Official Luthiers Forum! :: View topic - harvesting/drying small wood

Actually, 70 days is much too long for 0.2" thick spruce. I typically cut red spruce tops when the wood is green, because letting it dry in billets invites problems with cracking and blue stain.
A sopping wet guitar top will be dry in a few days if it is put on sticks and a fan is used.
There is no problem with warping of quartered spruce.
Although the wood will be stable once it reaches equilibrium moisture content, it may take over a year for the pitch to crystallize at ambient temperature. The good news is that you can 'set the pitch' in a few minutes by warming the wood to about 180 degrees.

John Arnold

Author:	mikemcnerney [ Mon Jul 11, 2016 4:59 pm ]
Post subject:	harvesting/drying small wood
I cut down a 5" lilac bush yesterday & it has that purplish vein in it. I have cut some before & dried in a 1" thickness let it air dry for a year & then processed it. Some of the stuff I have now should be big enough for a soprano uke & definitely rosettes. However this time I am considering cutting it a little thicker ~.150 while it is green & trying to dry it quicker?? I heard somewhere about putting it in the vac bag. Suggestions welcome especially from those who have cut & dried small bits like this.

Author:	printer2 [ Mon Jul 11, 2016 8:09 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: harvesting/drying small wood
This might help, not spruce but the idea should be the same. Quote: Actually, 70 days is much too long for 0.2" thick spruce. I typically cut red spruce tops when the wood is green, because letting it dry in billets invites problems with cracking and blue stain. A sopping wet guitar top will be dry in a few days if it is put on sticks and a fan is used. There is no problem with warping of quartered spruce. Although the wood will be stable once it reaches equilibrium moisture content, it may take over a year for the pitch to crystallize at ambient temperature. The good news is that you can 'set the pitch' in a few minutes by warming the wood to about 180 degrees. John Arnold This does mean you will post pictures here right?

Author:	Colin North [ Tue Jul 12, 2016 5:10 am ]
Post subject:	Re: harvesting/drying small wood
Didn't harvest it, but processed a plum branch that had been sitting in an open area for a year or two recently. Cut into 3+ mm slices, stickered in the workshop (RH 40-55) for 2 months, then thicknessed to 2mm, left for another month before making into a radial rosette. No sign of any movement.

Author:	wbergman [ Tue Jul 12, 2016 6:38 am ]
Post subject:	Re: harvesting/drying small wood
If you heat it, do not apply wax first. If you want to seal the ends, try something else--maybe latex paint.

Author:	Colin North [ Tue Jul 12, 2016 6:46 am ]
Post subject:	Re: harvesting/drying small wood
I just used TB to seal the ends

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Author:	Alan Carruth [ Fri Jul 15, 2016 12:58 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: harvesting/drying small wood
Lilac often grows with a lot of twist, so it's likely to twist a fair amount as it dries. If the wood has an 'S' twist, it will 'Z' twist on drying. If you cut it too close to dimension green there won't be enough left to dress out the twist. DON'T try to speed the drying! This small stuff will dry fairly quickly anyway, and you're asking for trouble to speed it up. The twist issues are caused by built in stress, which is present in all wood, and you have to give it time to equalize or the concentration will cause checking. Cut it to a size that minimizes the amount of grain curvature visible on the end grain (at least quarter the sticks), and try to get the evaporation equalized on all surfaces by removing the bark and painting the end grain (TB should work, although I've never tried it). The few times I've tried lilac the purple color faded out as it dried. Those were smaller pieces, though. If you can get some to preserve the color iit would make nice inlay. The only instrument use I've heard of for it is in flutes.

Author:	BobHowell [ Fri Jul 22, 2016 4:05 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: harvesting/drying small wood
I have cut and collected a lot of local wood for turning projects over the past 25 years. Most too small for musical instruments. But the best local wood around here is soft maple which works well for instruments. It is common and big pieces are everywhere. I have turned many large bowls from it but have not cut into thin slices. Maybe some day. 4 red tip photiniena(?) logs, 5' each, were given to me by a friend from a 30 yr old hedge he cut down. 6-8" in di. The wood was white and very dense/heavy, not much grain pattern. That was the most interesting/novel wood I have worked with. Many turners drop their bowls into alcohol to speed drying. They say it cuts drying time in half.

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