This is only the second time I have tried purchasing rough cut lumber and trying to plane it down to required dimensions. I purchased about 150 BF of air-dried poplar. I do not own a moisture meter but according to mill, the wood has been air-drying for a few months. Once I milled a few pieces (not to final dimension) I noticed the boards beginning to warp and twist. I re-stacked and clamped them down but I am afraid the wood isn't dry enough and they will continue to move. I am not sure what to do at this point. I have a dehumidifier in my basement and it normally is around 50-60%. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Warping after planing
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u really need a meter. harbor freight sells one for $12 its not an expensive one but it gives u an idea. it works for me
Buying a moisture meter is like buying insurance. You pay for what you get. DO not buy one from harbor freight. You get false readings. I have a nice Wagner one and it's a scan type and it works awesome. Setting the meters for specific gravity helps a lot. Again you pay for what you get
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I've been shop drying for a little while; using a dehumidifier in a basement just like you. With relative humidity at 50% or below I got a stack of 1" elm boards dry in 9 months. They may have been dry sooner, but I didn't have a meter until then. That first stack had a tiny amount of staining where the stickers touched the lumber, so since then I've put a box fan against the stack that wired into the shop lights, so anytime I'm working it gets a little circulation, which has resolved the staining problem.
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Remember, when planing rough sawn lumber, you should take an equal amount off both surfaces. Run the board through the planer, flip it over, adjust the planer and run it through again. Keep up the steps until the board is the thickness you want. Then stack and sticker the boards until you are ready to use them. Do not lay them on a flat surface that restricts air flow to both the top and bottom of the board.
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You don't need a moisture meter to know if the lumber is dry. You need one to know the percent of moisture content. To know if the wood is dry, or dry as it will get for the ambient location, weigh the wood. When the wood stops getting lighter, it's as dry as it will get for where it's located.
To minimize the possibility of warping after planing would be to plane both sides taking off the same amount each time. When done and the thickness is what you want, stack up the boards and sticker them to maintain air circulation around them.
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To minimize the possibility of warping after planing would be to plane both sides taking off the same amount each time. When done and the thickness is what you want, stack up the boards and sticker them to maintain air circulation around them.
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That's a very false statement. Just like working out you gain strength fast ,with wood it loses a lot fast in the beginning. Then It slows down a lot. That's why drying wood isn't an over night process. Takes time and if you where to take that undried piece of lumber and take to say Colorado. It WILL move. Your lumber like everyone on here knows must be between 10-5%. 12% is pushing it.
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What statement are you referring to? :huh:
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