question regarding what conditions best to surface boards

[bensone]

I just purchased some rough sawn cherry. It has been dried in a barn with no climate control. Currently its moisture content is 11% and our outside temp. is in the low teens. (Michigan, you know) The boards are 1" to 11/4" thick and I want them finished to 3/4. I'll use a 12 1/2 DeWalt bench top planer. I am not sure if I should do this now or wait for warmer weather and lower wood moisture readings. This is my first time working rough sawn wood in a power planer.

[MadMark]

11% isn't that far out of line. How long has it been drying?

M

[bensone]

I'm told 7 months.

[Lou_williams]

For best results I would keep the wood in the shop for a few more months. Let it come to the same level as your shop. I assume that it is dry and heated. When you do surface make sure that you take the same amount off each side or it will warp. It is not likely that in 7 months the stock is consistant in mosture content accross a plank. The center will have a higher level than the edge. If you resaw now into two slabs, you will have one wet (relativily) and one dry side and you will have a very warped board almost as it leaves the saw.

I would leave them alone for as much as a year before tying to make anything other than fire wood.

[MadMark]

I was just looking thru "Wood Handbook - Wood As An Engineering Material" and it says that for your part of the country 8% is about right for furniture making. It also says that for this time of year the Michigan area is around 15% so it's about as dry as it's going to get without going into an oven.

The Wood Handbook is chock FULL of that kind of interesting tidbit. You can get a copy off my web page: http://www.netexperts.cc/~lambertm/Wood/usdabook.html

Check out the rest of my web page at: http://www.netexperts.cc/~lambertm/Wood/wood.html

M