The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
  1. #1

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    Over time I have accumulated various hardwoods--maple / rosewood / mahogany / ebony / walnut. The woods have been kept in a garage--no heat--cold in winter--warm in summer. Before use should the woods be 'climatised' for a certain length of time at a constant temperature? How long for?

    Your knowledge most welcome.

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  3. #2

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    Quote Originally Posted by swingtoneman
    Over time I have accumulated various hardwoods--maple / rosewood / mahogany / ebony / walnut. The woods have been kept in a garage--no heat--cold in winter--warm in summer. Before use should the woods be 'climatised' for a certain length of time at a constant temperature? How long for?

    Your knowledge most welcome.
    Are the boards in question A) Piled in separate layers ("on sticks") so that airflow is available to both faces and both edges, and has this been going on for five or more years?
    Or B) just stacked up on top of each other, with no intervening air space?

    Or C) piled up with no air space but previously air-dried for five or more years and/or properly kiln-dried before stacking?

    If A), your lumber is as dry and stable as it's ever going to be. If B) you will need to have the moisture content tested. If C) it may be fine, but moisture content testing should probably be done.

    In fact, plan on testing M/C anyway.
    Also, check the boards individually for stain and any further signs of mold and rot. I'm hoping your lumber is in good shape.

  4. #3

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    No affiliation, but Wagner has a great description of the relationships between temperature, relative humidity, and equilibrium moisture content (EMC) of wood that you should check out. They make moisture meters for wood. Steve Andersen loaned me his and I decided to buy my own, since I work with wood a considerable amount, and live in the woods in the Pacific NW, it seemed like an appropriate tool for someone like me.
    Check it out:
    Temperature and Wood Moisture Measurement.

  5. #4

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    Presuming all pieces were thoroughly kiln or air dried before storage, temperature will not be as critical as moisture content. A few weeks in the shop at summer temperatures should be plenty of time to acclimate unless the garage was very damp.

    If you're going to resaw to a thinner thickness, leave yourself a good 20% overage to allow for wood movement and let it sit for a couple of days after resawing before jointing and thicknessing.

  6. #5
    Many thanks for all your advice--very helpful.

  7. #6

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    I'll chip in (sorry) with the fact that air dried wood is more stable than kiln dried.