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J.E. Reeb and T.D. Brown
There are several reasons to dry solid The process of drying wood is the in western Oregon and 8 to 10 percent
wood products: same for air- and kiln-drying, but in in eastern Oregon.
• Drying wood before use helps kiln-drying you have much greater When air-drying wood, you must
prevent staining and decay while control over air velocity, temperature, stack the wood properly to ensure
in service. and humidity. Controls are much less adequate air circulation, and you must
when air-drying lumber. test it frequently to monitor moisture
• Drying wood to the average content. Certain controls can make
moisture content1 (MC) where air-drying more efficient. These
it will be used ensures minimal include orientation and layout of the
dimensional change (shrink or Air-drying
stack, stacking methods, and covering
swell) while in use. Air-drying means stacking lumber
the stack; all are discussed below.
• Dry wood weighs less and is and exposing it to the outdoors.
Air-drying of wood begins as
less expensive to ship than green Final MC is determined by the air
soon as the tree is cut. If the wood is
wood. temperature, relative humidity, and
to be used for furniture, moulding,
drying time.
• As wood dries below its fiber millwork, or other high-value uses,
Depending on outside conditions
saturation point (moisture content take care to prevent degrade. If you
and lumber species and size, air-
of about 25 to 30 percent), most are working with logs of species
drying to a desired MC can take from
strength properties increase. several months to almost a year. James E. Reeb, Extension wood products
For more information on the Wood stored outdoors and under specialist, and Terence D. Brown, former
relationship between wood and cover will dry to an approximate Extension wood products specialist; both of
moisture, see the OSU Extension moisture content of 12 to 14 percent Oregon State University.
Commonly caused by stresses are free of liquid water. Fiber Relative humidity—The ratio of the
during drying. Surface checks saturation point for most wood amount of moisture in the air
occur on flat faces of lumber, species is at moisture contents of to the maximum amount of
and end checks occur on ends about 25 to 30 percent. moisture the air could hold at that
of lumber, logs, and other wood Honeycombing—Checks, often not temperature.
products. visible on the surface, that occur Split—Separation of wood fibers
Crook—A form of warp. Crook most often in the interior of the along the grain, forming a crack or
describes a deviation edgewise wood, usually along the wood fissure. Splits may extend partially
from a straight line drawn from rays. or completely through the wood.
end to end of a board. If the board Moisture content (of wood)—The Stickers—Solid or laminated wood
is laid on its edge (narrow face), weight of the moisture in wood, strips used to separate lumber.
one or both edges will be off the usually expressed as a percentage Typical sizes are 0.5 to 1 inch
ground. of its oven-dry weight. thick and 1 to 2 inches wide.
Cup—A form of warp. Cup describes Natural convection—A circulatory Use 1-inch thick stickers for air
a troughlike shape in which the transfer of heat due to warmer drying.
board edges remain approximately air rising and cooler, denser air Twist—A form of warp. Twist
parallel to each other. sinking. describes a lengthwise “twisting”
Equilibrium moisture content—The Oven dry—See bone dry. of a board in which one corner
balance of moisture content wood twists out of the plane of the three
attains in response to the relative Pile—Lumber stack. Stacking other corners.
humidity and temperature of the lumber layer by layer, separated
by stickers on a supporting Warp—Distortion in lumber and other
surrounding atmosphere.
foundation or stacking stickered wood products, causing departure
Fiber saturation point—The stage in the packages one above the other on a from its original plane. Common
drying or wetting of wood when foundation separated by bolsters. forms of warp are bow, crook,
the cell walls are saturated with cup, and twist.
bound water and the cell cavities