How long to acclimate air dried lumber?

[Steve]

Last weekend I bought some rough 4/4 air dried red and white oak. First time buying air dried and delighted with the price - $1/ft. The fellow that sold it (old guy with a wood mizer) said he guessed it was about 15% moisture content - been drying in his barn a couple years. Anyway, to get it acclimated to house conditions before I use it I stickered it in my basement by the furnace where it's about 50% rel humidity, 68 degrees. How long do you think I should wait? Don't have a moisture meter, however a 15lb board (per the bathroom scale) dropped a pound in four days. I live in NW Indiana, if that matters.

Thanks, Steve

[Charlie Self]

Personally, I'd jump on one of those 30 buck moisture meters that several catalogs have for sale...McFeely's and Lee Valley come to mind.

[JGS]

[George]

Book answer is one per cent per week, which would bring a prospective 15% to the 10 in the house in five weeks. Real answer is to crosscut one of those boards., whack out a 1x2x2 chunk, weigh, and then microwave lightly until it loses weight no more, then compute. That said, I'd have no problems working it in three, since you're going to be 12 % or more summer average in Indiana anyway.

One of the 30 dollar moisture meters? Not sure how meaningful that is when there's no other choice available. Sort of like the micrometers folks use to see how far out of adjustment something is - interesting to know, but doesn't get it to right.

[rllipham]

How did you weigh the board? Bathroom scales or a laboratory scale?

If you used a bath scale the accuracy of the scale is poo and your results are not valid.

[James "Cubby" Culbertson]

In terms of percentage, well you're better off with a meter. Otherwise, weigh a piece and once it stabilizes in weight, you should be pretty close. How long to stabilize, you got me! As for "acclimating" once you think it's pretty dry, cut your stock to rough dimensions and let it sit for a week or so in your shop. Then cut to your final dimensions. I hate it when I cut/plane/etc...something and a week later it's warped etc... Cheers, cc