Is Kiln dried wood ok?? Cutting scales today..

[Battle Creek Knives]

here's the deal, I have a couple large blocks of curly red maple that was professionally kiln dried almost 30 yrs ago.. I inherited these block from my wife's late step father..

4 block's in all and were cut for forearm, butt stock for rifle..

found out my band saw left a nice bend (like rounded) in it when cut, so I used my table saw... little more waste but straight....

I still have one large block left to cut, but I'll save that for later..

Do you think this wood is stable for knife scales, should I let it sit for a couple months now that I've cut it...??

tell you what, its sure hard... I had a new blade on my table saw and it was bogging, maybe that's why my bandsaw didn't like it, besides I probably need a new blade on it..

 

[HomeBru]

After sitting for 30 years, it should be fine. Kiln drying can leave some stress in the wood, but it would have stabilized over time. As far as the bandsaw, your blade may be dull but it also may have been too loose for the hardness of wood you were trying to cut. Tighten up the blade and reduce the feed rate to cut down on bow.

J-

 

[Frank Niro]

That should make super looking handles. It may bend a bit from stressed being released but just go from there. Frank

 

[Battle Creek Knives]

After sitting for 30 years, it should be fine. Kiln drying can leave some stress in the wood, but it would have stabilized over time. As far as the bandsaw, your blade may be dull but it also may have been too loose for the hardness of wood you were trying to cut. Tighten up the blade and reduce the feed rate to cut down on bow.

J-

yeah its an really old blade, and the tensioner on the saw isn't working that great, cuts kydex great

That should make super looking handles. It may bend a bit from stressed being released but just go from there. Frank

yeah there are some nice pieces there for sure, looks like I'm going to have a few curly maple knives soon

 

[Britt_Askew]

They usually kiln dry wood down to 6-8% moisture content. If you keep it in a controlled environment it can stay that way. If it is stored in an unheated building it will end up relative to your humidity.

for example
30% humidity = 6% moisture content
50% = 9%
65% = 12%
80% = 16%
99% = 28%


So if you live in the desert and keep your wood in an unheated building your wood may end up a little drier then it came from the kiln. But if you live in rainy Seattle the wood would gain moisture.

Thats real nice looking wood.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Spalted points out something that many don't understand. Moisture Content in wood and Relative Humidity of the air are two different things....but the RH will affect the MC.

All wood will slowly normalize to its local conditions. If the relative humidity stays at 60-90% most of the year, the dried wood you receive from a supplier ( most wood arrives at 8-10% moisture content) will swell in time. Conversely, If you take some wood off your shelf that has been sitting there for a year or two and send the knife to Arizona, the scales will shrink over time. One way to avoid swelling and shrinking is to start with wood acclimated for your area, and sell your knives only within that area. The better way to avoid this problem is to dry the wood as dry as possible, and have the wood stabilized. This greatly controls the wood from swelling of shrinking due to moisture content. Some wood types are pretty much immune from this problem, and don't need or accept stabilizing.

It is always a good practice to let wood acclimate in your shop for several months to over a year ( depending on thickness and wood type), before use. If you have a drying cabinet, that is fine, but don't store wood in there after it is dried ( unless it is waiting to be shipped to the stabilizer). After ripping wood from planks and blocks, let it sit for at least a week to allow the stresses to release. The wood may become warped and need flattening after it relaxes. Likewise, after sanding warped wood scales flat, let them sit for a week to make sure they are really flat. The heat generated by sanding can make scales warp slightly after they cool down and sit for a while. Do the final flat sanding after it sits a while and use a fresh belt, slower speed, and gentle pressure.

 

[Battle Creek Knives]

excellent points you bring up. I had intended to wait at least a month before use, and to keep an eye on them..

my garage isn't heated and it does reach freezing temps during the winter, will the radiant heat be enough to keep them in there, or should I move them inside?

maybe I should consider doing a pass around knife with these scales on, just a test to see how they hold up in different climates...

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

No need to move the wood inside unless there is great humidity during the winter ( not likely). I have heard that trees stay outside all winter
If you think about it, most lumber yards are unheated and semi-exposed to the elements all year long. That is probably where your wood came from at one time.

If you work inside in a heated area doing the handle work, then bring the scales in to warm up for a day before use, but that is all you really need to worry about.