kiln dried or air dried?????
- Thread starter BHQ
- Start date
I got a hold of a really old Brazilian rosewood piece.
Air dried of course.
After I turned it and made into my cue, it did not move an eyelash.
It was at 6% when I turned it.
I stored it in the garage for 2 yrs, end-waxed.
Air dried of course.
After I turned it and made into my cue, it did not move an eyelash.
It was at 6% when I turned it.
I stored it in the garage for 2 yrs, end-waxed.
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i think when the pieces are small most woods will air dry fairly well,but some still take forever.i am always leary of buying air dried wood myself though b/c i have no way to check for sure and i don't want to start turning anything not dry enough.
i try to buy kiln dried stuff so i know for sure it's dry.i can let it sit around the shop for a month or two and then round it.
stuff that i buy that is air dry,i would want to sit for a year or so,b/c i have no way to test it.from what i understand about testing,it seemd that you have to drive to small nails into the wood before you can test,whic is something i don't want to do to certain pieces of wood.i guess on oversized or long piece it is OK,but not on something that is cut to size already.
i try to buy kiln dried stuff so i know for sure it's dry.i can let it sit around the shop for a month or two and then round it.
stuff that i buy that is air dry,i would want to sit for a year or so,b/c i have no way to test it.from what i understand about testing,it seemd that you have to drive to small nails into the wood before you can test,whic is something i don't want to do to certain pieces of wood.i guess on oversized or long piece it is OK,but not on something that is cut to size already.
BHQ said:
It's my understanding that the only way you would be able to tell is to have a microscope and know what your looking for off a slice of the end grain or send it to a forestry lab. I've been told the cell structure will be different on the kiln dried than on the naturally seasoned stuff.
Moisture is moisture.....but some claim the air dried has a different tone.
I don't really care as long as it is truly dry. But the odds are if you go to a wood supplier and he says it is air dried it will not be dry 90% of the time in the center. So you have to cut into a piece and check the moisture with your meter in the center to tell. I have bought wood that came in and had soaked the newspaper that is was wrapped in. And it was called air dried. They should just say air drying, unless it is several years old. I rarely buy air dried wood because of this. If a piece of exotic made it through the kiln drying process without cracking or warping pretty bad, then you have a good piece of wood usually.
BHQ said:
When I buy wood I assume that it is green (unseasoned) so I just let it rest in my air conditioned shop for at least 3 years then I don't have to worry.
Most of the wood I use has been resting for over 6 years and some has been handing for over 10 years. Actually I have quite an inventory of all kinds of exotic wood that has been resting over 10 years.
I have over 1500 pieces in inventory at this time and still buying wood.
A man can't have too much highest grade exotic wood.
Good Cuemaking,
Arnot Wadsworth said:
Tap Tap tap, thanks for sharing!!!!
I have started doing the same thing, but it will take 5 or 6 years to get to where you are. The same problem in this discussion also occurs with purchased blanks for cue from time to time. I have purchased blanks for Sneaky Petes and found that they would warp once in a while, so I also hang them for at least a year.
Then I purchased around 200 old one peice Brunswick cues from the 1890's to the 1940's.
Now these are stable, they do not move and they are easily converted to Sneakys and conversion cues. So until my wood has been drying for at least 5 years I have these and more coming to keep me busy. The wood in these is very nice in most cases, and the figure is really really good, but most of all I like to breath new life into these old cues and make them useful once again.
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I built a cue for a dear friend (who passed away a couple years ago). His Mom said the tree he had played in as a kid had fallen over in a storm. He asked me if I would make a cue for him from it. Told him I would try. So his 78 year old mother had the preacher help her cut the branches off the tree (I think she was in OK or TX) and sent them to him in Arizona. He came over with what she sent --- leaves, bugs, and all. I told him he would have to give me time. So those branches sat in a corner of my shop for several years ---- in Arizona, the shop temp could be 120 degrees in the summer ---- its called AIR DRIED
. He asked every once in awhile when I was going to build the cue ---- told him not yet --- wood wasn't done moving and splitting. Well there was a good size pile that had cracked & split and ended up in the garbage. Had just enough good wood to build him two cues ---- one for him and another he said he would give to his sister.
He told me the cue was the nicest thing anyone had every done for him ---- I didn't charge him ---- he was my friend.
. He asked every once in awhile when I was going to build the cue ---- told him not yet --- wood wasn't done moving and splitting. Well there was a good size pile that had cracked & split and ended up in the garbage. Had just enough good wood to build him two cues ---- one for him and another he said he would give to his sister. He told me the cue was the nicest thing anyone had every done for him ---- I didn't charge him ---- he was my friend. If I waited ten years before using a peice of wood, i'd have bought it in high school & still would never have built a single cue as of yet!!!!There are no major differences between kiln dried wood & air dried wood. Once dry it's dry. The one exception is vacuum drying, which is in itsself an entire science. Some vacuum kilns are microwave assist, so the wood is heated to incredible temps & the wood is dry in days. Not all are microwave assist, and do not heat the wood. Besides the microwave assist kilns, I believe any drying method known is fine so long as it does a thorough job. Dehumidifier kilns with no heat are kinda like hastened air drying. That said, I prefer air dried wood. It is most natural & there is no chance of chemical or structural alteration. A candle kiln, conventional, is next best thing. It's also the most preferred amoung the high end wood working & lumber world. The general rule is that if you have enough time, dry the wood conventionally. If you are in a hurry or need high output, dry it in a vacuum but be sure to do it exactly right. Vacuum drying is a science, complicated & complex. Otherwise, wood drying is pretty elementary stuff. People do it in their homes, or build small sheds, or even use old refrigerators with a dehumidifier. But in the end, once the wood is dry & cured, it's done.
More importantaly than the drying method is the turning method. That's where you either meet success or failure. It's something you learn as you go, and every builder has his/her own methods. Nothing is written in stone, so you can't break any rules. Try this, try that, use what works best.
I'll agree that "dry is dry." The art of drying wood properly is a bit tricky, however. Straight-grain maple and curly/BE can't be dried the same way; the temp/time for straight-grain will cause curly/BE to check something fierce. While microscopic views indeed tell if the wood cell structure has been too dessicated (collapsed walls, etc.) you can generally tell if wood is properly dried by the chip from the lathe; a ragged stringy chip (assuming yoour tools are sharp, of course) means wet wood, while dusty chips betray dessicated wood. I use kiln-dried maple for shafts, prefer air-dry for all else -- some inventory approaches 20 years!
i got an "el cheapo" moisture meter on the wayqbilder said:
There are no major differences between kiln dried wood & air dried wood. Once dry it's dry. The one exception is vacuum drying, which is in itsself an entire science. Some vacuum kilns are microwave assist, so the wood is heated to incredible temps & the wood is dry in days. Not all are microwave assist, and do not heat the wood. Besides the microwave assist kilns, I believe any drying method known is fine so long as it does a thorough job. Dehumidifier kilns with no heat are kinda like hastened air drying. That said, I prefer air dried wood. It is most natural & there is no chance of chemical or structural alteration. A candle kiln, conventional, is next best thing. It's also the most preferred amoung the high end wood working & lumber world. The general rule is that if you have enough time, dry the wood conventionally. If you are in a hurry or need high output, dry it in a vacuum but be sure to do it exactly right. Vacuum drying is a science, complicated & complex. Otherwise, wood drying is pretty elementary stuff. People do it in their homes, or build small sheds, or even use old refrigerators with a dehumidifier. But in the end, once the wood is dry & cured, it's done.
More importantaly than the drying method is the turning method. That's where you either meet success or failure. It's something you learn as you go, and every builder has his/her own methods. Nothing is written in stone, so you can't break any rules. Try this, try that, use what works best.
we'll see what happens
BHQ said:
where did you get it???
