My timeframe for drying is in reference to cut and stacked lumber with sealed ends. Under these circumstances I've observed a drying rate of one inch of thickness per year on average.
For kiln drying wood it is advantageous to let the lumber sit in air with sealed ends for a month or two before placing in a kiln, once in a kiln (Depending on what type of kiln you are using and how skilled the kiln operator is) you can expect anywhere from one week to 3 weeks in the kiln to bring the moisture content down to workable levels.
Painting ends does nothing, it's a common misconception that many well meaning folk have fallen victim to.. beeswax works a treat.
We salvaged a nice black walnut in Rosedale many years back. It was only with a lot of effort to find a real buyer did it happen. For many tree cos it's seen as too much effort and not their business. But then Urban Tree Salvage started up and have been successful in providing a means to repurpose urban timber. We didn't do any business with them but they were obviously on the right track. Good on you Drew! Where are you based out of?
Toronto, ON.
Nice setup, been toying with the idea of a lucasmill but I rarely run across logs that are big enough to slow down my 090 setup. I also like the low setup time with the alaskan mill.. and with a beam machine I can whip out dimensional lumber as well, just a bit slower.I bought a Lucas mill this year to take advantage of some of the nice hardwood trees we cut down. I started with a chainsaw mill but its way too much work to be profitable. The lucas mill allows us to make slabs as well as dimensional lumber.
