moisture screwup new guns strips

[doyenofcastle]

I was planning to make new guns from opepe wood and padauk specially my wife and kid is out for vacation and house is empty ,went to the lumber yard and got 2 heavy pieces ,I was happy to get both for cheap price but after cut them to 12-14 mm strip I notice a wet surface on each but thought its natural and didn't buy a moisture meter then by coincidence when I weight the strip for calculating density I got the shit ,all calculation give me a specific gravity of 0.98 to 1.1 !! the wood specific gravity should be 0.7 to 0.79 maximum ,I was asking carpenters how to do especially Kd or dryer here is very expensive and not practical ,they told me to keep in home for sometimes and try to exposure to sun ,humidity here range from 40 to 60 % and temperature now in winter 19 C to 28 C ,Is there any good advice especially for drying that pieces I read if i exposure to direct sun rays it will change dimension and warp but keeping in home will take too much time

 

[foxfish]

The best way to dry timber is slowly, fresh cut sawn wood takes approximately one year for every inch of thickness to air dry.
It is best stored in a cool dark place like an outdoor shed, the wood needs to have the end grain coated to stop it splitting (checking).
So I store my wood, stacked on small strips of wood (stickers) so the air can get around the individual pieces.
I mostly saw the tree wood into 2" by 6" by 3' lengths & keep it for at least two years.
If I have to buy the wood from a store, I would keep it in my workshop (shed) for a month or two.
For guitar building I bring the dried wood into the house for a few months before using it.

I would suggest that you clamp down your cut strips between some heavy timber & leave it to dry under cover in the coolest place you can find for a month or two, put some wax or tar on the end grain.

 

[doyenofcastle]

I put them in the backyard the air flow very high in that narrow passage ,but I was planned everything to finish before my wife arrival I think new strategy need to be organized