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Originally Posted by jeffthechef
so i ripped and sized a fresh birch tree i found down in the woods. i took a piece of dried birch blank (from a lumber yard) and put it next to a fresh piece the same size and it weighed more? will the density and shape of the fresh cut change that much? i painted the ends and stacked it, i figure 6-8 months i have a lot of needles! thanks.
jeff
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There is an excellent book called "Understanding Wood" by Bruce Hoadley. Fascinating stuff, maybe your library can get it. Or buy it if you plan to work with wood much.
Fresh lumber is saturated with water. Birch is about 70-75 % water. It will dry outdoors to about 12-15% (indoors to about 8-9%). It will shrink as it dries (primarily along the grain lines). Supposedly wet lumber is a joy to turn, but round sections will go oval as they dry.