How long can one keep a sealed log before cutting it into lumber, roughly?

Question

I know it may vary between species so I know I will be working with red and white oak, cherry, walnut and hickory. I am building a solar kiln in the late summer or fall however, I am finding premium logs now. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Logs should be milled as soon as possible after felling to prevent the log from developing a shake (split from the bark to the pith that runs the length of the log). You can move air dried lumber into a solar kiln so that you don't end up with logs that have a large unusable portion. I had a small log of willow, 10" diameter x 4" long that I was drying without cutting into lumber so I sealed the ends with a thick layer of parrafin wax and let it sit, within 4 months it developed a shake. My recomendation would be to mill the lumber into boards now, stack them with stickers to provide air flow and cover with a tarp, then transfer them to the kiln when you get it built.

Answer 2

LenKnee has you covered, some people remove the bark to cut down on insects, I could be real jealous I'm a woodworker and as close as I can come is having the log cut up into rough stock and then store for drying. I remove the bark.

Answer 3

Keep the logs out of contact with the ground and if you can keep them in an area with out direct sun all day and have them stacked to get good air circulation around them and if it's getting to warm run a sprinkler on them this prevents checking. You could easily keep the wood for at least 2 years this way. white paint works good for the ends it reflects light and slows down the water loss.

Answer 4

these guys know their stuff, fyi they ( custom carpenters ) pul 100 plus year old timber that never made it to the mill been under water for all these years!