Joe,
Thanks for the reply. Will doors that cup return to their original
shape when the humidity stabilizes, or will the wood remain cupped?
Joe Bemier wrote:
> On Sat, 9 Sep 2006 23:41:47 -0400, "Upscale" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> >
> >"Nick Falkoff" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> >> What is the recomended moisture content for maple being used on cabinet
> >> doors?
> >
> >I'd say the recommended moisture content is close to what's standard for the
> >area in which it's going to be used.
> >
> Thats a key point. One can fuss with moisture meters, and stress over
> readings an calculations and it can all become circular. maybe its
> necessary if one is importing from say Asia (humid) to the SW of USA
> (dry). However, as US points out the simple approach for most work is
> to acclimate the stock.
> On my jobs I lay the stock into the location where I will be building
> the stairs. Ideally, the stock will sit in the very room where the
> work will be carried out. I prefer to have it sit (sticked) for 6-8
> weeks. I follow this procedure regardless of species. If people don't
> want to wait I politely inform them to find another builder.
Nicholas,
Most wood is kiln-dried to about 6% and in the industry, that is what is
used when producing cabinetry, etc. The larger manufacturers keep their
milling and finishing operations at about 72° F. and 30% relative humidity.
However, most of us have small open shops and although we may buy kiln-dried
wood, it won't stay at a very low moisture content for long. And, if we
air dry our lumber, it swings around an average that is determined by your
individual micro-climate. In my area, hot and humid south central Texas,
8-9% is good enough. The key is to use kiln-dried lumber quickly or for air
dried, let it stabilize, preferably in the conditions in which it will be
used. In fact, some will air dry lumber outside for a few months (if you
are lumbering your own wood), then continue drying in the shop until the
moisture content stabilizes, then move the lumber into the house a couple of
months to dry a little more. For kitchen cabinets, I am not as obsessive as
when building nice furniture. Maple has about the same shrinkage properties
as red oak, with a tangential shrinkage of about 8.2% when going from
saturated to dry, so it does shrink a fair amount.
For some really good information, check out, "Understanding Wood", by R.
Bruce Hoadley. You can probably pick it up used off of Amazon.com for a
good price.
Preston
"Nick Falkoff" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> What is the recomended moisture content for maple being used on cabinet
> doors?
>
> Thank You,
> Nicholas Falkoff
>
On Sat, 9 Sep 2006 23:41:47 -0400, "Upscale" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>
>"Nick Falkoff" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> What is the recomended moisture content for maple being used on cabinet
>> doors?
>
>I'd say the recommended moisture content is close to what's standard for the
>area in which it's going to be used.
>
Thats a key point. One can fuss with moisture meters, and stress over
readings an calculations and it can all become circular. maybe its
necessary if one is importing from say Asia (humid) to the SW of USA
(dry). However, as US points out the simple approach for most work is
to acclimate the stock.
On my jobs I lay the stock into the location where I will be building
the stairs. Ideally, the stock will sit in the very room where the
work will be carried out. I prefer to have it sit (sticked) for 6-8
weeks. I follow this procedure regardless of species. If people don't
want to wait I politely inform them to find another builder.
"Nick Falkoff" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> What is the recomended moisture content for maple being used on cabinet
> doors?
I'd say the recommended moisture content is close to what's standard for the
area in which it's going to be used.
On 10 Sep 2006 18:34:36 -0700, "Nick Falkoff"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Joe,
>
>Thanks for the reply. Will doors that cup return to their original
>shape when the humidity stabilizes, or will the wood remain cupped?
I would guess that if cupped, they will stay cupped. Wood moves quite
a bit depending on species but cupping is a result of different cells
drying at different rates, IIRC. Moisture fluctuations are more
inclined to cause swell and shrink than cup, IMO.
When I stick out my stock I usually put weights on top of the pile. I
have a half dozen boxes of old tiles that do the job quite well. But
in some cases no matter what we do the stock is going to cup or bow.
The Planer and Joiner can help here.
>
>
>Joe Bemier wrote:
>> On Sat, 9 Sep 2006 23:41:47 -0400, "Upscale" <[email protected]>
>> wrote:
>>
>> >
>> >"Nick Falkoff" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> >> What is the recomended moisture content for maple being used on cabinet
>> >> doors?
>> >
>> >I'd say the recommended moisture content is close to what's standard for the
>> >area in which it's going to be used.
>> >
>> Thats a key point. One can fuss with moisture meters, and stress over
>> readings an calculations and it can all become circular. maybe its
>> necessary if one is importing from say Asia (humid) to the SW of USA
>> (dry). However, as US points out the simple approach for most work is
>> to acclimate the stock.
>> On my jobs I lay the stock into the location where I will be building
>> the stairs. Ideally, the stock will sit in the very room where the
>> work will be carried out. I prefer to have it sit (sticked) for 6-8
>> weeks. I follow this procedure regardless of species. If people don't
>> want to wait I politely inform them to find another builder.