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Drying your own wood


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I would be very interested in hearing about experiences drying wood from folks on here. The idea of chopping down a tree and using it for a guitar is very appealing to me. Ofcourse, I am aware that this can be a very lengthy process if the wood is not chopped up a certain amount. I’ve read all sorts of stuff on how to do it, including kitty litter 😂  I actually have a Eucalyptus tree that I chopped down in the back garden that would be awesome to use. 

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there are many different methods of dying the woods, but the one tried and true method is with aniline dyes...  that is an acquired skill, not hard, but it does require a bit more knowledge than "the take the rag and smear MinWax stain on the wood method"

There are a number of good you tube videos.. I'd encourage you to watch a  few and try on scrap lumber before ya dye a finished piece.

and note the difference in Stain and Dye, Stain sits on top of the wood, rather like paint.. it's easy to remove should it be necessary. it also like like "paint sitting on the wood"   Dye soaks into the wood for a few thousandths.... about 1 mm...  Screw that up and you have problems, but it IS the quality method of changing the color of the wood.. I use aniline dyes exclusively...

think of aniline like you would ink ...  a really good penetrating ink..

Oh yeah, and be careful. get aniline dye in your skin and it has to wear off... get it on anything your Wife values and you can move in with the Dog.. 😲

rk

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O . .

Typically it requires about one year for every inch of thickness to dry the wood... This is assuming you're in a moderate climate... 

It can be accelerated to some degree by placing the lumber in the attic where it usually hits about 140 degrees...

Cut the blank longer and thicker to allow for shrinkage and protect the end grain from checking (splitting) by coating it with a good coat of wax... then, just wait...

while you're doing so look for a moisture meter and check periodically  when it gets to below 10% you;re good to go..

Then if ya wanna dye it , see my other post...😆

rk

Edited by Ronkirn
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