Drying Black Wattle

[CameronPotter]

Hi,

My father-in-law got a whole heap of black wattle recently and painted the ends to try to stop the wood from cracking. It hasn't worked at all. The wood has seriously cracked.

Can I get some advice on the best way to dry timber. I have done a bit of a search but couldn't find any answers to this problem.

I have thought of a few possible problems that might have caused this:

1. The paint wasn't thick enough, I know that wax would have been better, but others seem to use paint with better results than this.
2. The wood wasn't stripped of bark (or was stripped of bark). Which is the better way to do it?
3. The wood was left as a log rather than cutting it immediately into boards.
4. The wood was not sealed immediately, but instead about 1-2 weeks later. I think he got it from a friend...
5. Black wattle may simply be very difficult to dry.
6. Tasmania (Hobart) may be too humid to dry it nicely without some further precautions.
7. I think that it was dried outside, maybe it would have been better inside or at least out of the sun?

Anyway, as you can see, I have a lot of questions - any answers would be appreciated.

Cheers

Cam

[Ianab]

3. The wood was left as a log rather than cutting it immediately into boards.

Thats your number one problem :o Most wood dried in log form will split.

Cut it in to boards right away and dry those. End painting will help prevent splits at the end of the boards. Paint the ends right away, once the splits start it's too late. If you dont end coat you may have to trim 6" off each end but the rest of the board should be OK


2. The wood wasn't stripped of bark (or was stripped of bark). Which is the better way to do it?

Once you have sawn it into boards, the bark isn't usually an issue.


5. Black wattle may simply be very difficult to dry.

I dont know anything about black wattle timber specifically, but generally drying slower is better for difficult woods. A humid climate will slow drying, thats a good thing unless you have a very light wood like pine, then you may get fungal stain. (the wood goes blue or green)


7. I think that it was dried outside, maybe it would have been better inside or at least out of the sun?

Outside is generally best, but in the shade for sure. A carport or just a tin roof over the stack is fine. If you need fast drying put the stack in a place where if gets a good breeze, if you need to slow drying you can put some windbreak around the stack to reduce airflow.

Most wood can be air dried, some need fast drying, some need slow, and the easy ones dont really care.

This page has some info on air drying your own wood.
http://www.scottbanbury.com/dryingyourlumber.pdf

Cheers

Ian

[echnidna]

Black wattle (A. Mearnsi) seasons relatively easily.
Logs will split no matter what you do to them. You need to cut it into boards and that will greatly reduce the problem.

[MajorPanic]

Black Wattle recovery is only about 60% on average.

I've had 2 large BW logs milled & have some very nice timber out of it. :D

The ends have to be sealed with end grain sealer available from Mobil Aust. & for the first 6 months or so it's best to wrap the stickered stacks in black plastic. It's also best to have them under cover eg; in a shed or car port.

Even with careful drying thing go the way they want, I had a few sticks of 75mm X 75mm cut & they ended up with a twist over 100° in them! :eek:

[CameronPotter]

Thanks fellas.

I sawed them up on the weekend and there are some REALLY nice figures in the wood. I had to saw off the cracks, the first plank that was sawn that had a crack in it opened up almost so quickly you could watch it open. Needless to say I very quickly tried to cut the end of the plank off to stop it in its tracks.

I hope that I don't get a 100 degree loop in mine, but you never know...

Anyway, thanks for the advice and the link.

Cheers

Cam

[JackoH]

Plus all of the above with which I heartily agree, you also need to watch out for borers. The cambium layer and sapwood of this species is very susceptible to attack whilst drying. This is evidenced by little (or big) heaps of fine dust appearing under the wood pile.

[CameronPotter]

Yeah, I found a few borers on the way through the logs. I wasn't too happy about that really, but worth looking for next time I would say.