How long can new wood be stored before processing?

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Caroline

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 20, 2011
Messages
601
Location
Renton, Wa
Couple of things have caused me to wonder about the following. How long can cut wood safely be stored before it isn't good enough for processing to make chewsticks? First off I have been having trouble with my wood being rough when I cut it and am wondering if it is just either to fresh or to moist from all the cleaning. Secondly the control.panel on my oven bit the dust and so my oven is out of commision for a few days until my husband gets the new control panel and puts it in. I have in the meantime also ordered a very nice dehydrator to save the fan in my oven from wear and tear and lower my powerbill.
 
i have a bunch of apple wood stored outdoors on my patio that hasn't been processed. i keep it dry and covered. been there since last year and it's still perfectly fine. i just grab a couple branches at a time for processing, that way i'm not baking wood for hours upon end, lol.

a few days will be fine.

i cut my wood into chin size pieces before i scrub/boil/bake. never have issues with rough cut edges after. the cleaning/boiling seems to soften the edges.
 
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When customers start bringing me apple wood, I just throw down a sheet in the living room and toss the wood on that until I am ready, could take months.
 
Well there is my problem! I am so concerned about providing the best quality wood possible that I am processing it within a few days after getting it. That could be the reason I am getting rough edges. Live and learn eh?
Will clear a place in our shed where I can stack wood until I am ready. My husband did such a great job building it that it is nice and dry in there.
 
I prefer to process sooner than later, I feel the wood is easier to work with when it's not really dry. But I depends on what I'm cutting. The only thing I'd worry about is that I've been to Seattle and it was terribly humid and wet there when we were there. Those types of air conditions are prime conditions for mold and bacteria to grow. Other than that there is not really a concern on processing wood right away.
 
I am very fussy about the wood that I chose and if there is any sign of mold out it goes. Can't take any chances. I prefer to process what I have on hand before cutting more. Let the tree store it for me.
 
The only thing I'd worry about is that I've been to Seattle and it was terribly humid and wet there when we were there. Those types of air conditions are prime conditions for mold and bacteria to grow.
This is what Ronda runs in to even though it is far drier on the east side of the state. When it rains if she doesn't have the wood in and completely processed it molds.

If you take raw wood twigs off the tree and store it in a basement with no light at less than 50% humidity and good air flow it will cure naturally over 3-6 months. It can take up to two years for a 2" thick piece to cure. In other states you can do this in a barn or woodshed but it is too damp in the PNW for this to work.

If your humidity is any higher than 50% you are in trouble. Ronda has actually had it mold in the pan after baking on a rainy day. The reason is convection - warm pan hits your humid house air and forms moisture on the metal and re-wets the wood. That plus the perfect warm growing conditions means in less than 24 hours you will have mold on it. When your wood is done baking the ends should be white. If they start to turn dark they'll mold on you.

They will also mold in the dehumidifier if you don't turn it up to at least 200 degrees. It takes far longer to dry in a dehu (6-8 hours vs. 2-4 in the oven) and if it is humid during cool down it'll mold.

The only way to combat that is to keep your house humidity down, make sure the wood is completely dry and stored in boxes with good ventilation.

Good luck! I know that Ronda has tossed a lot of wood due to mold. Sometimes the weather just isn't in your favor.
 
I have only lost one batch and that was because I hadn't dried it long enough. I dry my wood for at least 10 hours often more, to ensure that there is no moisture left in it. Considering that I have other kilndried items in my home that are not molding, I think the wood I process will be pretty safe.
 
Considering that I have other kilndried items in my home that are not molding, I think the wood I process will be pretty safe.
If you're talking about wood dried in an actual kiln setting from the lumber store it is dried for 14 days. They've got the process down to a science for each species of wood and extremely complex rendering the wood down to a tested 20% moisture content. Plus they only have to worry about how the core wood dries, not the bark which is a different cellular structure.

You might wonder why I know this... try keeping wood for six months then washing it. All the bark falls off and if it isn't stored correctly it will mold under the bark. Took a lot of research to figure out why. Only seems to happen in a humid environment though. Thankfully LA is dry in the winter but I ignored it till spring last year and lost about 40lbs.

The reason I'm sharing this is because it really hurts to throw away all that hard work. Everyone learns at their own pace though. :))
 
Thankyou for the advice. I am careful to not process to much at once and am selling what I habe quite quickly. So I will be careful to not overdo it and process more than I can sell.
 
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