to mills, he has built a house & a ski lodge with 6x6 wood milled from a wood lot & some of it was salvaged standing burnt but its alot of work by someone with more friends & time than money ...if you got money it might be more coast effective to buy what you need

Yup, seal the ends by painting with varnish, then be patient and allow it to fully air dry and get a planer. That's what the old timers around here do.

the wood I want is just to make a little 5'x5' book shelf, really just for shits & giggles & to give me something to do in the fall when the weather is shitty.

They only wanted $60 total for the green boards so I figure I will just get it anyway & see what happens. If the boards end up un-usable, no big deal I can buy some dry timber some other time.

I only spoke to the on the phone so far...they said they do have lots of odd size off cuts etc out in the yard. They mill trees into custom sizes, the odd size offcuts are just whatever is leftover. I'll def have a look round once I get down there.

Originally Posted by tsproul

You need to stack and sticker it. You should seal the ends of the boards to minimize end checks.

The wood needs to be dried quickly but not too quickly.

Air-drying lumber is an art. I think you might be better served going to your lumberyard and putting down $50 for some dry pine boards.

To elaborate. You need a bunch of 2x2's as long as the boards are wide. lay them every couple of feet on a very flat surface. Lay a board across the stickers. Lay more stickers on the first board directly over the first set. Lay another board across the stickers. Continue until all the boards are in the pile. Place another set of stickers, then a waste board which is heavily weighted. Paint the ends to seal. Cover with a tarp over the top but allow air to circulate through the sides of the stack--you want to slow down the drying without letting mold form. Figure a one inch thick board will dry down to about 3/4inch after smoothing. If the edges are natural--bark removed but not trimmed in any way-- you might like the look. This may or may not work--don't spend too much. It will be pretty tough to get 1x12's to dry flat--at the very least they are likely to cup. But go to a lumber yard and try to find a dry 1x12 that's flat. Most shelving of that width is glued up from multiple boards.

So maybe I try get 2 x 12 instead (price pending probably).
It'll take twice as long to dry (?), but cupping or warping might be less overall, or at least less noticeable, esp after planing material off etc.
I've got a garage w' loft in my place, attached but not heated. There are all sorts of paint tins & a few half boxes of tiles left behind by the last ppl. Storage space & heavy things are on hand!

2x12s sound better to me--also will span a lot farther. The first thing I ever built was a bookshelf out of #2pine 2x12's from the lumber yard. A little warped but I made it work and I still use it. I got hooked--now I make stuff like carved Chippendale furniture. Be careful. Bookshelves are a gateway drug.

man the place called & said milled the wood today already.... they originally said they were doing it next week. Guess I'm stuck with 1 x 12. Oh well, hopefully it dries ok, will have to wait & see.

What part of the log did you get? Quartersawn, riftsawn, flatsawn? It matters. QS would be ideal, otherwise it's anybodies guess how many potato chips you will get.

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sticker it like I suggested and you'll probably do fine. I doubt it's quarter sawn--the log would have to be enormous to get 12 inch boards quartersawn. One more thing--check for any sign of mold at least weekly--if any evidence (black staining) take off tarp so more air can circulate. Here's a reference courtesy of your federal government that should cover everything--if they say anything that disagrees with me listen to them. And remember--no matter how much help you get from this document, you built it.
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr117.pdf

Kiln dried lumber comes out at 12-14% moisture content for widespread applicability.