I bought a piece of English that I found intersting. It is dry. It arrived yesterday and has a slight bow. Not a big deal unless it continues. I normally buy quarter sawn wood as I prefer it, looks and what I perceive as more stable. That's a whole can of worms I know. That aside how long should I give it to see if it'll keep moving, I believe it's about five years air dried. It's a long blank...laying on it's side the blank is bowed a bit less than .25 of an inch, hard to tell in the photo. I'm no hurry to use as I have others, just bought it because I liked it.

That a preslik blank? The 2 I have are warped like that also.

1/4 sawn lumber is only more stable accross the face of a board. When you chose a 1/4sawn board over a flat sawn board, your are simply transfering the instability from its thickness to its width. Viewed from the top, a 1/4sawn stock blank has a flat sawn fore end, so your flatsawn stock will by converse, have a 1/4 sawn fore end.

As for appearance, certain grains only show up best on flat sawn, wavy,curly,birdseye etc show better on flat sawn than 1/4 sawn. Ray flecks like in oak, show up best in 1/4 sawn.

When I have a project that requires flat sawn wood that will not be braced, I always allow it to stabilize in the shop for a month or so, then skim off the surface of both sides and allow it so stabilize again. Once it has stabilized (not the same as fully dry) I work it as needed and then seal it.

That particular blank comes from near the heartwood on what appears to be a small diameter trunk probably not far from a branch, in an area that tapers rapidly, so possibly high up in the tree. Lumber that comes from high branches tend to have windshakes causing them to relax in odd directions, but are just as stable once equalized if not too extreme.

It should make a handsome stable stock provided the forend is taken from the heartwood area. I would be tempted to skim off both sides of that, set it on a couple pieces of scrap and put a cement block or 2 ontop of the bow and check it every other day. Unless you have a planer that can flaten the board before its cuts it(read massive stationary machine) I would use a paint scraper with a big handle for extra leverage, or a short smoothing plane diagonaly accross the grain.

For what its worth about flat sawn lumber, in any given flitch of lumber, the 2 boards that are cut from either side of the heart wood are 1/4 sawn lumber.

Josh

It's not a preslik blank. I do have one from him that is slab sawn in the butt and almost fully q sawn in the forend. I've had it for awhile now, I'm going to use it this winter. If

Take a piece of I beam or some other straight strong material . Tape it or pad it so as not to transfer steel or iron marks too your wood . place along the bow side ( Crown ) put a couple of .187 or .250 spacers on the crown side under the straight edge . Clamp tightly , not excessively just tight .

Place that side towards an even heat ( NOT HOT !! ) just an even source of heat in a southern window exposure will even do . Just cover the wood so the sun light doesn't see the wood .

leave it for a couple of months . Then take the clamps off . See if it's not as straight as an arrow !.

The Idea is to over bend for compensation ,then when relaxed the wood should settle Dead straight in a week or so .

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

If it is five years old it is Extremely doubtfull it will move anymore.

DrK: What has been your experience after a year or so? Still straight? My experience says that wood has a memory and you better darn well let it settle out to wherever it darn well pleases....then and only then try to see if it's suitable for a gunstock. I personally avoid slab sawn wood except for two piece appications..opinions please!

will be a nice stock..

if you are concerned, send it back..

.25 in the center? I probably wouldn't be worried.

Duane
I totally agree.. it WILL move back and it's best to let the wood be what it wants before shaping. I prefer 1/4 sawn whenever possible, and to ME (and perhaps me alone) a somewhat plain piece of 1/4sawn is generally my choice, but I normally build bigbores and prefer the wood to follow the stock, rather than forcing things.

There was some research on making viking longships, and on the oar blocks they found that saplings and branches could provide the proper grain and were AT LEAST 4x stronger than "cut from board" ...

In other words, wood tends to be stronger in found rather than formed shapes.

I have no need to use it right away. I'll let it hang in the garage for a few years and keep track of it.

WOOD IS ALIVE !!!. It's NEVER DEAD . Remember that . It will serve you well .

Moisture heat humidity even cold will effect wood .

It doesn't always work , I would be foolish to say other wise . I've had very good success in the 80-85% range. Some times I will even Wet it and do it . Depends on species and grain figure Etc. .

I've actually Steam bent large timber White Oak for Knees as well as plank in an old Wooden Brigitine . I've made mahogany ( Honduran ) Tie it's self in a knot . Seriously had it so flexible looked like red spaghetti . It never came back . I'll bet that wood was more than a hundred years old DRY !.

Wood is a peculiar animal , some times it will and some times it wont .

This is why I've tried to encourage persons doing their own stock work , if possible get the wood and clamp it straight ASAP . Then let it set for several years or months depending on the cut time . Over compensation clamping with steaming will set it straight .

Working the wood ASAP and sealing every bit of it once it's dry !!. I prefer Kiln Drying at low bulb heat for a longer period of time while still clamped works best for myself . Then sealing it even if I'm not going to use it for a while .

If the blank is thick enough you can cut the warp out , but sealing it ASAP is still the best Idea regardless . IMO any way .

Shoot Straight Know Your Target. ...

SDH: A photo of that would be the crowning glory in your next book..HAR

I believe in "letting them walk as well. Had one corkscrew very badly one time. Had the blank a while before it was time to make the guy's stock. I knew it was stable, even though it looked pretty rough as a blank. Figured the wood found its "happy place" and I did not to piss it off! It is still exactly where it was when it left my shop several years ago. Guess it is still happy.

Of course none of my blanks were ever perfectly squared, and there is no need for them to be. I just keep an eye on them to see if they stop moving and find their happy place. When working from the blank, I get the top and right side square to each other with a jointer and hand planes. To a certain extent I don't care what the rest of the blank is doing (within reason).

i used to dry wood for a living nad have watched it do some weirs stuff. I was also at a boxed bird match one time and the sky swapped from overcast to bright sun fairly quickly. There were some serious pigeon shooters there who shot live birds in several countries each year. One went over to the gun rack and moved his shotgun to the other side. He said he saw a stock bend back to original dimensions from sun exposure while shooting one day. A gunsmith bent it with the hot oil method, but the wood decided to go back to its happy place in the middle of a match.

I would be afraid something like this would ahppen with this blank. There is nothing to be gained by trying to straighten the blank, but a whole lot can be lost by doing it. One advantage to working from the blank on a part time basis is that the wood has plenty of time to stabilize as it is opened up because I am slower than CHristmas!

Then why worry about straight wood and dry to begin with ?. If theres no reason or advantage in straightening wood and having it dried correctly in the first place , why not just slab off a green timber and whittle away !.

It should never be required to clamp every piece of wood , just some with unique grain patterns or cuts which may lend it's self to drying less than straight .

It's always better to cut , seal , clamp or stack weight then after years of Air drying or quicker Kiln drying schedules , release and let it fall where it may . I agree with that !.

If a blank is thick enough to begin with the warp is unimportant as it can be cut out .

I wonder how many billions of BDFT of lumber would be lost by simply allowing it to dry which ever old way it wants to go !.

Interesting reading on Union Pacific Rail Road engineers documents from 1860's - 1880's , about the Eucalyptus brought from Australia for use as rail ties .

Seems they were also under the same let yer dry as she lays method !. Wood tied it's self in knots .

They had forgotten to stack weight the timber as it Air dried !. Thankfully not all was lost , they found it grew almost any where and actually had better BTU value than Oak !. Not to mention vastly superior insect and decay resistance . As well as being the or one of the fastest growing trees in the world .

So this is why out West one sees Eucalyptus growing along the Rail Lines because Coal was far and few between for fuel .

Shoot Straight Know Your targets . ...

From a lifelong woodworker: if that blank were mine, and if it is sufficiently thick I would take it to a large jointer (or hand plane) and flatten it then set it aside to stabilize. If it moves significantly again then I would move it along to someone else. After 5 years of drying I doubt that it will except for the normal come-and-go of unsealed wood due to humidity fuiuctation. That change should be slight.

started wood working when i was 10, cabinet maker for 23 years..retired from that 8 years ago.. Do you have a moisture meter? You need one that reads internal moisture. teflon coated pins with only heads exposed..dont pound it into the gun use area (duhh) There are other ways to tell.. If you like the blank send it to expert to dry.. wood over 1 inch thick will NOT dry without kiln.. old wood fired kilns did much damage to interal features of the wood.. one of the best is dunlap. all wood will move when moisture comes and goes.. This a comlicated feature of wood, and best left to the experts to tell what will work best for a gunstock. the rest is table legs, then cabinets, and lastly firewood. the grain will determine how it moves. strait grain from a proper cut of the rings and proper building techniques will give least movement that matters to what the wood is being used for.. great gunstocks need strait grain in barrel channel and action grain , sweeping down at the grip, then going into fabulous grain in the butt, with no cracks splits etc, none zip no whitewood none zip. .. If yo dont have that dont waist your time with it, too much work for a 2nd class peice of wood... call dunlop, tell them what you want and they will send you photos.. in 4 months to 2 years you will get what you want depending on how picky you are.. dave schlick

quote:

Originally posted by ffffg:
If you like the blank send it to expert to dry.. wood over 1 inch thick will NOT dry without kiln..

Rubbish!!!!! There are THOUSANDS of air dried stock blanks used for fine rifles and shotguns every year.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill Soverns:

quote:

Originally posted by ffffg:
If you like the blank send it to expert to dry.. wood over 1 inch thick will NOT dry without kiln..

Rubbish!!!!! There are THOUSANDS of air dried stock blanks used for fine rifles and shotguns every year.

Bill - WOW, i totall agree with you... in fact, i wont buy stuff if i KNOW it has been in a kiln
jeffe

Wait a minute wheres the BS flag when it's needed most !

Wood over 1.0 : wouldn't dry ?. Partner I've got 18" X 26" Beams that are 14% in the center of those beams Their OUTSIDE covered but outside none the less !. For the record Kiln drying done properly is the BEST METHOD to dry wood PERIOD !.

E Back or evaporator kilns , Not old wood fired kilns , degrade wood the least and are the quickest method of drying !.

That's just a fact , I'm not jumping on anyones case here but stick with facts .

Air drying is perfectly acceptable also !. In fact a kiln dried stock blank allowed to stabilize ( With in reason ) in Air for a year or so is the best way to go . Wood likes to be between 7.5% indoors under AC because AC removes moisture from the air . Most wood will Air Stabilize between 8-14% moisture content out side . With 12% being a bench mark for AIR dried wood .

If you chose not to believe me so be it .
your welcome to check with the ASTM or Forest Products lab in Madison, WI. They are the authority on such matters .

When mechanical properties are given for a wood species they are given green as well as at 12% this value being air stabilized . An equilibrium point if you will .

Opinion vary as they should but facts are facts none the less !.

So whether you're a stock maker or not, kiln dried or air dried both are acceptable methods to achieve the end product . Kiln allows faster means of curing you're blanks .

Degrade or defects in woods are a whole different chapter both can be in either drying situations .

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

Yes we are aren't we !. I know squat about Gun Smithing and admit to it each and every time some one ask . You never see me post answers on those subjects only questions .

Composites including wood & metals I Know about .

Well enough for Two major degrees and several , several years of employment in various fields requiring those facts ; Rather than just a guess or two .

Everyone is entitled to an opinion , that's what makes the world go around in regards to conversation .

How ever the world isn't flat is it ?.

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

Dr. K. You are correct, and I am 100% certain you know that because you are educated and do not take past perceived wisdom from a bygone era as biblical truth. I say perceived only because the past gun makers did not have the ability to control the wood drying the way the current industry can and so air drying was the best alternative to cooking the wood in a fire oven.

Jeffesso
and anyone else who believe in this philosophy of not buying wood from a form of a kiln...do you understand your home is a kiln?
If you have bought wood from Vegas or California that has dried outside or in a shed or in a storage facility...you bought wood from a kiln.

The problem with this mentality is that it is set in old ways of thinking. Antiquated techniques for drying wood were harsh and fast, too fast and often damaged the wood before it was dried.
Today in the custom gun industry the uneducated like to demonize “kiln drying†and they have no edification about the modern techniques. They still believe that kiln means it is cooked like they did in the industrial revolution.

If you shelter your wet blanks by placing them in the house or garage or attic with the thought that you are allowing them to “dry properlyâ€â€¦â€¦you are controlling the rate of drying just as a modern kiln does.

Modern drying systems are FAR superior to simply air drying.

And guess what, if you have bought a production gun from ANY AND ALL manufacturers, you bought kiln dried wood.

Further, the furniture industry and every other industry in the world that uses wood will only use kiln dried wood.

So throw away all your wood you bought from California, Nevada and all your factory guns.
They must be junk.

Not.

Maybe I'm influenced by ancient perceptions......for a rifle stock I simply want it to age naturally untill it's reached a point of reasonable stability hence my original question, how long is long enough. I think the term kiln drying in the world of gunstocks is like porn in the world of the supreme court, you know it when you see it. Calling the room in my house where my wood hangs a kiln is being absurd, intentional or not. A kiln rapidly (as compared to simple air drying) dries a piece of wood and gets it on the market faster which has driven the efforts for better drying methods as much as anything else. I do appreciate all the dialog, I just think wood for railroad ties and gunstocks is perhaps a apples to oranges comparison. I have a real hard time believing the top people in the business of making rifle stocks for people paying a LOT of money for them wood not pursue kiln dried wood if it made for a superior gunstock.

for English walnut 3 to five years is fine for air drying.

And yes your home is a form of kiln.
Again, your perception of a kiln is influencing your judgment.
You use the word rapid when referring to a kiln.
You should use safely instead.

As for the gunmakers, not always stockmakers, they do in fact use kiln dried wood.
They must do so in an effort to stay on top of orders. None of them have the money to sit on wet wood long enough to appease those that insist on past wood drying practices because they perceive it as superior.

So once more on your blank. If it is in fact five years "air dried" it is more than fine. Build a gun on it.

One last thing.

When the word kiln is brought up in custom gunmaking part of the problem is that everyone sees black and white when in fact there are a multitude of grays.
In that statement i mean forms of kilns.

Everything from the mild to the cooking of wood. But rest assured they are all forms of kiln drying. The rationale of kiln drying is also one of drying the wood in an attempt to diminish loss.

See yet another person has the fore thought to know the differences in Kiln drying techniques . Thanks Gun toter .

Most every species of wood has a unique property to it . So is it's drying schedule . This area is critical . I have experienced first hand major mistakes in commercial kilns . Total honey comb of oak 27K BDFT. That is a loss of major $$$$$'s. Needless to say the kiln operator lost his job .

Some woods it's necessary to stack and weight air dry , prior to kiln drying . Some times up to 3 years depending on species and thickness .

Top people in the industry DO UNDERSTAND the importance of kiln drying .

What we have here is similar to the question of barrel accuracy . Broach cut, button cut, hammer Forged 4140 , SS 416 Chrome lined polished bores . You get the point .

There is NOTHING WRONG with Air Or KILN dried wood for Rifle stocks . The object is simply to " Dry " the wood , so it's stable. Both achieve this goal. One is simply quicker and with regards to degrade better than the other .

Air drying can be extremely difficult to control conditions . Where a kiln is Control .

I shall simply ask any of you this question .

Does your rifle set out side in the rain or get stored in the back yard shed , for prolonged periods of time ?.

Do you leave your furniture out side in the elements ?. It's wood is kiln dried also .

As long as your wood was dry and stable and sealed well then exposure to rain or snow or hot humid weather should show little effects . Over short periods of time . Regardless of whether or not it's air dried or kiln dried .

The key as to any coating job is SEALED WELL !.
I prefer urethane . I also like the looks of Oil finishes . So I use urethane modified tung oil.

I generally put my stocks in the oven at a very low temp like 125 - 175 for a week. The ends are sealed ( End Grain ). I then stick them into a vat of urethane oil and let them set a day or two . Hang drain dry, rub out or really rub oil on the surface. For that type of finish .

If I want ultimate protection I use a two part urethane Mil Spec type 1 Aliphatic Cyanide clear . Depth up the wazoo scratch resistant , water proof finish !.

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

I would also like to add at this time . Many years ago I had the unique privilege of purveying Woods of the World Literally . By the Log , bole, slab , sawn as well as some Kiln dried materials . Several 40 ft. Containers worth every year .

I also worked with several countries and company's . In the setting up of their E Back kilns ( Evaporation low temp kins ) .



Most mills kilns used to use scant or out fall for firing wood heated kilns . Cheap fuel sources but not as efficient for wood drying in regards to Degradation , collapse , warpage .

In some cases we were able to shave up to 24 % off their out fall . ( Discarded waste ) always at least 7% . So E back driers WORK PERIOD !.

I frankly have old photos of felled trees , actually clear boles in excess of 26' in Dia. X 125' plus in lengths in the aerator yards .

Before being moved into the shunt cars ( Sleds ) for debarking . Small rail road flat bed cars with hydraulic lifting , rotating arms and rotary spinners with hammer blades for removing bark. These transport boles into the band mill . Sometimes 6 stories high 18" wide band saw blades , that are used to rip through the hardest woods . Some times DRY WOOD !. Unlike our methods here of cutting wood wet then drying it.

Any of you boys down under remember Allen Taylor Or Duncan's , Carricks ??. How about Borals now ?. Or BMI ??. Brush box glulam timber ?. Grafton ,Port Macquarie Coff's harbor , Toowoomba , Brisbane , Winten , Roma and so many other places ?. I miss Tooheys Old or New .

Anybody ever make a stock out of spotted Gum Down Under ?.

The cats out of the bag now .

Shoot straight know your target . ...

dempsey ; Your correct . Gun Stocks and rail ties are quite different . But perhaps the methods to dry each should not be .

Just a thought now . Regards ...

I took wood properties at the university of washington as a forestry major in the 70s.. 14 percent is not anywere near dry.. When you air dry wood the outside is dry and the inside is less dry.. Modern electric kilns, dry, steam, dry, steam, dry steam, until the wood is even thruout, and not damaged.. there is no internal collaps of the fibers etc.. When you air dry wood, make the stock, then cut away the outside wood.. this alows the inside wood to dry to 7 percent if kept in a heated house.. . If the gun is mounted at less than 7 percent, it will dry and it will probably move.. If the gun is built before its aprox 7 percent, it can change or maybe the way your building it it conforms t the gun?
dont know, but obvoisly your not having trouble using air dryed wood..... My custom guns have stocks that are aproximtly 60 inches long.. the wood is very thin on a long stock flintlock. some of the best wood suppliers and kiln operators in the usa do the stocks for bp shooters....They are very expensive.. You guys are entitled to your opinions.. the last argument i had about this, the guy insisted the best place to put a stock was in his corncrib.. My remington 700, 300 mag which i bought in the 70s doesn not need to adjusted more than a half inch each fall at sightin.. It shoots 3/4 inch groups.. the wood stocked guns usually wont usually be able to do that..Id rather have a gun that doesnt change impact that shoots 3/4 inch than one that moves 2 inches from season to season and shoots a 1/4 inch.. IM lucky my remington 700 does that, but that is why i kept it and sold the others.. Dave.

For some reason I always thought if it didn't stain my fingers it was dry.

Once again someone else is sorely mistaken !. Dry is 7% MC . What about Reno Nevada sport ?. Relative Humidity is 4 % what happens to wood that was " Dry " at 7 % where you live , that now resides in Reno ?.

I'll post pictures of what happens to wood Kiln dried or Air Dried when moved to an extreme low humidity environment .

I wonder what all those Dumb Asses at the ASTM and Forrest Products Laboratory are doing measuring wood at 12 % for mechanical properties ?. Seeing as that is the Standard Air Dry measurement .

For everyones information as well as amusement Air Dried Wood does not refer to a piece of wood in a House or Apartment Or Factory or any other such enclosed habitat !. Hence AIR DRIED !. Ever see real drying sheds ?. They're open sided to allow air movement !.

Modern electric kilns, dry, steam, dry, steam, dry steam, until the wood is even thruout, and not damaged.. there is no internal collaps of the fibers ???.
WRONG WRONG AGAIN !. Sorry should have listened better in school !.

Modern Kilns don't use Steam at all !!!. They use evaporative driers .
Which removes moisture with out heat .

Some woods can't be kiln dried with out first being Air Dried as I stated before . Ebony , Teak , to name just 2 but there are Many more . Hell they don't float for years after being cut and some NEVER float .

Last I was wondering you living in MT. If you burn fire wood for heat ?. Check your fire wood for MC before you burn it . If it's at 30 % your burning at optimal BTU value for that wood . Oh My it's not dry !!!!!!!!!!. I'm done have fun .

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

FWIW I used to send blanks to Reinhart Fajen years ago once a year and he routed them and returned them.....the blanks I sent were walnut blanks cut in 1957 and I sent them starting in the 1970s.....

Fajen routinely took a lot of time with them as they kiln dried them prior to routing.....they said they wanted the wood to 6% or less and my wood was well over 10% at the time.

I'm of the opinion that all of Fajen's stocks were kiln dried. The ones I have from them have been very stable!

Since then I've used air dried wood exclusively and have never had a problem....

go figure!

New guy here! 1st Question: If a stock blank is at leats say 7% moisture content and i leave it set for a year or so, does that mean after the year is up the moisture content is still at 7%. I would think that it depends on where in this country you live that the moisture level will be stable in the blank. If in my part of the woods it goes to 12%, does that mean my blank is wet? I wouldnt think so, but then i to am an expert. The guy that came up with that word should be shot!

These numbers like 7%, 12%, etc. are simply industry standards. There must be established standards so everyone has a baseline from which to operate. That does not mean that 7% MC will be stable everywhere in the world. 7% MC is the standard for cabinet grade wood. The industry standard for the stuff they frame your house with is 19% MC from the kiln! I believe it rebounds to a higher MC than that due to relative humidity by the time it is shipped across country and gets put into your house.
If anyone thinks a house is not a sort of kiln, you should see what happens to that 19% MC lumber after a couple seasons of heat/cool cycles in colder climates. As that stuff dries out and stabilizes all kinds of stresses manifest themselves often requiring walls, floors, etc. to be cut open to relplace members and straighten things.
I believe the above to be a gross example of the process of drying and stabilizing stock wood. Kiln drying, evaporative or otherwise, is fine but only the passage of time in the environment in which the wood is to be used will bring it to stability.
While I don't have the degrees touted above I do know a good bit about the design properties of woods and more importantly I have been the guy having to put together ornate woodwork, staircasess, balustrades,etc. so hopefully it will stay together for decades. I am sure the pro stockmakers will relate to this. Only the passage of time will really tell what the wood will do. I personally believe the real key to air-dried wood is it's age. Five or seven years is enough time to reveal what stresses may lie with a given piece of wood. Hours, days or whatever for drying in a kiln is not.

I shall repeat for one last time . WOOD IS NEVER DEAD !!!. It breathes unless it's completely sealed . Plain and simple . Through the end grain is where it's most critical but over it's entire body needs to have protection from moisture UV Degradation Ect. .

Wood will stabilize it's self in Air and moisture content depending on where it's stored at . Florida is way different than Nevada as is Hawaii or the Sahara .Then so is the MC of Air Dried wood .
( Unless it's stored inside at 65-85 Degrees with Air Conditioning then it will get to 6-7% eventually )

For arguments sake wood is considered " Kiln Dry " at 7% MC. PERIOD . Industry Standards or not .
Plywood Hard Wood Soft Wood .

Before I became so educated , I was a General Contractor and Built Custom as well as Track homes , for several years . From the Yucatan too San Juan Islands as far east as Steamboat Springs Colorado . Not once did we ever use Kiln dried Framing material of any sort !.

Plywood Structural OSB board Yes . That Douglas fir and Hemlock , Cedar , Redwood , Cypress, Yellow Pine , White pine studs included was all air dried . Pressure treated wood was the exception because of incising treatment .

With that being said it was not at 7% , 12% or ? Some of that crap came at over 30 % many times it was so green you drove a nail into it and it would squirt you !!!!. Granted not the best dry material for building , but that's what lumber Company's sold and what's been used from the 50's through today . Remember a house frame stands un wrapped for a month or more drying while being completed .

I specialized in Interior finish when I became more skilled and had acquired more knowledge .
I did custom floors , turnings , Valances , Crown moldings , Mantles , Cabinets , entertainment centers . All this material was KILN DRY HARD and SOFT WOODS .

I learned how to mill flooring from stock boards . An old Englishman who was a True Craftsman took me under wing and taught me the " Proper Techniques " of quality floor installations . None of that prefinished in a box crap . He taught me inlay work , his friendship and knowledge were only secondary to his skills !.

I later applied it to custom mill and wood working including Ship Wright work steam bending scarfing self locking joints non metallic fastening ( Chinese Japanese wood working )

His motto ; which I have tried to adopted .

A mistake is correctable a deception is unforgivable . Never compromise Price for quality in the end you'll be sorry !.

If you can see a flaw surely so will the customer . The " Job " is a reflection of yourself as well as your reputation .

VapoDog is correct about Fajen's Stocks


As I stated in another post . Kiln dry blanks then allow to stabilize to your areas MC. Provided It's not some ridiculously high number . With normal being 6-8% For finished Stocks some can and are slightly higher I've seen 11 % in a buddy's oil finished stock , I think it's OK !.

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

K;
I won't belabot this because it is off topic but I want to say bully for you that you became "so educated". I am quite sure you are one of the first to ever do so. I'm sure you skills in interior finish work are considerable but the things you mention doing (excepting the turning) are pretty routine in the high end houses I last worked on. Even "custom mill work" is routine at that level because much of the work requires material to be milled on site.

Talk is cheap but a practiced eye backed by much experience gets the real story.

I'm still trying to figure out where all that steam was coming from at the Keystone mill if they weren't removing moisture from the framing lumber they were sawing.

quote:

WOOD IS NEVER DEAD !!!.

And again I will call bullshit! It certainly does act like a very dense sponge by absorbing and expelling moisture in the same fashion, but it most certainly is dead. If not, every old wooden boatdock that lost it's finish, or pier footing would have new branches and leaves. All that education and you never learned the botanical or biological definition of dead, shame. Without sap and bark, it is dead.

quote:

Originally posted by ffffg:
wood over 1 inch thick will NOT dry without kiln.

Moisture moves from wet to dry period. Everything will dry given enough time.

quote:

Originally posted by Dr.K:
What about Reno Nevada sport ?. Relative Humidity is 4 %

What do you mean? certainly not air RH.

And again I will call bullshit! It certainly does act like a very dense sponge by absorbing and expelling moisture in the same fashion, but it most certainly is dead. If not, every old wooden boatdock that lost it's finish, or pier footing would have new branches and leaves. All that education and you never learned the botanical or biological definition of dead, shame. Without sap and bark, it is dead.

Dr. K . Writes ; Wasn't aware you were in need of Biological definition of Dead !.
When roots are severed it's technicality dead !.

But your definition is lacking ( without Sap and Bark ? ). BristleCone Pine Lacks both yet lives . There are others to do you know which ones ?.

Here are a few species of woods , that I'm aware of that don't move under moisture once dried , They are lignumVitae ( Guaiacum family Zygophyllacea ) Australian Blackwood ( Acacia melanoxylon ) Family Leguminosae ) Tallowwood Eucalyptus Microcorys ) Gaboon Ebony ( Ironwood petrified wood ) are some of them .

The reason they're unable to move is their HeartWood can't be impregnated even under Vacuum incising .

Class concluded for today .

Shoot Straight Know Your target . ...

Yes ; That's what I mean !. It's one of the driest places in NA.



Posted 05 September 2007 03:26 Hide Post

quote:
Originally posted by Dr.K:
What about Reno Nevada sport ?. Relative Humidity is 4 %



What do you mean? certainly not air RH.


Howard
Moses Lake WA
hunter7057@gmail.com

I don't know where you get your information DR K or where you got your doctorate but I call bull shit. You seem to be full of it.

Check the link. For Reno, the annual average thru 1993 was 31 and the low was 18. A long ways from 4%.

National Average Relative Humidity

You just earned a much deserved place on my ignore list.