When to plane rough cut lumber?

[N80]

I just got a bench top planer. This question pertains to when to use it. I have some rough cut white oak planks. Most are a little over 1 inch in thickness. They were cut about a month ago and have been stacked on stickers in my basement since that time.

My plan is to make some built-in shelves out of them.

I know they need a lot longer to dry at this point.

But once they have dried sufficiently what is the timing of thickness planing them to their final (pre-sanding) dimension which will be around 3/4"? Should it be done well before I plan on building the shelves or right before I build them......of does the timing even matter once the rough cut boards are dried?

Any input much appreciated.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I just got a bench top planer. This question pertains to when to use it. I have some rough cut white oak planks. Most are a little over 1 inch in thickness. They were cut about a month ago and have been stacked on stickers in my basement since that time.

My plan is to make some built-in shelves out of them.

I know they need a lot longer to dry at this point.

But once they have dried sufficiently what is the timing of thickness planing them to their final (pre-sanding) dimension which will be around 3/4"? Should it be done well before I plan on building the shelves or right before I build them......of does the timing even matter once the rough cut boards are dried?

Any input much appreciated.

Once dried, ready for use.

 

[N80]

I guess the better way to ask the question is, once the planks are dry is it okay to plane them even if it will be a long time before I build with them?

 

[rbstern]

It really depends on the joinery you intend. If the shelves will be fitted into tight joints, it's best to have them at the finished dimensions and close to the approximate moisture content they will be when inside. If they are just resting on supports, far less critical to do so.

The wife and I just put in some live edge shelves on black pipe supports a couple of months ago, using some black walnut slabs. We cut the slabs, let them sit outside to loose the worst of the moisture. After about a week, we planed, stained, and installed the shelves over a weekend. Because the shelves aren't part of any joinery, no concern about final dimensions. And they were thick enough to be fairly resistant to warping, and have a ton of books sitting on them, holding them flat.

 

[/pine]

I would invest in a moisture content meter...run a board through the planer a few times and see what the MC is...as long as it's less than 20% or so you're fine...any wetter I'd let it dry some more...

 

[mo1]

I guess the better way to ask the question is, once the planks are dry is it okay to plane them even if it will be a long time before I build with them?

Once they are fully dry and located in about the same humidity as where the finished product will be, you can thickness plane them and they should stay stable and not warp or twist. Do note that you will want to face plane the rough stock either on a jointer or using a planer sled on your planer before you thickness plane it.

 

[jaxs]

I guess the better way to ask the question is, once the planks are dry is it okay to plane them even if it will be a long time before I build with them?

Yes,as long as boards are protected from light and moisture between planeing and finishing to prevent color change,,,unless you plan to stain before clear coating. To retain natural color you could plane in advance leaving boards a bit thick then plane to final dimension within a few weeks of finishing. I pull enough boards for project from stack as much in advance of planing as possible then lay them out individually so that if they are to warp,they do it before use rather than after in project. Depending on species and other factors,one board out of a certain number will twist,buckle or warp after unstacked.

 

[chevy]

I never plane rough lumber until I am ready to build something. I agree with pine, a moisture meter is a great investment. Electromagnetic meters are the best, Pin types are good, but you have to drive the pins into the wood get a true reading.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I just did 22 18 wheeler loads of cypress. Some was walnut and pecan, but not much. Some boards were 30" wide and 16' long. I was looking for places to put planer shavings. We had a large drum sander too. It was all dry. Stacked with strips for 7 years. It was at an old pre civil war plantation house. Had to plane some of it down to 5/8" and repair some siding on the house. Oh and I had to straight line rip it with a Skil saw, because it had bark on each side. I just clamped a straight 1x6 on it and ran the saw beside it.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I never plane rough lumber until I am ready to build something. I agree with pine, a moisture meter is a great investment. Electromagnetic meters are the best, Pin types are good, but you have to drive the pins into the wood get a true reading.

I agree, plane it just before using it, not before.

With a pin type meter, it's best to ck moisture content in a "fresh" cut off end, of a board.

SR

 

[Egon]

Plane the boards just before using.

Planing wet and stickered stacking usually means you will plane again before use

 

[Ken45101]

You don't HAVE to final plane to 3/4". Thicker boards will be stronger of course and extra strength for shelving is often useful.

BTW, I have read not to try to season green lumber in the basement, the humidity is too high. YMMV.

 

[amarsh64]

I guess the better way to ask the question is, once the planks are dry is it okay to plane them even if it will be a long time before I build with them?

My experience has been that if you dress dry rough lumber and leave it for a long period before using it , chances are it will move again on you to a degree. Best to simply store it until you need to use it then mill it. What I do with wider wood after dressing is stand it on edge on a bench or wherever I have room so that air gets on all sides of it ( good chance it won't move much this way) . If you lay it flat on a bench and leave it for a few days it will almost always start to curl or cup on you. If you dress a bunch of wood and pile it you will notice that the next day the top 1 or 2 pcs will start to bow or cup . MHO
Happy woodworking.

 

[N80]

You don't HAVE to final plane to 3/4". Thicker boards will be stronger of course and extra strength for shelving is often useful.

BTW, I have read not to try to season green lumber in the basement, the humidity is too high. YMMV.

My basement can be humid at times. At other times it is dry. But it is almost never as humid as it is around here in the summer.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

My basement can be humid at times. At other times it is dry. But it is almost never as humid as it is around here in the summer.

Personally, I'd want it "properly" stickered outside, with the rain kept off it and not with a lot of direct sunlight on it.

I wouldn't put green lumber in a basement to dry.

SR

 

[N80]

Personally, I'd want it "properly" stickered outside, with the rain kept off it and not with a lot of direct sunlight on it.

I wouldn't put green lumber in a basement to dry.

SR

Why not? Humidity down there is consistently lower than it is outside. Much of what I have drying outside has a thin layer of mold on it.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

IF your lumber has mold on it, that's caused by air flow problems... That's why I said "properly" stickered!

SR

 

[newbury]

Depending on species and other factors,one board out of a certain number will twist,buckle or warp after unstacked.

Have you done much Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)? That's about the worst wood (for warping) I've tried to
use. Sometimes the certain number of 2" thick stock would be two (or less) after a year drying in the shed.

 

[N80]

IF your lumber has mold on it, that's caused by air flow problems... That's why I said "properly" stickered!

SR

All stacks have 1x1 inch stickers spaced every two feet. Open for ventilation on all 4 sides. Is that improper?

So far virtually no warping or twisting. Some have been on the stack for six months.

Maybe you are not familiar with our humidity.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Properly stickered also means putting the stack in the proper place for drying.

Mould means there's NOT enough air going through the stack.

SR