Stupid Question?

[alex_w]

I understand the rule of thumb about air drying planks as a year an inch plus a year for drying time. Is the water moving along the grain to the ends of the plank as opposed to moving acoss the grain. If so surely this means that shorter planks will dry a lot quicker?

 

I'm asking as a customer who wants a load of planks when dry will need them in short sections. Perhaps cutting into shorter lengths and sealing ends still will allow them to dry quicker, or will I just waste a lot of wood with lots more end cracks? The planks are 2 1/4 beech and oak in 12ft lengths. should I shorten them to 6ft long?

 

Alex

[alex_w]

No advice?

[Daniël Bos]

As far as I know, it does travel along the grain slightly easier, but that'll not make much difference in drying. Even if it would dry three times as quick "along the grain" (wich I doubt it does) you'd have to cut them to less than a foot long to be effective.

[agg221]

Think of wood as a whole bundle of paper drinking straws with tiny holes punched in the sides. The water goes out of the ends of the straws far more easily, but can slowly cross from straw to straw through the holes.

 

When the wood dries, it shrinks (the walls of the straws all get thinner as the water comes out of them). If they get thinner at the ends faster than in the middle, it causes stress and the board splits from the end. To stop this, you seal the ends so that the water comes out only through the sides (via the tiny holes). The holes are very small, so the water diffuses out gently and the wood is less likely to dry faster in one place than another, so it doesn't crack.

 

So in answer to your question, leave them long as cutting short won't help and will just give you more end cracks so more waste.

 

Alec

[alex_w]

Thank you,

 

Some fine advice. Exactly what I was wondering.

[Paul Smith]

What do you recommend sealing the end grain with, PVA?

[morten]

What do you recommend sealing the end grain with, PVA?

 

PVA will do. So will wax, or even raw linseed oil. Anything that will slow the evaporation by sealing the end-grain, without hardening the wood too much, potentially causing damage to wood processing tools