Replies

1. 
   fdampier5 | May 03, 2004 05:12pm | #1

   The formula used for years is one year per inch.. Now the really bad news!

     I take it you didn't back prime it! that means that it will forever want to spit off it's paint.. what happens is the unpainted back side will absorb whatever moisture there is around and that moisture will do it's very best to pry off your paint from the back side.

    shrinkage for cedar varies with the species. Alaska for example shrinks .0095 radial and .00208 tangentally while Northern white shrinks .00101 raially and .00229

     I've got the formula if you want it but there are so many varibles here that it will overwhelm you.    Assuming that you got what is called SD19 cedar which means that it was supposed to be at 19 percent moisture content when it arrived at your location..   That's really preety green since a log that is growing could have as little as 25% moisture depending on where and when.. for information wood that is going to be used for furniture inside needs to be around 8 percent moisture content or evan less in northern climates during the heating season..

    exterior wood will stabilize around 10 to 12% moisture depending on your location and season ..

      Anyway now come some of the varibles.. if it is stored in a warm dry location you could figure on being able to paint it in as little as six months.. if exposed to rain and kept cool it will take longer..

    shrinkage really was covered above.. figure out which type of cedar you have (there are 7 subspecies and then take you best guess as to the age and type of tree this cedar came from.. Old growth will shrink less than 2nd or third growth.   Northern side of the hill is less than the southern, while the outer layer of wood is more prone to reacting to problems than heart wood is..

    Now the really tough part.. should you set the wood aside and use it later after it's dried a bit or go ahead and use it now!

     If it's properly dried it will be demensionally stable hold paint well and not move around a lot.. If you do attempt to dry it yourself be aware that often wood dances around like a hootchie cootchie dancer and can easily Bow, warp, twist, and do the fan dangle!

     What I would do is take my moisture meter with me,  You do have a moisture meter don't you?  decent ones cost about $100 or so..

     And bring back what I have and test what I plan on bringing home with me..

1. 
   freestate1 | May 03, 2004 08:14pm | #2

   Thanks for the knowledgeable reply.  Unfortunately, I can't wait 6 months for this stuff to dry since I'm in the middle of the project and the wall is opened up.  Guess I'll stockpile some pieces so they'll be dry for my next project.  Anyway, given that the lumber will be green on this project, is it still a good idea to back-prime?  Might that trap the excess moisture?

1. 
   JohnSprung | May 03, 2004 08:53pm | #3

   That's what I do -- buy lumber when there's something decent and stack and sticker it at home to let it dry.  If there's no date stamp on it, I mark it so I can use the oldest first.  It's just like vegetables at the supermarket -- you buy what's good at the time you're there.

   -- J.S.

2. 
   fdampier5 | May 05, 2004 08:09pm | #6

   I'd back prime stuff and then leave the face to air dry.. waiting a few months won't materially affect things before you paint.  explain things to SWMBO (she who must be obeyed) and tell her that if she'll agree to do all of the repainting needed you'll gladly paint it right away.

       As you read the wood will only marginally shrink the length way while most of the shinkage will be in the width.. (since the thickness is so small to start with you can effectively forget that)   plan on allowing for that and you can go ahead and back prime now and put the wood up.  any end grain that gets hidden will need to be primed as well..

2. 
   bill_1010 | May 04, 2004 02:15am | #4

   cedar dries fairly fast when you AD it.  Id sticker and stack in a nice shady breezy spot and you should be good to go in a month.   An inch a year is a good rule of thumb for hardwoods, but some softwoods will dry much faster. 

   If the cedar was kiln dried to start with, make a small solar kiln with some clear plastic, sunlight.  Sticker and stack and build a frame for the clear plastic.  Cover up the wood and let the sun do the trick for a week or two.  Dont seal up the makeshift solar kiln, let it breathe out the bottom.  

3. 
   r_ignacki | May 04, 2004 03:35am | #5

   Betcha you could put the sticks in a vise and squeeze the moisture out.
4. 
   BobSmalser | May 05, 2004 10:37pm | #7

   I saw Western Red almost every day for boatbuilders plus siding and trim.

   It dries to equilibrium in half the time of most hardwoods...usually within 6 months from green in a normal drying season for 4/4 and 5/4 stock....siding and shingles even faster.

   A couple properties of cedar not mentioned...even SD-19 when exposed to rain, soaks up water like a sponge between the cells.  Unlike intercellular water, however, this water is lost rapidly.  I suspect if your stock was originally kilned to 19pct...if...it'll dry in a few weeks stacked and stickered.

   The other property is that Western Red has huge variences in M/C in the log.  Some logs are as dry as 30pct...others closer to 80pct.  Makes kilning difficult and the best bending cedar is always air dried.

    

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   “When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for; and let us think...that a time is to come when those (heirlooms) will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of them, ‘See! This our father did for us.’ “ --John Ruskin.