Waiting time after wood travel?

D

deker

Joined
Nov 14, 2005
Messages
3,496
So, I brought home a large amount of Ironwood on my last trip to Arizona and I've got a blade that I think would like a piece of it as a handle. Is there some amount of time I should wait before using this wood here on the east coast? I know Ironwood is very stable, but from 110 degree desert to 95 degrees and humid has got to affect it somehow.

What's the rule of thumb for this?

-d
 
scottickes said:
I would wait at least a year before using any of it.
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Really? I could see a few months, but a year seems like a long time. I figured wait times in years were reserved for freshly cut woods....man, this is gonna kill me... :(

-d

P.S. Does this mean I shouldn't use ANY wood that I buy for at least a year? 90% of what I get comes from other places in the country...
 
Steve Hayden said:
If it wasn't green, don't worry about it. How long would you wait if you had scales shipped from AZ?
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It it most definitely NOT green...I don't know how long I'd wait afte rhaving scales shipped from AZ, that's kind of the question I'm asking...

-d
 
well, most definately don't let em sit in a hot ass humid garage. Wait, you live in PA, keep em in the basement. I made that mistake keeping non stabilized wood in my garage that was not done moving. Never knew oak could make such a cute PRETZEL!!
 
If you're talking logs, then it's decades to dry from green.
Cut a real thin slab of it and see how it does in a week.
 
With gunstocks we use a year to dry per inch of thickness then add another year for stabilizing. That works well in dry areas but not coastal sections like Oregon or England. England takes about 10-12 years. Now a thick log as was said previously, takes about forever. It is best to cut the size you want and start counting from there. Ironwood is very dense, and, I imagine will take longer than walnut. Scales are usually plasticized so no worry. Even if dry, there can be two problems. Fancy grain needs time to relieve when cut. Heading up stocks figure about 6 weeks according to David Trevallion (ex-Purdey). Changes in humidity due to change in location...depends on how thick the blank is but most walnut will see major changes in 4 days when cut out. Hope this helps. Pete
 
deker said:
Really? I could see a few months, but a year seems like a long time. I figured wait times in years were reserved for freshly cut woods....man, this is gonna kill me... :(

-d

P.S. Does this mean I shouldn't use ANY wood that I buy for at least a year? 90% of what I get comes from other places in the country...
Click to expand...

I guess I should have asked questions first, such as is it freshly cut. What size are the pieces, etc. I just got a piece of Oregon Myrtle and it seems dry, but I'm going to cut it to handle size pieces and then let it sit for a year.

But, that's just me. I'm very cautious. I just wish I had as much patience with fit and finish sometimes.

Ickie
 
PeterB, That's fascinating info. Is the 10-12 year number for roughly hewn gunstocks, or are you talking about a larger chunk?
 
Dont listen to ickie.. he is just giving himself a year to find out where you live, track you down, get into your workshop one night, and swipe your ironwood!

Interesting thread to read.
 
Hi deker, maybe you could check it with a meter to determine the moisture %. At least that would give you a baseline to watch :)
 
David Wesner said:
Hi deker, maybe you could check it with a meter to determine the moisture %. At least that would give you a baseline to watch :)
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Good idea David...Now, I need to make friends with the next door neighbor. He's a cabinet maker and is bound to have a moisture meter...his ears perked up the one time he heard that I was making knives...

Of course, I should cut into the middle of some of these logs and test THAT...now I just need that carbide tipped bandsaw blade...I guess I have to finish and sell a few knives so I can afford one! :eek:

-d
 
deker said:
...now I just need that carbide tipped bandsaw blade...I guess I have to finish and sell a few knives so I can afford one! :eek:
-d
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I've never used ironwood, it sure is beautiful :thumbup: Is it really that hard you need a carbide tipped blade to saw ?
 
David Wesner said:
I've never used ironwood, it sure is beautiful :thumbup: Is it really that hard you need a carbide tipped blade to saw ?
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It grows very slowly in the desert and soaks up silicates as it grows, so think "cutting rocks". The guy I got it from said that with regular carbon steel wood blades he'd get 4 or 5 cuts max before it wouldn't cut ironwood anymore. It would still cut lesser woods, but the ironwood dulled the blades FAST. It's a $100 bandsaw blade, I've already priced it....

-d
 
langchop said:
Dont listen to ickie.. he is just giving himself a year to find out where you live, track you down, get into your workshop one night, and swipe your ironwood!

Interesting thread to read.
Click to expand...

I resemble that statement....
 
The key is what was the condition of the wood when you purchased it? Was it in a showroom already dried and cured? Did you find it on the side of the road;)?

Rule of thumb for hardwoods cut green and air-drying is appx 1 year/inch of thickness. If the wood has already been dried (taken to a low moisture content) then a few weeks to stabilize to your climate should be fine. Kiln dried wood is generally at 7%-10% moisture content, air dried is usually higher, about 14% - 19%. The longer wood sits in an area, the closer it's moisture content will approach the relative humidity.

I can't find the exact stats for Ironwood right now, but I do know that stabilizing ironwood is a futile gesture as it has no effect whatsoever.

The knife you make will likely not be stored and kept at the same climate as your shop its whole life, so the relative moisture content of the scales will change as it moves around the world. Ironwood is very stable, so if you bought it kiln or air dried, I'd slice it up, let it sit for a month or so and use it.

J-
 
Well, it wasn't sliced and dried. It was wood collected over some number of years that was all found dead on private property and cut (the only way you can legally collect ironwood in AZ). It has spent it's life since in the AZ desert in the hot and dry. I suppose I should cut the big pieces in half or so and check the interior with a moisture meter if I can get my hands on one.

-d
 
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