I've read where the old time ship builders used to sink logs with rocks into
fresh water. A few years later the sap had gone and the wood was ready for
use.

They sure are getting premium prices for the logs recovered after 75 years
on the river bottom.

Roger

http://home.insightbb.com/~derbyrm

"espresso kid" wrote in message
oups.com...
Those are alll good points -to a point . It allso depends on how FAST
wood was dried in the kiln
My father has built a kiln He uses it to dry wood for his woodworking
shop. He just doesnt get in a big hurry getting it dry (different
drying rates for diff. species) and has had very good luck producing
wood that is stable. it also depends where you live AZ ,NM, ect. the
wood will air dry nearly as fast as in a kiln in say the midwest (high
temp + 4 % humidity) equals very fast drying times we live in the
midwest our summer time humidity is 75 to 99 percent. just how long do
you think it will take to get wood down to say 12 percent hmmm.

lol they are getting a premium do the the fact that old growth timber
tended to be tighter grained and straighter grained (better quality).
growing conditions HAVE changed in the last 2 to 4 hundred years
that wood still has to be dried (IT DOES NOT COME OUT OF THE WATER
DRY!) altho the sap has been leached out


they also soaked wood before they bent it, today steam is generaly
used to do the same thing

Growing conditions haven't changed. The way trees are grown has changed!
Forests are now treated like any farm crop to maximize growth, not quality
Gordon

"espresso kid" wrote in message
oups.com...
lol they are getting a premium do the the fact that old growth timber
tended to be tighter grained and straighter grained (better quality).
growing conditions HAVE changed in the last 2 to 4 hundred years
that wood still has to be dried (IT DOES NOT COME OUT OF THE WATER
DRY!) altho the sap has been leached out


they also soaked wood before they bent it, today steam is generaly
used to do the same thing