Thread: Drying blackwood

How big was the original tree, how long had it been dead?

Just because it has been dead for years doesn't mean it is dry on the inside. Stack and sticker it and check with moisture meter after a few weeks, see what it is then.

I'm in agreement with Neil on that one.

One more question to ask is if you want dry timber or seasoned timber?

A critical factor often overlooked when drying, is wood movement.

As it's re-sawn it still has to relieve internal tension and stresses which takes time.

Ergo.. you can have dried timber that will Move, Twist, Warp and Cup on ya.

These situations rarely occur with seasoned timber.

We collect much of our own timer, which in the main are Desert Timbers and are mostly a lot drier that coastal species for re-sawing.
Despite the short cuts I hear about I still think 1 year per inch an extra year for LUCK! is still a good rule of thumb.

Cheers


Steve

Melanoxylon tends to dry out fairly quickly (s/east queensand),with little degrade...keep it dry and cool....

Hi Bob47,
You would be a few Deg. cooler in Tassie than here in SW Vic.
I fear although it is only 25mm. I still think you have a llllloooonnnngggg wait.
That Stuff seems to take forever, & as was said, put the Date on it & Check every week or so.
Personally, I can't use it for Turning, as the Dust just makes the nose run, mask or not.

Thanks for the comments.

I have stacked and stickered the slabs and sealed the ends.

The log is about 350 to 400 mm diameter. I do not know how long the tree had been dead, I suspect over 8 years. The wood certainly looks dry, and dulled the chain quickly. Movement due to relief of stress is inevitable. I have weighed a piece and will weigh it again in a few months.

Have you thought about getting it kiln dried ? It does take along time here in Tas, it can even stop drying in winter months depending on where you live. I have succesfully dried blackwood, I allowed about 2 years for 25mm thick boards to be sure. Some 45mm slabs took about 3 - 4 years, that is now a kitchen bench and it has not moved at all, very happy with it.
regards John

Thanks for the suggestion John.

Thinking about I still have a little of the walnut I had milled 10+ years ago, and have just started playing with the plum I slabbed 2 years ago. I can probably afford to wait, though the blackwood is nice stuff and it is tempting to do something with it. Too many things to get in the way of wood working.