Drying Green Wood

  • October 09, 2022 7:35 PM
    Message # 12947949

    I purchased some newly milled Applewood that of course needs to be dried.  With heating season coming it occurred to me that the wood could be stickered in our furnace room to speed the drying process like a kiln would.  Are there problems with doing this?  Thanks.

  • October 10, 2022 5:18 AM
    Reply # 12948352 on 12947949

    Bob,

    I'm not an expert on this, but I do know you want to dry it slowly. If the furnace room is warm and dry it might accelerate the process too much, which could result in cracking. I've dried oak in my barn and even after painting the ends cracks developed in nearly every piece.

    Mike

  • October 10, 2022 6:38 AM
    Reply # 12948384 on 12947949

    Your not going to generate enough heat from the ambient air temperature around your furnace, unless it is truily very old and inefficient. Since I've only used my own air dried wood for some time now, it is more important to have good air circulation in the area that it is stacked and stickered. I use an area in an unused garage bay.

    Don't rush it, you'll be surprised how fast the time go's by doing other projects. I have a stack of black walnut from 12 tree trunks I stacked 3 years ago, meant to make something last year from it, still havn't touch it yet.

  • October 10, 2022 7:39 PM
    Reply # 12949448 on 12947949

    Hi Jim and Mike,

    I have several varieties of wood drying for as much as four years and have a good supply of lumber.  However I could use this 5/4 apple sooner if possible.  My oil fired forced air heating system actually IS old and inefficient (replacement got delayed to next year when my roof was replaced last week to the tune of $40k).  Our furnace room gets to perhaps 80 degrees and there’s air circulation for the burner.

    So drying wood in the furnace room is bound to be accelerated; the question is whether this is likely to do damage to the wood.

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