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Question
I just fell and milled a white oak. How should I dry it? I already placed it in a sunny location with plenty of airspace between the planks. Will it crack when it dries?
Hi Ray, The trick to drying this wood is to keep it dry and out of direct sunlight. To minimize warping, cupping and cracking you need to control and slow the drying time as much as possible. first things first, you must get the wood out of the direct sunlight. The wood needs to be stacked with spacers. follow the link below to see how to stack it properly
http://www.tu-dresden.de/mw/ivu/Poster/stack3d.gif
To minimize the warping and cupping you should add some heavy lumber on top of the stack. You should then get a tarp and wrap it around the top and sides leaving room for air to enter from the bottom. You don't say what the dimensions of the planks are but 3-6 months should be adequate drying time. You will of course lose some of the wood but the longer and slower you allow it to dry, the better the results will be. Good luck and thanks for your question.
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| Comment | Thanks, I figured most of it, but I thought the heat of the sunlight would be best. I will tarp up the load. | ||
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Answers by Expert:
maura macaluso
Expertise
I can answer most questions, regarding, wood sculpture, wood carving, carving tools and accessories and different types of woods.I am not an appraiser of carvings nor an antique dealer.
Experience
I do full design work, custom carving, restoration, fabrication, repair and refinishing. I can take a piece of raw wood and turn it into a work of art and I can help you do the same. I am "the" carving instructor for the new york city parks dept. I am heavily involved in carving on the internet and belong to many, many mail lists which are quite active. I am also an international promoter of woodcarving and am affiliated with many master carvers, notably nora hall, originally from holland, now in the U.S. and kalina pavlova, a bulgarian master carver. I routinely communicate with the top names in professional woodcarving nationally and internationally.
Organizations
the national association of woodcarvers. the woodcarvers of queens NY, the staten island woodcarvers. the northeast woodcarving association. the world wide carving internet list
Publications
chip chats-the national magazine of woodcarving. also at www.carvinginnyc.com
Education/Credentials
Self taught artist and sculptor, 40 years of drawing and painting as a hobby, 5 years of serious woodsculpting. I have my own website and have written a 300 pg book on carving. I have published online tutorials and pictorial projects
Awards and Honors
many first place awards
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