Moisture %

[Pat Comeau]

What is the ideal moisture percentage in wood to make sure it's dry enough to work with?, some says 5 to 10% other says anthing between 5 and 20%,


thanks..........Pat C

[Bent]

Pat, what you need to do is only work with kiln dried wood. It is usually dried down to a moisture content of 6%. Sometimes you can luck out with air dried wood at say 8 to 10% if it has been stored inside in an airy location for many years.

The first thing you do when you get your stash of kiln dried lumber home is to paint the ends of the boards (any paint will do) this slows down the susceptibility of end grain to absorb moisture at a quicker rate than the rest and you thereby avoid some checking, twists and cups.

Try to work and finish your lumber as quickly as practical. By this I mean, apply the lacquer as soon as you have the body sanded and the holes drilled.
apply the finish to all sides, edges and ends. The trick is to cover everything to avoid moisture infiltration as much as possible.

This is from my experience alone. There are no laws on the subject and I am sure you will get varying answers.

[Pat Comeau]

Thanks Bent,...i just ordered a Digital moisture meter , i have been drying my maple in my house for almost 3 months now and i checked it today and it seems pretty much dried to the sound of it when i hit on it, it's been stacked next to my wood stove downstairs as the only heating source in my house and i push air through it with a fan, i've heard that it only takes bout 3 months in a kiln dried room to get it down to about 10% or so, i have painted the ends with paint before i stacked it, i can see some cracks in the ends but nothing major, there's a little cups on some but not all and it doesn't seems that bad, i had them saw at 1" thick so i can plan them with my planner, they all seems to be straight.