Hi, They took a truckload of veneer logs off the back of our place a month or so ago. There is a lot of big wood left in the tops. I would like to actually make something out of some of this. The cherry is beautiful. Should I get it rough sawn first? Cut it to lengths, let it dry indoors whole, get it sawn in a couple of years? Bark on Bark off? This is Michigan and it is pretty humid. Will it realisticaly dry in a pole barn? I read the posts about drying turned pieces in the microwave..., but I was thinking about benches and larger pieces. Any ideas? Kathryn

You can get someone with a portable sawmill to come in and saw the wood up. Now is better than later. The wood can be stickered and allowed to air dry in your pole barn. Here in Virginia (also humid) air dried wood will get down to 12-14%. For projects that will be used inside, it is good to have the moisture around 6-9%. Air dried wood can of course be used inside but will loose more moisture and will shrink. How long it takes to air dry will depend on the thickness, type of wood, and actual humidity. Forget the year per inch "rule of thumb".

I have run a WoodMizer sawmill since 1985 and know a little bit about sawing. You will want to have an idea of the sizes of the lumber based on the projects you want to complete (i.e. 4/4, 5/4, 8/4, etc). You should also have an idea of how the logs should be sawn (i.e. quarter/rift, flat, for figure, etc). This also in part is related to the species of tree.

WoodMizer has a referral service; I am sure some of the other mill manufacturers do too. You can find a sawyer close to you. I would be glad to discuss this over the phone if you like.

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Barbara

Barbara is exactly right, if you are a cabinet maker than take it to a sawmill immediately, decide what thickness you will use and get it cut. Don't cut it any thicker than you think you will use, as it is just more prone to splits and checks. If you're making furniture most wood is cut to 1.25-1.5" in thickness allowing some shrinkage to ultimately leave you with wood that can be planed down to 3/4-1" in finshed size.

But if you are a turner, the story is different.
1. must take the bark off
2. must cut the log through the middle as a minimun or the inside will shrink and the outside perimeter will crack leaving you with firewood.
3. take some old paint and seal the ends. You need to clog up the end grain or it will lose excessive moisture and crack
4. pile it out of the sun, but where you have air flow

Cherry is one of the easier woods to dry although like barb suggests you'll never get it much below 12%. Yes you can microwave small pieces but most of my customers will do a rough turning to clear out alot of the excess wood and then put it in an old microware.. short periods of time (10min) at a time. Some of my customers also sit them in dry sawdust from the shop to off a more gentle environemnt for drying.. good luck, cherry is a beautiful wood and worth salvaging, Karen

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