black walnut

[farmbif]

any suggestions on how to properly dry out black walnut trees so the wood will be useful.
ive got a few standing dead and a whole bunch of big trees still growing strong.
I cut a couple of the standing dead down and some was cut into firewood length and put in woodshed, some has cracking now after a year but some of em are solid through and through. its my hit and miss drying method

[Shawlerbrook]

It’s best to seal the ends to stop checking. It should be stacked so that air flows around all sides. A moisture meter is definitely a valuable tool.

[kootne]

I am far from an expert but a couple things I have heard from people in the business is when you fall one, leave the stump high enough to make stocks. Then dig around the base and try to cut roots off below grade. The nicest figure is about ground level and many are too short to make rifle stocks. Use similar thinking at crotch wood to incorporate the figure into the right part of the stock. When the blanks are sawed out, the end grain is coated with paraffin or thick varnish to prevent the moisture from going out the end grain. They take much longer (years) to dry but have little or no cracking. There was a gunwood dealer in Missouri, Robert somebody, if I can find his phone number I will let you know.

[Scrounge]

any suggestions on how to properly dry out black walnut trees so the wood will be useful.
ive got a few standing dead and a whole bunch of big trees still growing strong.
I cut a couple of the standing dead down and some was cut into firewood length and put in woodshed, some has cracking now after a year but some of em are solid through and through. its my hit and miss drying method

From what I understand, (and you'd be wise to check on that!) you cut the lumber while it's still more or less green, and then stack it in a shaded area with thin boards between each layer of stacked freshly cut lumber. This lets the air circulate all around the lumber so it dries evenly. That should prevent cracking and checking. AFTER the lumber is fully dried, which can take a couple of years if done naturally, or some places do kiln drying to force it, you mill the lumber to final size. That's why 2x4's measure 1-3/4x3-3/4 or thereabouts these days. They're mostly kiln dried and milled.

Thought I had a pdf book that would help, but it's not readable anymore. this website may help. https://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_ba...to_Lumber.html It's one I've looked at before. Unforunately, most of the trees I have have are silver maple, and it's not even good firewood. When you have some dried lumber ready, I'd be interesting in getting some!

Bill

[10-x]

Yep have to seal ends of “ logs” or large slabs to prevent checking ,stack on 1” square stacking sticks about 18” apart with 1” or more space on sides and under water proof cover so no rain can blow on wood. A tin covered open shed with a raised center and eaves to cover wood and in the sun which will help dry wood. As mentioned a moisture meter will tell you when dry, can be a few years depending on climate. How old are your trees and what diameter? Good luck.

[square butte]

Saw into boards as green as possible. ALWAYS seal the ends right after sawn into boards. Sticker between boards to allow for air flow and circulation

[GoodOlBoy]

Out of the Woods channel on youtube has alot of great videos going a few years back. If you start at his early videos you can see the evolution of both his skills and his sawmill. Also for those concerned about it, his videos are family friendly. No cussin', no drama, etc. He gives an excellent explanation of sealing in this 5 min video.



He even has videos on building drying sheds, etc.

great guy to watch.

God Bless, and Good Luck!

Richard

[waksupi]

Blanks should be cut about 3" thick. It can warp when drying, and if cut too thin, can make it unusable. As others say, seal the end grain. The wood will need to air dry a minimum of one year per inch before making a stock.

[NY_Treeguy]

Cut when green, 1/2-1” thicker than you want your finished boards. Seal ends with anchorseal, latex paint, or wax mixed with mineral oil so it won’t harden and fall off.

Stack and sticker somewhere with good air flow, preferably out of direct sun. Cover top of stack with plywood or sheet metal. Air drying takes a year per inch plus a year. (1”=2 years, 3”=4 years, etc)

[bangerjim]

I have a thousand board feet of 6/4 x 12' Iowa black walnut drying in one of my storage sheds. It just takes time. Seal the end grain. Hot paraffin will work in a pinch. Shim between the stacks for air circulation. And, like fine whiskey makers, just sit back and wait.

[mazo kid]

I had a portable sawmill come to me a couple of times to saw walnut logs. He was reasonable in price, although he wouldn't do quarter-sawing, said it took too much time and wasted wood. I had some sawed 2-1/2" thick, the rest 1" boards. Stacked with stickers between each layer, painted the ends with any paint you may have on hand. In our area (Wisconsin), the rule is 1 year per inch of thickness for air drying. I have some that is 15 years old, the latest is 6 years.

[ulav8r]

Sealing the ends is mandatory to prevent splitting/cracking. Should be done within 2 to 3 days after cutting the tree down. It can be done after milling IF it is milled right away. If it is going to be longer before it it milled, then go ahead and seal the ends. The ends will dry much quicker than the rest of the board/flitch and cause differential shrinking which sets up stresses that cause splitting.

Sticking/stickering allows airflow to carry away moisture as the wood drys, and keeps the wood flat and straight. A rifle stock blank needs to be at least 2 1/4 thick after drying if a cheek piece is planned, if no cheek piece is planned then 2" will do. These dimensions assume a straight blank. Initial milling should allow 1/2" extra for shrinking and warping.

[beezapilot]

I laid in a bunch of cherry once upon a time. Used stickers between the planks and they sat out of the rain and in the shade for a few years. When I went to sort them out I found that the planks had begun to rot where the stickers were. Beautiful wood, so long as the projects were less then 20 inches in length. An old timer told me after that to re-stack about every 6 months, move the inside planks to outside and bottom wood to the top and make sure that the stickers move round a bit.

[bangerjim]

"Sitting out in the rain" sure does not prevent potential rot! Sorry you had that experience with some fine wood. My woods are all stored inside and the AZ summer heat takes care of drying between the stickers and stacks. Humidity here is almost non-existent many days!

[RogerDat]

Saw into boards as green as possible. ALWAYS seal the ends right after sawn into boards. Sticker between boards to allow for air flow and circulation

Helped a buddy with taking the timber off of his lot for use when he built the house. Portable saw mill came out and this is exactly what was done with lumber stacked inside a tractor shed. Cut thick to allow for milling down to boards. Ended up as railings, stairs and beams in the house. Thinking back he may have let it dry for a season or so then paid for kiln drying. Drier it is going in the less time it needs in the kiln which saved him some money.

[RogerDat]

Might also want to consider having the wood quarter sawn. This pattern has greater loss to saw but also yields wood with grain oriented so as to be less likely to warp or crack. Cut log into quarters. Lay each quarter wedge point up then saw into boards horizontally working toward the outside of the log Looks entirely different grain wise as well as having the grain oriented to resist warping.

quarter sawn lumber is prized by cabinet and furniture makers. Not sure how it rates for use in stocks.

[John Wayne]

Fine advice from everyone here. Read kootne advice twice. The stump is precious. Use a pressure washer on it before sawing.