# Drying wood



## ErnieD (Oct 22, 2014)

I was given a cherry tree trunk it has been sitting outside in his yard but was covered up.When i got it i did not have a way to cut it into boards i put it in the heated shop to dry three days ago when i had time to work on it I used my hand plainer and plained it square on all four sides then ran it through the table saw I ran it through the saw flipping it over and raising the blade I repeated this until i was left with 8 1in thick and 5ft long boards,Now i see there is still some dampness in it.My question is how should i dry it?should i sticker it and leave in the heated shop or stack it in the covered wood rack i have on side of my shop and air dry it?I got some very nice coluor and would sure like to keep it as flat and useful as possible.


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

Sticker it flat, cover and air dry it outside to take full advantage of the color. You'll be looking at a year +/- before you can use it. paint the ends to help prevent checking/cracking. Moisture content should be around 8-12% when the wood is ready to work.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I agree with Bill, slow and steady is the ticket. Drying it too fast risks major checking as well as bowing and twisting. Put some weight on it if possible.


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> I agree with Bill, slow and steady is the ticket. Drying it too fast risks major checking as well as bowing and twisting. Put some weight on it if possible.


yep, yep.. set it up flat to dry flat....weighing it down is an excellent add-on!!!!!


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

ErnieD said:


> I was given a cherry tree trunk it has been sitting outside in his yard but was covered up.When i got it i did not have a way to cut it into boards i put it in the heated shop to dry three days ago when i had time to work on it I used my hand plainer and plained it square on all four sides then ran it through the table saw I ran it through the saw flipping it over and raising the blade I repeated this until i was left with 8 1in thick and 5ft long boards,Now i see there is still some dampness in it.My question is how should i dry it?should i sticker it and leave in the heated shop or stack it in the covered wood rack i have on side of my shop and air dry it?I got some very nice coluor and would sure like to keep it as flat and useful as possible.


see if any of this helps...


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Nothing to add but what a great find. Cherry is such a beautiful wood. I would take a year to figure out 2-3 projects to use it on. Do make sure you coat the ends for drying. I'd certainly let it air dry and I'd pile on the weight, maybe gallon bottles or flat rocks. Keep it out of the rain. Gotta be hundreds of bucks worth of Cherry.


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## CeloNC (Jan 30, 2013)

*Air drying*

I agree with TwoSkies57 and want to add that a good rule of thumb is to air dry for one year for each inch of wood. Because cherry tends to darken with age, it might be good to re-stack every six months and move the stickers to avoid getting light streaks in the wood. Anchor Seal is a great product for sealing the ends and cherry does have a tendency to split. As for the moisture, it is very difficult, i my experience to get below 12-14% air drying. I just purchased some cherry that was air dried for 20 years and still reads at 14%.


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