Ideal wood moisture content - Woodworking Talk

arkyrick · 02-12-2008, 08:14 PM

My first experiance with using wood that was not dry enough happened years ago when I bought some cherry from a sawmill that was supposedly kiln dried we built beautiful cabinets in my Father in laws kitchen with it, only to find about a year later it shrunk almost a 1/4 inch

, my question is when using sawmill lumber what is an ideal moisture content.

**Daren** · 02-12-2008, 08:27 PM

Well, that is a deep subject. "kiln dry" is 7% or less...but it can regain moisture in a humid environment, up to 12%. I will not go into EMC (equilibrium moisture content) and relative humidity's effect on dry wood. Reason being if a cabinet shrank 1/4"...it was not kiln dried, simple as that in my opinion.

richel · 02-12-2008, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arkyrick

My first experiance with using wood that was not dry enough happened years ago when I bought some cherry from a sawmill that was supposedly kiln dried we built beautiful cabinets in my Father in laws kitchen with it, only to find about a year later it shrunk almost a 1/4 inch

, my question is when using sawmill lumber what is an ideal moisture content.

You definitely had some wet wood. I have worked in the hardwood flooring industry for over ten years, and from what I have learned, 6 to 8% is considered ideal. That is what we strive for. It is easy to check with a moisture meter, available at many places. Good luck.

Rich in Greenfield, WI