Air drying basswood?

[thelockkk]

Hi guys,

I am a new member and new to this hobby as well. I just cut some fresh basswood and I am not sure how to air dry it. I have read about it, but there are so many different opinions on it, a little confusing lol, so I decided to start this new thread and ask for help.

The wood was cut two weeks ago and the thickest log is probably about 10 inches. I stored all the wood in my cabin for now.

Thank you in advance!

[Claude]

The ideal way is to store it in a cool dry area with some 1 inch thick sticks between each layer to allow the air to circulate; and the air does need to circulate. Also make sure there is an air gap between pieces in the same layer. The rule of thumb is that it takes 1 year for every inch of thickness to dry. You also should coat the ends with paint or wax to slow down the rapid evaporation from the ends to help prevent checking (cracks).

You might try Googling wood drying kilns. There are a whole lot of plans on the web ranging from a PVC tube to elaborate buildings. The basics are a fan to keep the air moving, a small heat source (100w incandescent light bulb, maybe) and a container...

Claude

[davidinsarasota]

Could be a mistake to have it in the cabin if it is heated, too dry. Best to have it outside with the logs off the ground, seperated from each other by sticks so that there is plenty of airflow. Out of the sun, out of the rain. A loosish tarp is fine for a couple of weeks, but should be replaced with a sheet of plywood or roofing material to keep the sun and rain or snow off, but still allow plenty of airflow.

By mid to late summer it should be ready to bring inside with a fan or A/C on it to finish drying. Ready to carve by fall, hopefully.

[Robson Valley]

Excellent advice above. Just how big do you imagine your carvings to be? I would be looking for some way to cut that log into 30-36" pieces and strip off the bark. Wax or paint the ends. Those things will help to even out the rate at which water is lost from the surface vs the ends in the drying process.
Get the wood outside, under cover and out of the sun. Don't bring any more into the house that you can use. My western red cedar really toughens up if left indoors (concrete basement, cold corner of the workshop floor = not good enough.)
Cabin? Unheated? = perfect.
Time to look for batch-of-wood-#2.

[thelockkk]

Thank you for the advice, so you guys recommend to strip off the bark before I seal the ends? I didn't know it was going to take it so long to dry out. My last woodcarving was like 2 years ago, I just took a fresh 4 inch thick peace of basswood and carved away, then completely sealed it with paint and it never cracked. hmm

[davidinsarasota]

I've heard and read different things on the bark. Personally I strip the bark and square up the log with a chainsaw. This speeds moisture loss along the length of the piece and relieves some the the stress that leads to deep cracks. And avoiding deep checks is what drying is all about.

I do seal the ends because this is where your most rapid moisture loss occurs. This slows drying, but prevents long deep length-wise cracks toward the middle of the length. I use paraffin blocks and a blowtorch for this. Another option is one of those canned Citronella candles used for camping.

About drying time. I've read that Basswood dries faster and more evenly than most other woods, so if it were me and I needed some wood to carve, I would start carving it in 6 months or so.

[Robson Valley]

Taking the bark off has another value: the sweetest, juiciest, most nutritious wood is the sap wood and just beneath the bark. Very attractive to both bugs and fungus/rot. Freshly cut logs give off chemical odors that some boring beetles are really tuned in to.
Western red cedar is very resistant to bugs and rot, all except the white sapwood. If the bugs don't nibble, there are soft, punky spots that develop. Very hard to see until you try to draw carving lines on the wood and the pencil goes in 1/2".