AIR DRYING LUMBER

First I will make a mention here that this is a very simple, easy way and only applies to drying lumber for the 1 man sawmill or homeowner sawmill, it will not include all the formula’s etc, just the basics for you.The water or moisture content (MC) in lumber or logs is significant and can be 100% in the lumber or log. So how dry should it be to use. An average percentage to use is around 20% or less if the lumber is too be used outside (optimum is 15%) and if the lumber is going to used inside, then around 9% is normal. A moisture meter probe is a really good item to have but these can be expensive.
Depending on the thickness of the lumber and where you live, weather and time of the year, it will take anywhere from 6 weeks to 4 months. Most lumber is in the 1” to 2” thickness and the time above applies to thicknesses. Drying cants, timbers, posts will take considerably longer.You must stack the lumber correctly, this is imperative if you want good grade lumber to use. If you do not take the time to stack the lumber correctly, then you are going to loose a fair amount to warping, checks, splits etc., you must also coat both ends of the boards with a sealer.

A lot more details on my website

http://www.procutportablesawmills.com