Trees: how long does it take for a tree to dry out?

Question

i am going to cut down a walnut tree, how longw will it take to dry out

im thinking 2- 2 1/2 ft. circumfrence

aand pretty tall

Answer 1

When cut into boards, stacked and stickered (Stacked with wood strips inbetween to allow air movement "Stickers") figure 1 year per inch of thickness to air dry to a useable point. Sawn wood will dry much quicker than a whole log. Painting the ends of the boards or even the log will reduce splitting on the ends which happens from the ends drying much faster than the middles. Any leftover latex paint will do. Notice that hardwood at the lumber yard has paint on the ends. This is why. If you hope to use the walnut for projects, I'd recommend looking in the yellow pages for sawing. There are portable sawmills the the saw is on wheels and will come to your site and saw up your log. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

My great grandfather used to make his own lumber; from trees he had on his land. He would always let the tree rest (as he called it) in storage for a minimum of one year.

He had an open storage barn (basically a roof supported by poles) to keep the trees out of the rain and weather.

His process was to fell the tree, drag it the storage yard, de-bark the tree, drag it into the storage barn and stack the tree trunks, so that air could circulate around the tree trunk.

There were other ways he'd cure wood depending on the size of the wood or what it was needed for.

Very small pieces, which would fit in a pot, were boiled. The boiling water would draw out the sap; this can take a couple days.

He also was known to place small cut pieces of wood, around the wood stove for a few days to dry them out.

There’s the dry kiln method, you build a rack 3 to 4 feet off the ground and roof over it, to keep out rain. Then stack up the wood crosswise for circulation and build multiple small fires under the stacked wood (this is cut lumber, not whole trees). There is no set time frame for this, due to the moisture content being able vary widely between even lumber cut from the same tree, let alone from different trees.

Good luck with your lumbering adventure, if the measurement is accurate for your trunk, you have one valuable piece of wood on your hands,

Make sure it's stored in a secure place, there are furniture makers who would pay handsomely for a trunk the size of yours (as long as it's straight with no nails in it).

Answer 3

Yes, at least a year. And that is if you get it off the ground. If you leave it on the ground and are in a damp climate it may rot before it drys.

Answer 4

On average, one year.

Answer 5

at least a year