More Woodworking questions.

[Finster101]

Hurricane Irma blew over a nice Brazilian Rosewood tree on my property. I would like to preserve some of it for projects down the road but really don't know anything about the process. Could I cut sections and put them in the attic to cure? Besides the interior of the house that is about the only dry place I would have. It is always humid here. I have a pole barn, just not sure it would work there.

[poppy42]

Unless your attic is climate controlled ( Air condition ) there is nothing dry about any attic in Southwest Florida !

[Brokenbear]

sections are ok if you know the lengths of material needed ...try to square off the live edge (bark) so it will dry 360 degrees ...however most drying will occur out the ends ...so put a couple of coats of any latex paint on the ends ...this will slowdown the catastrophic (cracking/splitting) moisture loss out the ends ...lay it on narrow 1X1 wood strips where air can move thru it ...racking it up on top of itself is fine as long as air will pass thru ...even humidity of 70% will "air dry" the wood down to about 14% due to the air movement ...wood is considered dry at 8% so for the final dry from 14% to 8% will have to happen in your home interior where it is climate controlled ...this can be just a few chunks at a time as you need them ...when you do move them inside again air circulation is king ...so rick it for air movement and put a fan on low pointed at it ...depending on size ..it will take 24 to 48 hours to get it to the 8% level ...Harbor freight has an accurate little moisture meter (yellow with two sticking spikes on end) ...was about $10 when I bought ..mine was analog but I see now that it is now digital and $14
Beara

[bob208]

the way I was taught was to flot the wood in a pond till it sinks. which means it is water logged . the water drive out the sap. then you let it dry. water dries more even then sap so less warpage.

[Wayne Smith]

Several years ago we had a big white oak cut down - two 13' logs. I hired a sawyer to back his sawmill in my back yard (suburbia!) and he cut it into boards. He told me my screened in back porch was an ideal place to air dry the wood - and this in Tidewater, VA- not significantly dryer than where you are. One inch a year is what he told me.

If your tree is big enough have it sawn into planks and dry it outdoors, covered, where the air will move around it. Stickered with 3/4" or 1" square pieces.

[Houndog]

Wayne's got it right! Have the logs sawed into rough planks, and stack it with sticks between each layer. Putting it in your pole barn will work just fine and while I've not done it painting the ends of the boards sounds like a good idea. If you want it to dry faster wrap it in black plastic out in the Sun The plastic will hold the heat and works somewhat like a kiln. I've done this many times on Poplar used as siding on farm out buildings.

[JWT]

That's quite a valuable log you have.

Depending on your future projects I would take one of the following directions:

1. Dry the logs
- Cut into approx 3' long sections.
- Remove bark.
- Thoroughly seal the ends with several coats of latex paint.
- Stack in a dry covered location with some air flow.
- Wait. Typical North American hardwoods dry at about 1" of thickness per year but rosewood is much denser and will dry slower.

2. Resaw and dry as boards
- Cut to appropriate lengths.
- Remove bark.
- Thoroughly seal the ends with several coats of latex paint.
- Saw the logs into boards.
- Stack in a dry covered location with 3/4" to 1" stickers separating the boards.
- Wait. Typical North American hardwoods dry at about 1" of thickness per year but rosewood is much denser and will dry slower.

It is important that while drying the wood must be kept out of the sun and rain and have airflow. Sun will encourage checking (cracking) and will ruin the wood. Excess moisture from rain or low airflow will encourage mold. Bark will encourage mold and bug damage.

[garandsrus]

the way I was taught was to flot the wood in a pond till it sinks. which means it is water logged . the water drive out the sap. then you let it dry. water dries more even then sap so less warpage.

I have never heard of doing this and wouldn’t recommend it. Old logs that have sunk in lakes and rivers are recovered and sold for big bucks. I think it’s mostly because they are old growth logs.

[fast ronnie]

Dad taught me to cover the end grain with a white glue. It works pretty well, but latex paint also sounds like it might work, as well. Just don't let the ends open or it will dry out the ends and split. It is amazing how fast it can happen.

[James Wisner]

My Father and I used to cut up Black Walnut for gunstock slabs.

Buck ( cut ) the trunk into what lengths you want, check around as some portable saw mills can only go so short on thier saw bunk, and paint the ends with latex paint to seal it.

Now a days, you can find portable saw mills to come on site, so once slabed, paint the ends again and several inches up on the slabed sides to slow down and prevent checking of the end grain.

Keep the slabs out of the sun, and rain. Your pole barn would be perfect.

Sticker each layer of slabs for air movement.

Up here in Washington with the Walnut we figured the wood will air dry about one inch ( thickness ) a year, but with the Rosewood being denser and oily it might take two years an inch to dry out.

Sounds like a good project to save some wood for furture projects.

True story, we had used the powersaw ( 6 foot bar ) to slab up a Bastonge Walnut in a persons back yard. The tree was about 30" in dia on the butt. This was in January so we were not worried about end checking. As we carried one slab to the truck, the slab went POP, and jumped out of our hands. The slab had so much internal stress that it split down the center of each end of the blank about 18 inches right along the core line. We had the slab beside it split also due to internal stress

JW

[waksupi]

Keep in mind.

ROSEWOOD IS POISONOUS!

Cut in a well ventilated area, always wear a good dust mask when working it.

[Grmps]

Check craigslist,

there a people that will cut and rough slab wood for you (for a price)

[10-x]

Depending on what you may make out of it quarter sawing the log will give the best grain appearance. Cut at least an inch above the size plank you want. We used to air dry wood in the attic of our barn in Tidewater Va. Inch a year is about right, test it for % moisture as posted above.

[Finster101]

Keep in mind.

ROSEWOOD IS POISONOUS!

Cut in a well ventilated area, always wear a good dust mask when working it.

This I did not know. Don't really know if I have enough to slab up. I was thinking about some pieces for turning maybe. I'm a mechanic, not a wood worker but thought I might like to try my hand at something and I know Rosewood is a very nice material. If I knew where to sell the main section of the tree I would probably do that. Most of it will probably end up as firewood. Luckily I have several more small trees coming up.

Thanks guys,
James

[jsizemore]

You might try selling your main trunk and firewood to folks that build guitars or fine pieces of furniture. Folks turn pens from rosewood.

[KenH]

Rosewood...... Firewood??????? Sacrilege!!!!!

I've worked Rosewood a good bit and have read it's a mild irritant, but it's never really bothered me..... Of course I do have a mild case of COPD these days. Always figured it was from all the fiberglass work without masks, but the Rosewood dust could have also played a part in it. So, BE SURE TO WEAR A MASK when working with Rosewood. Especially sanding. Sawing isn't so bad as the sawdust is not so dusty as sanding.

Rosewood is sorta hard on cutting tools, blades, chisels, etc.

Ken H>

[Wayne Smith]

Many woods are a problem to those who are sensitive. Rosewood and cocobolo (rosewood) have not bothered me, but walnut dust gives me breathing problems and minor skin irruptions. Depends on your sensitivity - it is an allergic response, not poison.

[waksupi]

Many woods are a problem to those who are sensitive. Rosewood and cocobolo (rosewood) have not bothered me, but walnut dust gives me breathing problems and minor skin irruptions. Depends on your sensitivity - it is an allergic response, not poison.

The rosewood definitely will cause respiratory problems in most people. It chokes me up quickly, and the effects last a long time.
Rifle builder John King is allergic to walnut, which makes his job a lot harder!

[owejia]

Seal the end grain with latex paint or sealer pronto right after sawing because as soon as the moisture starts to escape the end grain will start checking and cracking. What wood turning I do is on my metal working lathe, so osage orange, mesquite are not a problem to cut. Made the shaft for a walking stick hand cannon out of osage orange about 1" dia and 32" long without center support, that was an interesting project.