I'm curious about the drying time for wood that's been cut down, specifically regarding its usability for carving and furniture-making. I recently moved to a place where some trees were cut down last year and left in the backyard. I also have some black walnut that was just cut down today. How long do I need to wait before I can start carving or using the wood for making things like carved chair arms? Is there a specific guideline for this?
3 Answers
There’s definitely a whole process to properly prepare wood for furniture-making. If you leave it as cut logs, you risk it rotting and cracking. You can start carving green wood pretty much right away, but you need to follow the right steps to ensure it dries properly afterward. In short, the drying time really depends on what you plan to do with the wood.
Some people have good results carving green wood and letting it dry afterward, but from my experience, that usually leads to a lot of cracking and warping. What I do is split or mill the wood into smaller pieces and let it dry for at least six months before I start carving. That seems to work fine for most types, but don’t be surprised if some wood still has issues once you start cutting it, regardless of how long it sits.
As a general rule of thumb, you might want to wait about a year for every inch of thickness if you're planning to use the wood for furniture. But honestly, I recommend getting a moisture meter to check things out more accurately. If you're hoping to use the wood anytime soon, milling it down would be a smart move. For carving, dry wood is usually the way to go since it’s less prone to cracking, but plenty of folks do carve green wood because it’s softer to work with. Just remember, if your pieces are small enough in diameter, they're more likely to warp rather than crack as they dry.
For black walnut, the thick bark can trap moisture, leading to rot in the sapwood if not processed. I recommend debarking it, splitting it lengthwise into quarters, and sealing the ends to help it dry without rotting or cracking.