Official Luthiers Forum!

I guess I'm going to have to get a moisture meter and check some stuff out. I've got wood of various sorts that I knw was air dried ( dried it myself!) and I could easily compare it woth samples of lumberyard stuff tat was presumably kild dried to see if there's a difference. Alternatively, I could just throw some pieces in the oven, I guess...

      Wood is dried commercially for various degrees dependant to use. Constuction lumber is hardly touched but cabinet lumber and mill work will often be taken to 6 to 8%. This is where they dry to. A certain amount of moisture will leech back but the kilning helps to stablize lumber.
      kiln dreid will usually still be lower than air dried as the cell is altered in kiln drying. ALso the process used can determine things.
     RF kilns can pull wood to zero the reintroduce moisture. This is done for pattern makers and laboratory use.
     Most woods will over time stabilize just by age alone but that can take a long time. The thinner the wood the shorter the time. I do air dry some of my wood but I am lucky to have a friend in the mill business with a commercial kiln. He has solar and heated. I like the heated as that will cycle in 28 days. Solar kilns can take 4 to 8 weeks dependant to the weather. both work but the heated kiln gives better results. I made a shop kiln with the old chest freezer. Works well and is affordable.
    RF kilns are expensive but will control the drying and can eliminate 90% of checking.
   Wood , so many species so little time
john hall