Storing wood - inside humidity vs. outside humidity.

[Brian Phillips]

We've had quite a few humid days of late here in Nebraska, with temperatures in the 90's & 100's. (High of 77 tomorrow! Woohoo!) I store my wood in the garage, which is attached to the house but for all practical purposes maintains an outside humidity level rather than an inside one, and so I'm curious about wood projects that will be for indoors...should I store the wood that I will use in the house for a while (how long?) to acclimate it to the interior humidity, only taking it out to the garage to work it into whatever it's destined to be?

If the above isn't overly clear, what I'm asking is if I should store wood -- that will be used for interior projects -- in the house, where the air is drier, instead of out in the garage where it is humid in the summer (and winter). I don't want the wood swollen by humidity, then made into a nice piece of furniture or something and brought into the house where it proceeds to dry out to match the household humidity and gets all out of shape.

Thoughts?

Brian

"Normal people, by definition, are average."

[George]

The air is dryer in the house when you are using the AC or heating.

The air is wetter in the house when you are not, because you are breathing, bathing and cooking.

Build to accommodate when you build. The methods are old and effective, and consist of frame/floating panel, wrapping face grain around a piece ....

Any good book on woodworking will cover allowance for movement. Build tight when the wood's high, loose when the wood's low, and build at a temperature that's comfortable to you. If you like, make a simple wood room by isolating your stock and/or project with taped plastic. A light bulb for warmth will ensure lower relative humidity. Two-three weeks will take a couple points off the MC.

[vmtw]

I assume you are using kiln dried wood. If it is a space issue, keep the excess it in the garage and bring the wood for your next project into the house 2-3 weeks before you are going to use it. It should adjust to the inside humidity in that time. Scott