Wood experts - Drying 2x4 fir wood in the desert

[tigerwoodKhorns]

I have several shutters that I am framing and need wood to build an interior frame to attach to the window frame / wall.

 

I need several pieces of wood about 1" thick or so and 5' long.  It is very hard to find hardwood that is straight around here and it will just be painted anyway. 

 

If you buy 2 x 4s around here, they tend to twist when they dry out, I am guessing because they dry so quickly.  I was thinking about buying a bunch of 2 x 4s and keeping them indoors to dry out.  Then when they are dry, hopefully they did not twist that much, and I can chop them up and run them through a planer to get nice straight pieces of wood.  

 

If this works, there are many other places where I need wood for trim that will be painted white. 

 

Does this sound like it will work? 

 

I had to build the outside frames of the shutters out of 1" particle board because I could not find enough straight pieces of wood at the lumber yard.  Twisted wood is a real problem in the desert and now is the time to get the wood if this will work. 

[Coytee]

I'm not a wood expert but from what I read, if you are going to dry them out, you might want to paint the ends of them to slow the process from those areas (and they dry more evenly)

 

 

[tigerwoodKhorns]

nobody else?

[mungkiman]

Can you not buy kiln dried wood where you live?

 

[tigerwoodKhorns]

Yes, but it is usually still wet to some degree.Our humidity is usually about 10 percent so dry wood will dry out more here.  

 

Should I try a real lumber yard?

[Chris A]

 

I'd look around for quartersawn stock, if I can find it.  The wood will warp and twist based on the cutting conditions and not so much on the drying conditions--although dryer climates will not make things any better--only more visible in less time.

 

It really sounds like you need one of these to make your stock flat again:

 

 

Chris

[tigerwoodKhorns]

I have a 13" dewalt planer. 

 

The plan is to but Douglas fir 2 x 4's, dry them out and then plane down so that I have some nice 5' x 1" thick boards.

[Schu]

which places have you looked for Wood?

 

[JJkizak]

I just looked at the latest Home depot 2 x 4's and they were exceptional in quality for some reason with very few knots and straight as an arrow. I was gazing in awe and wonderment at them but alas have no reason to use them.

JJK

[Ceptorman]

2 hours ago, JJkizak said:

I just looked at the latest Home depot 2 x 4's and they were exceptional in quality for some reason with very few knots and straight as an arrow. I was gazing in awe and wonderment at them but alas have no reason to use them.

JJK

Around here, Lowes has MUCH better lumber than Home Depot. The local HD lumber looks good, is straight, but it's very weak.

[JL Sargent]

Properly dried wood is taken to 7% humidity at the lumber mills I've had as customers. I specifically asked the plant managers/maintenance supervisors this question.

 

[Travis In Austin]

Go to 84 Lumber on S. Decatur (south of Flamingo).

 

You can can spec whatever lumber you want there.

 

Or, you can get redwood 2 x 4s at Home Depot, very pricy but no warp, no rot

 

[Travis In Austin]

"When wood is used in a structure, it will equilibrate to the moisture content determined by the ambient relative humidity. In the United States, this can vary from about 6% MC in arid regions to about 11% MC in wetter coastal regions, with much of the country at about 8% MC. The closer a piece of lumber is to the moisture content it will equilibrate to in place means the less shrinkage will occur after it is installed."

 

 

ch12_Drying_Control_of_Moisture.pdf

[tigerwoodKhorns]

12 hours ago, Schu said:

which places have you looked for Wood?

 

 

A lot of places closed during the recession. 

 

I buy 2 x 4's at the Home Depot, but will try Lowes. 

 

Peterman Lumber is one of the few places for hardwood, but finding long straight pieces is difficult.  I did but a lot of poplar there to make door jams, but had to plane it. 

[JJkizak]

11 hours ago, dwilawyer said:

Go to 84 Lumber on S. Decatur (south of Flamingo).

 

You can can spec whatever lumber you want there.

 

Or, you can get redwood 2 x 4s at Home Depot, very pricy but no warp, no rot

 

 

Redwood is miraculous in my yard. It's the only wood I can bury as a post and nothing will harm it or rot it after 45 years in damp Ohio woods. Cedar and Doug fir rot just fine and last for about 15 years in the ground before it has to be replaced. Wolmanized, Doug Fir, are  the same as Cedar. They all get full of bugs. There are 4 very huge woodpectors that frequent my only cedar tree ripping out large pieces of center wood while I watch from my bedroom window.

JJK

[tigerwoodKhorns]

I am doing interior work, so a softwood like fur should work. 

 

I built some mounts for exterior lighting and used redwood and then painted it to match. 

[babadono]

Your doing trim around windows on the inside? What about MDF mouldings? They come in so many shapes(profiles) and sizes it'll make your head spin. Most of them are pre primed ready to paint and once painted look just wood.

[Travis In Austin]

2 hours ago, babadono said:

Your doing trim around windows on the inside? What about MDF mouldings? They come in so many shapes(profiles) and sizes it'll make your head spin. Most of them are pre primed ready to paint and once painted look just wood.

Why didn't I think of that?

 

Yeah tiger Woods, what he said.

[Ceptorman]

You might look at a real lumber yard, they will have many choices, especially the composite and plastic stuff.

[tigerwoodKhorns]

5 hours ago, dwilawyer said:

Why didn't I think of that?

 

Yeah tiger Woods, what he said.

 

Thanks for the replies. 

 

Well, its not tiger woods as I do not golf.  My K Horns were in Tiger Wood. 

 

I am not explaining what I am doing well enough.  The frame will have molding.  I need to build a square insert that will slip into the window recession.  I do not want to use MDF for this.  If I can use Fir it will be a good and inexpensive solution.