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pmccombs
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Joined: 15 Jan 2013
Posts: 87
Location: Utah
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 Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2013 5:01 pm Post subject: Need advice on how to cure wood |
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I've recently acquired a few nice, thick slabs of quilted maple like this one:
Although these are slab cut, I still think they'll be really useful for making instruments. That is, they'll be useful after several more years of drying out!
How should I proceed? Should I plan and mill these into blanks first, or should I dry them out as they are? How should I stabilize this wood so that it doesn't develop cracks while it's drying?
The neighbor I got them from suggested I might mix some sort of linseed oil with a thinner (turpentine?) and spray them, especially the end grain. |
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actonern
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Joined: 15 Aug 2007
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| Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2013 5:44 pm Post subject: |
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I'd suggest applying nothing to the boards except on the ends... melted paraffin dip works fine.
Also, I wouldn't rush initially to bring the moisture level down. Leave them in the garage or some other unheated space for a few months.
And don't trim or plane them yet...
Nice wood!
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Chet Bishop
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Joined: 23 Mar 2007
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Location: Forest Grove, Oregon
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| Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2013 6:50 pm Post subject: |
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If it isn't too late, you could mix a solution of pure borax in water, and saturate all the surfaces with that solution to discourage molds and fungi. It doesn't hurt anything, and will be planed off when you begin making cuts.
Stack the billets with "stickers" (1" x1" stock) between them to allow air circulation. The sooner the surfaces at least are completely dry, the less the likelihood of really bad molds. A fan would be a good idea for a few days, at least.
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Chet Bishop
https://bluefiddles.com
https://fivestringfiddles.com |
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pmccombs
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Joined: 15 Jan 2013
Posts: 87
Location: Utah
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| Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2013 10:40 am Post subject: |
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| Chet Bishop wrote: | If it isn't too late, you could mix a solution of pure borax in water, and saturate all the surfaces with that solution to discourage molds and fungi. It doesn't hurt anything, and will be planed off when you begin making cuts.
Stack the billets with "stickers" (1" x1" stock) between them to allow air circulation. The sooner the surfaces at least are completely dry, the less the likelihood of really bad molds. A fan would be a good idea for a few days, at least. |
Chet, I noticed that there appears to be some sort of fungus already on some of these boards. Would the borax solution still help?
The climate where I live is pretty dry, but this wood came from the northwest coast, where I imagine all sorts of molds live. |
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pmccombs
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Joined: 15 Jan 2013
Posts: 87
Location: Utah
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| Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2013 10:46 am Post subject: |
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| actonern wrote: | I'd suggest applying nothing to the boards except on the ends... melted paraffin dip works fine.
Also, I wouldn't rush initially to bring the moisture level down. Leave them in the garage or some other unheated space for a few months.
And don't trim or plane them yet...
Nice wood!
E |
Thanks!
When do you think I should consider cutting them into billets? A couple of these slabs are 8-ft, 100 lb behemoths and are rather difficult to store (I did manage to find space for them in the garage, as you suggested. I have them raised off the floor a couple of inches, and there is some space for air circulation). I imagine I'll need to find a sawmill that can cut them down for me. |
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Chet Bishop
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Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 678
Location: Forest Grove, Oregon
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| Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2013 12:58 pm Post subject: |
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| pmccombs wrote: |
Chet, I noticed that there appears to be some sort of fungus already on some of these boards. Would the borax solution still help?
The climate where I live is pretty dry, but this wood came from the northwest coast, where I imagine all sorts of molds live. |
You could plane off the mold/fungus, and brush on a bleach solution to kill the spores left in the wood. The borax is a good preventive measure-- I don't know if it will kill established growths.
Chet
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Chet Bishop
https://bluefiddles.com
https://fivestringfiddles.com |
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