Tips for Air Drying Slabs

[Westy619]

Hi all, I'll be picking up some freshly sawn slabs of ash and beech next week. I've been googling tips on how go about air drying the timber but a lot of the info online seems to come from the US. As climate will have a massive impact on the process I was hoping to get some pointers on what to do here in the UK. If we're going specific I'm based 5 or so miles inland from the NE coast of Scotland. Pictures of your wood stacks would be welcome too!

 

[MarkAW]

I found this guide informative
https://www.chilternsaonb.org/uploads/files/AboutTheChilterns/Woodlands/Air_Drying_of_Timber.pdf

 

[thetyreman]

I paint the end grain with chalk paint and leave it in stick with 20 x 20mm pieces of pine, that works for me, usually leave it 6-12 months if possible, sometimes several years.

 

[Westy619]

I found this guide informative
https://www.chilternsaonb.org/uploads/files/AboutTheChilterns/Woodlands/Air_Drying_of_Timber.pdf

Perfect, I'll have a read through

 

[Fitzroy]

I’m Aberdeen based and the cool, damp conditions are perfect for rot and fungal growth. I’d brush/spray it with a fungicide then stack it with wider than normal stickers, 25mm, and ensure it’s covered to keep most of the rain off. If you have a breezy location rather than in a damp, shaded corner I think that would be sensible.

 

[Westy619]

I’m Aberdeen based and the cool, damp conditions are perfect for rot and fungal growth. I’d brush/spray it with a fungicide then stack it with wider than normal stickers, 25mm, and ensure it’s covered to keep most of the rain off. If you have a breezy location rather than in a damp, shaded corner I think that would be sensible.

Would something like a builders fungicidal wash be suitable? I'm particularly worried about the beech as I know how susceptible to spalting that is.

 

[Fitzroy]

Not sure what a builders fungicidal wash would have in it, id be looking for a general purpose wood treatment

 

[custard]

You'll normally get spalting when the felled log has lain on the ground for any appreciable period of time. Incidentally, the way this often works is the landowner will fell trees and stack the logs into discrete piles, when there's enough piles to warrant it an auction some weeks or months in advance will be arranged. After that the buyers will arrange collection to a timing that suits their schedule, bottom line is that it's not uncommon for some logs to lay on the ground for over a year!

When you say "slabs", I normally think of a slab as well over 50mm thick, the rule of thumb is one year for each inch of thickness plus one summer. However, once you get much above 70mm drying rules tend to go out of the window, that's a key reason why really thick boards command a premium (in terms of price per cubic foot) over more normal boards, it's because pre-drying and kilning are more difficult and expensive.

Good luck!

 

[custard]

The workshop where I trained were steeped in the Arts & Crafts tradition, and consequently used to air dry a lot of their own timber. They had the most picturesque drying sheds I've ever seen. Those were indeed happy days!

 

[Cabinetman]

Yes from everybody’s experience thicker planks take longer to dry. Makes sense but then, I think that most of the moisture is trapped in the grain which I like to think of as tubes and it makes me think that it wicks out of the ends of the planks more than through the surface, and consequently shorter boards will dry quicker than longer ones. Is there any merit to this at all? Ian

 

[Cabinetman]

Wow! Even the boards on the sides are shaped, interestingly narrow at the bottom where they meet that rail, I suppose it would dry out quicker so prevents rot?

 

[Westy619]

Thanks for all the advice, those drying sheds look amazing! Mine will be far more "rustic" shall we say...

The timber I bought was sawn after the log had been felled and left for around a year or so. As a result, the majority of the timber does have some spalt in varying amounts. My primary concern would be to majorly slow down and halt the spalting from progressing. Is that a valid expectation to have from air drying? I dont have access to a commercial kiln and the amount of timber to get through means a home built kiln isnt feasible.