How long does it take to air dry fresh sawed pine lumber mostly 2x4s and 2x6s?how long for kiln dried lumber and what does it run to have wood kiln dried by someone else?my sons are at that stage they want to build homes and outbuildings and Im looking at possibly getting a bandsaw mill for their and my needs especially at the price of lumber these days
- Thread starter rrman61
- Start date
Ken Macfarlane
Well-known Member
They say something like 1 per year for air dry. I didn't find that to be true, covered/ventilated stacks in summer 1 softwood was about 2 weeks. 2x's about 4 weeks. 6x6 mostly dry within 3 months. Stuff out in the yard uncovered never dries enough here regardless of how long it sits, will rot before it dries.
Ken Macfarlane
Well-known Member
Hmm, forum cleared all my units, 1 inch, 2 inch etc
Pete in Holland MI
Member
Generally a year per inch of thickness for hardwoods, half that for soft woods, though unique species in both may take longer.....or shorter. Read up on drying. Lots of ways to do it right. Lots of ways to wreck your lumber while drying.
Understand your desire to cut your own wood, but many building inspectors will not allow your own cut wood to go into a structure because it hasn't been graded. Verify with your local inspector before you embark.
Understand your desire to cut your own wood, but many building inspectors will not allow your own cut wood to go into a structure because it hasn't been graded. Verify with your local inspector before you embark.
Janicholson
Well-known Member
The process requires sticking as shown, and covering to prevent rain into the stack, as well as heat of summer/low humidity. If the sticking is reduced, or the under support not very flat it will be worthless. I also agree that local building codes may be very particular on graded lumber. In this case ask before your efforts create a chicken coop. Jim
Lathe
Sticking
Lathe
Sticking
Russ from MN
Well-known Member
- Location
- Bemidji MN
It also depends on your location, relative humidity, temperature, specie of wood and wind! In Arizona it would dry real fast! We has some softwood sawed last summer and the pile smelled real nice all fall, but now I don't notice any smell, I expect it's dry. Years ago we had some cedar sawed and it set at the sawmill for about a month, when I picked it up it was dry. All lumber should be stickered and covered, but left out in the open. Building tin works well for covering. I sold some ash firewood last week that I cut and split about a year ago, it was down to 10-12 % moisture, that's dry!
rustred
Well-known Member
when my dad worked in the lumber camps it was called dry piling. the rough sawn lumber was piled with 1 lats between the tears as he called it. in winter he would fall trees and they were skidded out then hauled on a lake . then in the summer the trees were saw in the mill. i remember them having a tug boat to push the logs to the green chain i believe it was called. there was a chain and shoot reaching into the lake. his job was dry piling the freshly sawn lumber, which was very heavy. then it was run through the planer and provisions made for shrinkage. and repiled. it then sat during the summer or till the trucks hauled it out,but i dont know how long it was till it was called dry lumber. quite sure it was still not cured once it was sold.
I can't answer your question about drying lumber but. You & your sons may want to give some serious thought about what you are trying to do. I have built a new house every year for most of my life. The first when I was 19 & I'm 67 now. The only lumber you will be able to cut yourself & POSSIBLY save money on is your studs, floor joists, & rafters and you better have some really long & really big trees for your rafters & floor joists. You will still need to buy your sheathing for your roof 4'x 8' & your outside walls 4'x9'. You will need to buy 4'x8' 3/4 tongue & groove sub flooring. You will still need to buy your interior trim boards. (unless your are building a rustic cabin) Don't forget about your green treat for your sill plates. You also want perfect stair treads & toe kicks. We haven't even talked about kitchen & bathroom cabinetry. So unless you have access to some really big, really long trees all you are saving money on are your studs & you sure don't want to have one of your studs warp or twist in a doorway or after you are done dry walling. I'm not condemning what you are doing as some of these lumber costs are scary. I'm just saying give it some serious thought as to what sometimes seems like a good plan doesn't always turn out that way in the end.
Loosehandle
Well-known Member
- Location
- Wisconsin
I used lots of barn wood in my home, everything from beams to floor joists to planed for trim and cabinets. Hired oak logs sawn for floor, 1x10s ceiling in great room. Building inspector said nothing. Still did use 1/2 plywood for sheathing, $10 sheet then.
Stephen Newell
Well-known Member
Generally as a rule of thumb it takes a year for every inch thickness of the wood to air dry it. A little less if you live in an arid climate and quite a bit longer if you live someplace damp. It air dries quicker standing on it's end rather than laying horizontal but if you have very much it's too difficult to sticker. Even with a dry kiln it takes a month to dry lumber. If it's dried too quickly it will crack and warp to the point where it's unusable. The biggest benefit of a dry kiln is the heat will kill any insect infestation the wood may have. Some areas of the country are heavily infested with powder post beetles which can really wreck your house. Unlike termites where they mostly stay where there is a water leak the beetles will eat on everything in the house including your furniture.
used red MN
Well-known Member
- Location
- Coon Rapids, MN
Ken, did you post from a phone or an Apple Safari browser? If so the YT forum software cannot translate the code those platforms send out for certain symbols and punctuation. This kept Classic View and Modern view from be able to synchronize the posts between the two views especially if they appeared in the topic title. YT chose to tell the software to ignore those punctuations and symbols as a fix so this is what you get. I know quotation marks are one example of the items that do not come through, as are apostrophes. Notice I did not contract ..did not and do not.. and also why you see .. in my posts instead of quotations. I post from an iPhone. In my estimation they sure go through a lot of work and punishment to keep the antique one half of this double view system working. I am a Classic View user but I could learn to like Modern, especially if it could give us back post editing and other features that have been dropped because it can not work because of the two views. That is just my opinion which I have voiced to YT, but they insist to drudge on. For more info scan through the post in the Site Comments sections that refer to topics about double posts or upgrades.
Yep. 2x4s used diagonal bracing at all the corners notched out for a 1x4 to prevent racking. Later houses were built with sheeting only at the corners to control the racking and then the rest was covered with that black insulated board.
1bys on the floor laid diagonally and 1bys on the outside and roof. How we did it when I was a kid.
Frame up the house and let it dry before putting on the sheetrock.
Lay your 1bys tight as they will shrink up and leave a gap when they dry unless you let them lay on the floor and air dry first. Life got easier when one of the lumber yards got into the rafter making business so we didn't have to. Got easier to when we didn't have to hand forge those square nails. lol
On the other hand, the cost of framing lumber isn't that large of cost compared to everything else needed to finish a house. When you compare the cost of the mill, time, and labor, etc. unless you are making a log house which may give you trouble framing windows and doors.
johndeere720GA
Member
One thing to keep in mind when using home sawn lumber for dwelling construction.
Many (most) jurisdictions require the lumber to be stamped as certified by a certification company as to the strength and quality. There are only a few certification companies out there so don't try and make your own certification stamp.
Many (most) jurisdictions require the lumber to be stamped as certified by a certification company as to the strength and quality. There are only a few certification companies out there so don't try and make your own certification stamp.
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