How long should timber be seasoned for ? I'm not thinking of
air-drying and the usual rule of "a year an inch", but of the benefits
(if any) of seasoning timber for maybe a decade or so. This has been
a practice in the past, as an ideal or an acident, if more than by
deliberate practice. Does anyone still do it ? Any benefits ? Any
real basis to this, or is it just an old duffer's tale ?
snip
Andy Dingley wrote:
>
> How long should timber be seasoned for ? I'm not thinking of
> air-drying and the usual rule of "a year an inch", but of the benefits
> (if any) of seasoning timber for maybe a decade or so. This has been
> a practice in the past, as an ideal or an acident, if more than by
> deliberate practice. Does anyone still do it ? Any benefits ? Any
> real basis to this, or is it just an old duffer's tale ?
I've got an old (50+ yr) of pine 2X16. The first owner had it in his
shop for better than 40 years and never used it because he couldn't find
something worth cutting it up on. He left it to his son, a shop teacher
who had it for 10-15 years and never got around to doing anything with
it. I picked it up when he moved to FL. This is a seriously heavy and
hard piece of wood. I really wouldn't want to try putting nails in it.
It's almost as though the sap turned into amber inside it. Of course it
didn't, but it's that hard. May be something to the old tales.
Dave in Fairfax
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snip
[email protected] wrote:
> Some thoughts. Is it pine? What species of pine if it is? Then did
> it come from a forrest that denser than now. Sort of like an old
> growth were the growth rings came on smaller due to crowding.
>
> Wes
It's a dark yellow/ almost a light reddish-brown. It doesn't look like
spruce or fir, though. I was told that it was pine, My guess is that
it IS old growth, which is half th ereason that I don't whant to waste
it on something dumb. Old wood is getting rare and I don't want to do
something just 'cause it's burning a hole in my pocket. I'd rather save
it another 50 yrs and pass it on if I have to. 'Course by then I won't
be able to move it. I just hate the thought of wasting good wood, like
burning walnut, can't unring the bell.
Dave in Fairfax
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[email protected] wrote:
> Just out of curiosity what part of what country are you in? Maybe
> someone smarter than me will figure out what species it is.
> Wes
I'm in Northern VA, but I don't know that the wood is from this area.
Like I said, I'm the 3rd owner. My brother is the state archeologist in
SC, if he comes up this way I'll show it to him and see what he thinks.
Good thought, it hadn't occurred to me.
Dave in Fairfax
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If you look at Hoadley, you'll see that movement diminishes with greater
cycling (seasons), so I would say you're doing nothing wrong.
"Andy Dingley" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> How long should timber be seasoned for ? I'm not thinking of
> air-drying and the usual rule of "a year an inch", but of the benefits
> (if any) of seasoning timber for maybe a decade or so. This has been
> a practice in the past, as an ideal or an acident, if more than by
> deliberate practice. Does anyone still do it ? Any benefits ? Any
> real basis to this, or is it just an old duffer's tale ?
>
[email protected] wrote:
>I've got an old (50+ yr) of pine 2X16. The first owner had it in his
>shop for better than 40 years and never used it because he couldn't find
>something worth cutting it up on. He left it to his son, a shop teacher
>who had it for 10-15 years and never got around to doing anything with
>it. I picked it up when he moved to FL. This is a seriously heavy and
>hard piece of wood. I really wouldn't want to try putting nails in it.
>It's almost as though the sap turned into amber inside it. Of course it
>didn't, but it's that hard. May be something to the old tales.
>
>Dave in Fairfax
Some thoughts. Is it pine? What species of pine if it is? Then did
it come from a forrest that denser than now. Sort of like an old
growth were the growth rings came on smaller due to crowding.
Wes
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[email protected] wrote:
>It's a dark yellow/ almost a light reddish-brown. It doesn't look like
>spruce or fir, though. I was told that it was pine, My guess is that
>it IS old growth, which is half th ereason that I don't whant to waste
>it on something dumb. Old wood is getting rare and I don't want to do
>something just 'cause it's burning a hole in my pocket. I'd rather save
>it another 50 yrs and pass it on if I have to. 'Course by then I won't
>be able to move it. I just hate the thought of wasting good wood, like
>burning walnut, can't unring the bell.
>Dave in Fairfax
Just out of curiosity what part of what country are you in? Maybe
someone smarter than me will figure out what species it is.
A board that old deserves respect. I tip my hat to those that move
old barns to new locations to save them.
I know that archeolegists (-2 sp) have made databases of growth rings
in many areas. If the wood is local, it is likely that the age can be
verified. Wish I had some web links on the subject for you.
Wes
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