Acclimating Wood in the Shop from WoodCentral
A WoodCentral woodworker asked his fellow woodworkers about some wood that he just purchased -- specifically, how long he should wait for it to normalize to the conditions in his workshop. He got a wide variety of answers from the group. - Editor
“Last Thursday, I bought some 2" quartersawn white oak that was kiln dried and stored in a covered shed. My shop is 62 degrees with a relative humidity of about 37 percent. I have the air cleaner running to keep the air circulating. How long should I let the wood acclimate before I start machining it for my project? I don't have a moisture meter and would prefer not to buy one if I can avoid it.” - Me
How long was it in the covered shed? If quite a while, it took back on a lot of moisture. Quartersawn white oak is a really tough one to work with as well. It doesn't like giving up water without a fight, especially thick stock. I would let it sit at least 3 or 4 months, maybe longer. I wouldn't play around with wood stored like that without a moisture meter, it's really cheap insurance!” - Dick C.
“I usually let oak I purchase from the local sawmill set for a couple weeks …” Larry C.
I’ll lend you a moisture meter, if I can find it.... I rarely use it anyhow, that is why it's in a box somewhere. Its a pin meter, that one Lee Valley sells. Once you get a feel for your shop climate, I bet you will find that you don't need to worry much about it - that's why I rarely use it.” John
The original poster came back into the thread with some more information and a decision. - Editor
“Well, we seem to have widely divergent opinions. I just checked and the RH for Gardner [the location where the lumber was stored] is 18 percetn, so I am tempted to rough cut the one small piece I got and see how it behaves over the next few days. Thanks for the replies.” Merle
Editor’s Note: The April edition of the Woodworker’s Journal print magazine has a very useful primer on moisture in lumber, regarding geographic regions and how moisture meters work.
Advice on Collecting Dust from Woodworking.com
At woodworking.com woodworking.com, a fellow went to the forum for some advice on collecting dust … - Editor
“I've just gotten into woodworking. I'm definitely a novice, but a quick learner. I bought a little 1hp dust collector that is rated for 914cfm. Here's how it's set up: out of dust collector I use a reducer to go from 4" to 2" (in my shop attic). Then it turns 90 degrees down thru ceiling to a Dust Deputy (cyclone). The Dust deputy is mounted to 20 gallon trash can (everything is sealed). From there it comes off of the Dust Deputy and branches out to 3 workstations. My problem is...my shop vac has more suction than what I'm getting with my dust collector! Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks for your time.” Mike
As is often the case, some Help was forthcoming … - Editor
“First, a 1hp collector is really just a "one-machine-at-a-time" unit. Second, lose the reducer and keep the line as large as possible between the collector and the machine. Reduce -- if you have to -- as close to the machine as you can (bigger duct = more air volume = better collection). Third, keep the duct runs as short as possible and the turns, Y's, etc. as few as possible. (Tight turns = more friction = less airflow).” Jerry M.
“Sounds somewhat OK, BUT … use the 4" hose. Larger would be better - but not too large. I think 6" would be too large. YES - you will have more suction from your shop vac - no matter what size hose.
Dust collection does not work on static pressure, like a shop vac. It works on volume of airflow. The shopvac actually has very low airflow.” - Woody