Drying
Here at T.S.M. Farms we care about our drying processes....YES there is more than one....after cutting fresh which we call "green" lumber or more accurately it's just wet and full of moisture (we have cut logs that have been on our yard for 2 years and they still have a high MC (moisture content)) we sticker all lumber and allow to AD (air dry) under shelter as space allows....OUR standard is AD'ing for a year per inch in board thickness ( we believe this is the best way to dry for maximum lumber stability)...then put the lumber into our DH (dehumidifier) kiln to bring the MC down a few more points to match what is standard in our houses now ( we normally bring down to 6% for initial MC and it will usually rebalance to 8-9% during storage). Also while in our kiln as a final step, we heat to 130 degrees for 24 + hrs to "debug" and kill any type of bugs,eggs or larvae that may be hidden in the wood.
Storage
Our standard storage after drying is in DH controlled buildings mostly in special designed racks that allow our customers to pick through flitches in their order without having to stack and restack lumber.
NOTE* Whenever buying lumber always be sure your getting properly dried lumber. Many mills DON'T take the time to dry thoroughly and you have lumber that is dry to touch/feel on the outside and wet on the inside which will warp or separate when used in projects due to the uneven MC throughout the wood.
We believe in bringing the MC's to minimum specs. and then hold them there extra time for good balance and beyond .... the beyond is where our quality becomes outstanding.
NOTE* Whenever buying lumber always be sure your getting properly dried lumber. Many mills DON'T take the time to dry thoroughly and you have lumber that is dry to touch/feel on the outside and wet on the inside which will warp or separate when used in projects due to the uneven MC throughout the wood.
We believe in bringing the MC's to minimum specs. and then hold them there extra time for good balance and beyond .... the beyond is where our quality becomes outstanding.
