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green wood for woodenware?

3K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  Michael Bush 
#1 ·
I have been helping my neighbor at his sawmill, (for free just because he's a good guy) and he is offering to cut me some pine wood for hives...I am hesitant since it would be green wood...

wouldn't the wood crack or split in the sun? Thanks for the advice.
 
#2 ·
I have a portable saw mill and I cut alot of "green" lumber. Just stack it up in a shed or other dry place out of the sun with 1/2"x1/2" stickers between the boards to give it air circulation and let it dry for a couple of months and it will probably work ok. Pine "air drys" pretty quickly even in a fairly humid climate. Hardwoods are another story, they probably need to dry for 6+ months. I also usually quarter saw the hardwoods so there is less warpage.
 
#3 ·
Your friend is probably the best person to answer that question. He's in the business. I personally would be worried about splitting, but I'd sure give a few boxes a try. The price is right.
 
#4 ·
Rough cut the lumber at 1". Leave it as long as possible and paint the end grains.

The end grain will dry the fastest and it will be more prone to cracking and warping at the ends.

Stack it outdoors, out of the sun, and out of the rain, while still allowing as much air circulation as possible. Use the 1/2" stickers as suggested previously as this will allow air circulation between the layers.

After the wood has dried for a while (at least 1 month and preferably 6 months per inch of thickness) then it can be planed to 3/4" and worked into boxes.

Patience pays. Free wood is the best.
 
#5 ·
1 year of air drying per inch of thickness is the general rule of thumb. A moisture meter is better, getting down around 14% moisture for outdoor use. 8-10% for indoor use in most cases. For indoor use you usually have to stack it indoors for at least a month or two to get that last few percentage points. Your mileage will vary depending on local climate and weather. Paint the ends with Anchorseal to prevent checking.
 
#6 ·
I agree with Ross, let it air dry for a year. Stick and Stack it - ask your sawmill operator what this means if you don't know. No need to paint the ends on softwood. On hardwood I would recommend painting the ends, this way it allows all surfaces to dry evenly, thus preventing splitting on the ends and warping. I almost never paint the ends of the softwood (White Pine and Hemlock) that I cut off of my mill.

Soft woods shrink a considerable amount, so I would be sure to let it dry out a fair amount of time.
 
#7 ·
thanks for all the replies folks. he has a huge band saw - the end product looks like it was planed, not jagged like with a old timey circular saw. So if the surfaceis planed smooth by the saw, can I just cut it to 3/4 thickness and dry it that away?
 
#8 ·
FordGuy,

The lumber will shrink some as it drys, so cutting to 3/4" will give you a final thickness slightly less. If I plan to use my lumber "in the rough" I usually cut it 1/8" over to allow for the shrinkage. Otherwise I would see no problem with using it "as is" since the bees really don't care if it is planed or not. In my opinion, planing would just add additional costs (both time and electricity) with very little added benifit.
 
#9 ·
One more thing. You almost always have some checking (small cracks/splits) at the ends of the boards. You just take into account that you will need to cut a piece off each end of each board. For furniture projects I look closely at the checks and cut it off about an inch into the good wood beyond the visible end of the longest check. For beehives I suspect this isn't nearly as important, so you wouldn't need to cut off so much.
 
#10 ·
All has been well stated above. Might add just this: do NOT paint it until you are certain it has dried thoroughly. I bought unassembled boxes last year from a company that shipped them relatively green. Painted them and as Summer progressed I watched the paint discolor, and bubble up. Green wood sucks.
 
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