Wood drying question

D

deker

Joined
Nov 14, 2005
Messages
3,496
Hey folks, I just got some scales in the mail yesterday (very nice black cherry burl) and they were exposed to a little more humidity than I would have liked due to the rain we had yesterday and the fact that we got our first "welcome to the country" mailbox smashing recently. Mail carrier tried, but the plastic bag she put stuff in just didn't cut it.

So, I pulled everything out of the envelope and the wood itself wasn't wet so I figured all would be well. Today I noticed one scale had a nice warp going on. So far what I've done it seal the ends with wax, and clamped all the black cherry scales together between a couple nice seasoned pieces of maple in hopes that it will all straighten out again as it dries.

Was this the best course of action? Any suggestions? Any ideas for a new "welcome wagon proof" mailbox? :)

Thanks,

-d
 
Here are some tried and true mailbox methods . Ultimate --6" steel pipe buried in concrete and filled with concrete. Get two mailboxes put standard inside a large one filling the space between the two with concrete. That one was , I was told put up in an area where someone was running over the boxes .Pickup truck of a local youth was found wrapped around the box one morning !! Similar solution broke the arm of a baseball bat wielding youth ! I have a PO Box so I avoid it all !!
 
You might want to check your local laws before you attemt to make a punk proof mail box.
I know that in my county,any state or county road must have a break away mail box post.I am not sure about any laws with the mailbox itself.
 
In my youthful days in rural New Hampshire, a couple of guys went out in a '47 Ford truck to have fun.One guy leaned out the window with a 2X4 and was going to whack a box. I didn't think it was such a hot idea.Having a physicist as a grandfather,and understanding the energy transfer involved. The truck got up to about 40MPH and the guy took a swing.The box was probably destroyed, but we were too busy ducking flying glass to notice. The 2X4 rebounded with all that extra energy and came around to the back window,smashing it behind our heads.Dang near pulled the batter out the window.He had a sore arm for a week.Lucky he didn't break it.
Stacy
 
Me, I'd send it for stabilization, or barring that put it in a wood box or old refrigerator with a 75 watt bulb and keep wieghing it till it stops showing a loss.

Check your local laws, but once apone a time I built one out off 1/2" plate, and the post was a piece of 5" heavy weight drill pipe set 6' in concreat. No more problems with getting bashed. A nieghbor bricked his and that stoped it and it looked better too.
 
I have had similar problems with some of the wood I have received off of ebay. When I contacted the seller they recomended using an iron to straighten the scales. That's right the same one your wife usesd to iron the shirt you wrinkled all to hell when you passed out on the couch the other night. It worked. Use a thin damp towel between the iron and the scale. Also as was mentioned before don't use it before having it stabilized. Better yet avoid buying anything that isn't. Please don't ask about the same first knife I rescaled three times. Slow learner.:(
Matt Doyle
 
My mailbox is made of two sheets of corrugated steel, with about 1 1/2" of steel re-enforced concrete in between. Weighs a ton, but does the job. The first week we had it up, they tried to hit it with a bat, and came back a while later with a shotgun. It's got a big dent in it from the slugs, and the post broke, but they leave it alone now. :D Instead they throw their beer bottles in our yard. Jerks.
As for the wood, what your doing sounds ok.
 
Well, it looks like the clamping has done it in the short term. It seems to have straightene out. I'm keeping it clamped for now just to be safe. In a couple months I plan to send out a load of stuff to WSSI and these will definitely be in the collection that goes.

I'll check on rules around here, but there are quite a few really heavy mailboxes in the neighborhood. The previous owner's mailbox (still here, but leaks, so the mail carrier knows not to use it...also a little small) is made of 1/4" plate welded up and sitting on 2.5" or so pipe.

Due to my work schedule right now it was more important to have a mailbox than to do it all up. One more plastic box...but if THIS one goes....

thanks folks,

-d
 
You might have some reaction wood there, deker.
Wood cut from a tree that was growing at a slanted angle, cut too near a crotch, or limb wood will warp with small changes in moisture content.
It might just warp again while the moisture is removed in the stabilizing process.
Some wood will remain stable in large sizes, then warp when cut smaller.
I had this problem when I cut a 3/4 " strip off the side of a 1X6 of Sapele. It looked to be absolutely straight grained, but two days after cutting, it had twisted about 30° in two feet. And this was dry to 6%! Weird, and now I've got 40-50 bd/ft of it sitting in my garage for 2 years, debating whether I want to make something out of it...
The best way to get a stabilized piece the size you want it is to send it over-sized, in case it decides to warp. You can then cut to size.
Good luck with it.
 
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