Thin Lumber (July 11, 2006)

This past weekend my sons and I pulled thin Maple and Cherry boards from the lumber pile that we cut this spring. The thickness of the boards was between 1/4 and 1/2 inch. My concern was about how well it would air dry. We were pleasently surprised to find out that the boards had dried considerably in just a short time and most were warp and crack free. I could probably look this up but I would venture to guess that the drying time for 1/2 inch lumber is one fourth the time required for 1 inch lumber. (Its OK - I am a engineer I am allowed to make such off-the-cuff estimations!) That means that the air drying time for this thin lumber would be approximately 3 months outside and 3 months inside. I don't forsee having to resaw lumber on a bandsaw for many years!