Air Drying Hardwood Lumber

We offer an express kiln drying system also as an option for drying your lumber.
Air drying hardwood lumber. The most common method used to air dry lumber is to lay narrow sticks perpendicular to the layers of lumber to create an air space between each layer so the moisture can escape. At this complex the largest of its kind in the u s robert has the responsibility for air drying and then kiln drying about 70 million board feet of hardwood every year. Depending on the species and your climate it can take from 2 to 12 months to bring 4 4 lumber from green to air dry 12 to 20 percent moisture content depending on your location. As a very rough estimate it can take 6 to 9 months to properly air dry 1 inch thick red oak hardwood lumber.
As long as the air temperature remains above freezing then the wood can make progress on drying. This will accelerate the drying and keep it more even throughout the lumber pile. If you re planning to use the lumber for outdoor projects airdrying outdoors is fine. Air dry isn t dry enough for indoor use.
At an additional cost your hardwood lumber can be dried in a matter of days. Robert mcguffy has headed up the wood drying sequence at the anderson tully company s vicksburg mississippi hardwood processing facility for decades. A good foundation is critical to successfully drying wood. Kiln drying your lumber is the best way to get the most out of the your hardwood lumber with the least amount of effort and space.