The first and most crucial step after the cutting of your raw wood from nature , is the correct drying of it in order to proceed to your next steps and not have cracking issues .

No matter if you have cut the best tree and have the best quality’s wood piece , if you dry it wrongly and you’ll get serious cracks , your entire woodworking process will be ruined irreversable .

The correct drying of wood has some very basic rules , no matter the place you are on earth , the weather conditions and the type of wood you have .

Lets’ see some basic drying rules and a helpful drying mindset :

1) Never peel your fresh cut wooden piece , until the end of the drying process .

When you’ll cut your wooden piece from the forest or you get it and it’s fresh cut , you should never make the mistake to peel it and accelerate big and aggresively the drying process .

Your fresh cut wood is full of its juices and it has a specific mass and shape , you don’t want to change dramatically but very slowly .

If you peel it , you accelerate very much the evaporation of these juices , you change the shape and bulk of its mass and the cracking is certain .

2) Transfer your wood to a Storage place fast and don’t leave it to the direct sun and weather .

Correct drying means , control of the environment in the highest possible grade by you , in order to control the drying process and not leaving factors and drying parameters on luck .

You should tranfer your wood in the exact storage place you’ll leave it to dry , as quickly as possible or at least protect it , until you decide the drying process you’ll apply .

Bring it to the environment you control big so you can start place it , treat it accordingly to start drying correctly and controlled .

If you cut it and let it outside for a couple of days , before you place it to the drying nevironment , you may lose the entire “game” .

I’ve done these mistakes with my first wooden mulberry stick i’ve shown you in so many photos( and times ) and i learned the hard way .

The cracks are like the Grand Canyon .

3) Choose the drying process fast and treat your wood accordingly .

In the fast mode , you should decide the drying process you’ll apply to your wood ( natural – ovens , et.c . ) , so you can place it and don’t waste crucial drying time .

Remember your wood is full of juices trying to evaporate and escape its mass and when it’s fresh cut , these juices are quite much .

Quite much fluids means quite fast drying times and you don’t want that .

4) Don’t cut your wood in Smaller pieces , until the end of drying .

Avoid to cut your wood piece in smaller pieces before your wood is fully dry , because you cannot control the drying process in many pieces . You also create more wooden areas without peel , accelerating wronly the drying .

Shape and cut your wood in the preferred pieces , after the stage of drying . Your wood will be stable and have the final cubic volume without fluctuations .

5) Correct drying is Slow drying .

The wood should dry very slow , in order not to disturb aggresively its fibers and their cubic volume , situtation that will lead to aggresive change – shrinking of their mass .

This shape change will lead to the creation of gaps between them and these gaps are the cracks you see and we don’t want that in any case .

6) Seal the uncovered edges of wood with Linseed oil or Paint .

In the areas the wood has no peel , the moisture escapes to the atmosphere more quickly than the rest of the wood and this affects the drying uniformity , thing that can create cracking .

When in one solid wooden piece you have big enough drying differences from place to place , you have unevenness and elasticity issues , that wood cannot absorb and get cracks .

Wood isn’t rubber ot silicone , or whatever and it has specific elasticity tolerances .

So in order to balance this moisture escape speed between the peel areas and the uncovered edges , we cover the edges with materials that slow down the evaporation .

A first class element is the linseed oil and the majority of the professionals , use it by spraying the uncovered wood edges in their drying stacks .

If you don’t hve linsed oil , you can use the so common paint we all can get and if you’ll find an oil based one , even better .

Many use a mixture of water and salt , but i don’t think thia this will last for much time , after the evaporation of the water and in tough outdoor weather conditions .

If you want to slow down the moisture evaporation big , you can also use wax for the edges . Adapt to what you want , to where you are and how fast you want for your drying .

7) The Stacking of wood for natural drying has some serious “secrets” .

If you choose to dry your wood naturally , by placing it to stacks you should be aware for some serious issues , in oder not to destroy your wood supplies .

Choose a place with good air circulation from all directions and never leave your wood stack in the direct sun and rain exposed . If this place won’t have a shed , you should cover your wood with fabrics and be careful in here :

Avoid the nylon fabric if you can , because we don’t want moisture to be captured inside our wooden stack , because the nylon isn’t a breathable element .

The cubits you’ll use for the stack creation , should be bug – fungi free , and have the exact same shape , thickness and general uniformity .

If not your wood will be awry after the drying , driven by its weight and the uneven cubits .

Appropriate and good stack place , good air ventilation , sun and rain covering , edge covering with linseed oil or paint , patience and big time periods and continuous inspections , are the basic rules for natural drying .

Always storage and make stacks for your wood , a couple of inches above the ground to avoid the direct touch with the wet soil and have a good underneath ventilation .

See in HERE , the complete method to make stacks .

Is it Necessary to dry wood ?

Yes , it is because you stabilize its mass , you protect it from bugs and fungi that love moisture and mold and you make it more strong but easy and stable to shaping , emphasizing its colors and beautiness , the same time .

Will wood dry on its Own ?

Yes it will , because when you cut it you deprive it from the fluids provided by the tree and along with the air circulation and the sun’s heat , the moisture it has will escape to the atmosphere with the phenomenon of evaporation .

How to keep Raw wood , from cracking ?

The general mentality for natural drying is , place it to stacks with big distances for good air circulation , cover the edges with linseed oil or paint to equal the drying times , cover it with a cloth to avoid the direct sun and rain and let it dry very slowly .

Continuous inspections and immediate problems treatment , are basic actions .

What is the best way to dry Fresh wood ?

The best way to dry fresh wood depends from the result you want and the use of your wood , that’s why sometimes you dry it naturally and sometimes by using ovens or dehumifiers , in order to be 100% precise if you have a more demanding woodcraft .

I know that the elite and best musical instruments creators and the top shotgun – rifle manufacturers , are prefering the very slow natural drying and in my opinion it’s the best way , even if there are no inviolable rules in here .

The very slow drying doesn’t stress much the wood’s fibers changing their mass aggresively and this make the entire wood more strong and stable to time and wear .

Does wood crack When it dries ?

The wood when it dries , it loses water – moisture and this changes its mass holistically(shrinks) and if this change is very fast , the aggresive mass change creates gaps between the molecules , which are the crackings you see .

Slow , equal and good control of the drying process is the key to best results .

How Long does raw wood take to dry ?

This depends from the place you are , the type of wood you have and its internal moisture , the quality of the wood stack you’ve made , the air circulation , the general weather conditions and atmosphere and of course the general heat from the sun or whatever .

Can you dry wood with hair Dryer ?

Yes , surely you can but you should be very careful to use the dryer’s heat wisely and very slow in order not to accelerate the drying big and of course you should use a dryers to smaller wood pieces , to have a uniform drying .

Adapt your dryer’s speed , power and distance to the wood wisely and make all these very slowly and controlled .

What makes wood dry Faster ?

Generally the heat , the big amount and dosages of fresh air circulation , the good and generally a dry place and dry weather conditions and smaller wood pieces instead of big ones ( more surfaces for moisture to escape ) , are helping the faster drying .

All the technical ways people use to make the drying faster ( dehumidifiers , oves , et. c ) , are “obeying” to these general drying laws .

How to Prevent wood cracking when drying ?

You should never hurry and push the drying process to be fast and uncontrolled and you should try to have a total controlled uniform drying for all the mass of wood , no matter if you use technical equipment or natural methods .

The aggresive fast drying , cause the cracking problems on wood because you don’t give time to its molecules to adapt naturally to the shrinking .

How to dry wood fast at Home ?

Find a shady place to put your wood , with a good level of air circulation maybe in front of a window or a backyard door , use a fan for air circulation adaption in the summer months maybe and a dehumidifier if you judge it’ll help .

If you can “hung” it from your ceiling as the profesionals do , to provide the same air circulation to all of its sides , even better .

Can you dry wood in the Sun ?

Yes , you can if you want to , but i highly suggest you not to do that because the crackings will be certain , caused from the very quick drying and the high heat from the direct sun rays .

Can you dry wood too much ?

You can dry your wood too much , only with technical methods ( ovens , pressure dehumidifiers , et.c ) and not with totally natural methods , because after a point of moisture evaporation from the wood’s internal , the wood will balance wiht the environment and stop interacting with it .

Usually this stop range is between the 12% to 20% of moisture the firewood usually have .

Below the 12% – 10% you cannot go( it’s very rare and difficult ) , without the help of technical machines .

How long should Fresh Cut wood , to dry ?

For totally natural drying , it depends from the type of wood you have and its state ( bugs , et.c ) the level of its internal moisture , the place you’ll put it to dry and the general weather conditions , the air flow and heat and the factor of luck of course .

Drying wood in northern Europe , US , et.c and Australia , Mexico , et.c , requires way different time periods , as you can imagine .

Usually a time period around the 6 months , is a realistic time period .

How to dry wood Slices , Naturally ?

The mentality to dry wood slices , is the same with the general drying mentality and this means , very slowly and controlled drying for the entire mass of wood , good air flow and use of heat and of course the coveing of the edges with linseed oil or paint , for evaporating balance .

Can you Air dry wood , Indoors ?

Yes , certainly you can and the indoor drying has the benefit of the more control you can have to your wood and not expose it to the direct sun or the overwelming heat and weather conditions , using mostly the air circulation .

You can use a home fan for better air ventilation and adjustments and also a small heat source very carefully of course , if you want to accelerate or balance your drying process .

Choose a shady place in front of a window and make an airstream with your fan , for better results . If you need to cover the edges with linseed oil or paint to balance the drying , do it .

Can you dry Firewood , quickly ?

Yes of course you can and in this case that you don’t care for the crackings and the looks of your wood , you can expose it to the direct sun and the highest air circulation possible , to accelerate the drying anduse your firewood for fire purposes .

If you use technical equipment( ovens , et.c .) , the drying can be done super fast in a couple of hours , or less .

Remember what wood we never burn in a fireplace , HERE .

Is Sun or Wind , better for drying ?

The correct wind circulation is the best natural and slow drying process of your wood , because you give the appropriate time to the wood’s fibers to reduce their mass and shrink , without cracks and other gaps between them .

The heat from the sun rays is a more aggresive process for the drying od wood .

How to dry wood , Right after cutting ?

Right after the cutitng of your wood , its mass is full of fluids and water and you need to begin the drying super slowly and take it to the drying – storge place , cover its edges with linseed oil or paint , cover it totally with a cloth ( nylon imprisons moisture ) and place it above the ground at least 10″ to 15″ .

Many continuous inspections are needed ( every half an hour ) to see if small cracks are beginning to show and they need to slow more the drying , covering it more , using linseed oil more and not only to its edges , et./c and reduce the air circulation .

Some of my best linseed oil suggestion to buy , in HERE .

In many cases , if you leave to a super hot place , for the first hours – days , you may need to hydrate your with your watering hose in order to avoid the cracks , keep it hydrated and begin the drying process , super – super slowly .

The very hot conditions is a serious situation . You may need to watering your wood for a couple of days and then cut it , in order to begin the drying process super slowly , small step by small step .

Does wood dry faster , Split ?

Yes , the split wood dries faster from one , solid form of it because you have more areas for moisture and fluids escape , but of course this faster times will cause cracking problems in the majority of times .

How to Stop wood splitting when drying ?

If you identify wood splitting during your drying process , you should reduce immediately the drying times to the minimum you can , covering more wood areas with linseed oil and paint , cutting the air flowand the heat source totally maybe and see how this will go .

In here the inspections should be super many . Every 10 minutes you should check your wood and give solutions , super immediately .

If you do whatever you can and the splitting doesn’t stop , you should hydrate a little the wood , to give flexibility and elasticity back to the fibers and start the drying process from total zero , with enormous cautious day and night .

It’s a very painful process and you may need to stay awake for many days , till you stabilize the wood and its drying .

Is it better to dry wood , Inside or Outside ?

The inside drying conditions are more controllable concerning the air circulation and the dosages of heat you’ll provide to your wood and inside you can avoid weather surprises and unweighted factors .

Can i dry wood in my Oven ?

Yes you can dry it to your oven or whatever provides heat , but i won’t suggest you to do it because even in the slowest speed and power , the home ovens are providing strong heat and the drying will be fast , creating crackings .

In the professional ovens and pressure chambers , the professionals can adjust all the drying factors ( heat , pressure , moistue , et.c . ) in a micro scale , having absolute control to the process .

See in HERE a top way the professional use to make wood stronger , using heat .

What is the Best way to dry timber ?

The best way to dry timber is the natural slow and correct drying of it , without damaging its natural properties and charactristics and without interfearing to the wise way nature has and no technical equipment can duplicate .

Nobody can do the job nature can do , without damaging even a little , the element .

What is the Cheapest way to dry wood ?

The cheapest way to dry wood is the totally natural drying , creating stacks and leaving nature , air circulation and the sun rays – heat to do the job , providing a totally natural and durable result .

Keep woodworking and your happiness will never dry .