# Drying Honey Locust ?



## sprucegum

I made a trade this spring and got a nice slab of green sealed honey locust. It has been in my wood shed all summer. Today I decided to cut into it to check the MC and it is still at 24%. I have never worked with locust before and would like to know if I could safely speed up the drying process a little? The slab is just nice strait grained wood with just a very few small knots. I would like to make a couple 2.5"X 2.5 X 24 turning blanks and just reseal the ends .

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## Kevin

I LOVE honey locust. One of my favorite woods. It can be difficult to get those open pores closed when finishing but I lke the color so much I don't care. By "speed up" what do you mean? I have only kiln dried 5/4 HL at the thickest, and anything over that I air dry first. HL has few drying defects but still any thick lumber is trickier to dry than its thinner boards of the same species.

I would say seal the ends of a test piece very thick and make a small crude kiln with a computer fan, 100w light bulb located in the bottom, and a small vent hole in the bottom and top and see what happens to the blank. Use a cheap A/C thermostat to break the line to the bulb to maintain about 80 - 85 degrees or so. The t-stat must be inside the kiln of course. You'll need to get a low volatge transformer for the thermostat but any heat/ac place will probably sell you a used t-stat and transformer cheap (maybe give it to you).

You can also build the kiln without a fan or t-stat by adjustating the vent holes in the bottom and the top. Adjusting the vent holes will increase/decrease the airflow and also keep the temperature stable. The airflow is caused by the heat escaping the top vent and the bottom vent will natuarlly draw new air in.

You can build a nice kiln if you like the results and want to dry more mill blanks or other thicker blanks. I built one like @Vern Tator showed back in 2011.

Reactions: Informative 4


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## Kevin

Here is the thread Dave:

http://woodbarter.com/threads/mini-kiln.814/#post-6818


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## sprucegum

Kevin said:


> I LOVE honey locust. One of my favorite woods. It can be difficult to get those open pores closed when finishing but I lke the color so much I don't care. By "speed up" what do you mean? I have only kiln dried 5/4 HL at the thickest, and anything over that I air dry first. HL has few drying defects but still any thick lumber is trickier to dry than its thinner boards of the same species.
> 
> I would say seal the ends of a test piece very thick and make a small crude kiln with a computer fan, 100w light bulb located in the bottom, and a small vent hole in the bottom and top and see what happens to the blank. Use a cheap A/C thermostat to break the line to the bulb to maintain about 80 - 85 degrees or so. The t-stat must be inside the kiln of course. You'll need to get a low volatge transformer for the thermostat but any heat/ac place will probably sell you a used t-stat and transformer cheap (maybe give it to you).
> 
> You can also build the kiln without a fan or t-stat by adjustating the vent holes in the bottom and the top. Adjusting the vent holes will increase/decrease the airflow and also keep the temperature stable. The airflow is caused by the heat escaping the top vent and the bottom vent will natuarlly draw new air in.
> 
> You can build a nice kiln if you like the results and want to dry more mill blanks or other thicker blanks. I built one like @Vern Tator showed back in 2011.



I have looked at similar plans but really don't have a place for one rite now and as soon as the cold weather settles in finding a dry environment is not a problem. In cold weather I heat my home with a wood fired hot water boiler. It is in the basement and I have some drying shelves close to the ceiling nearly over the boiler, I expect that area stays 80 plus as long as the boiler is in use . I also have a fan that comes one when it gets over 75 just to move the heat around the basement a little. I have dried mill blanks that were in the 15% range to so low the meter won't read in just a couple of weeks. Having never used locust before I just don't know how prone the checking it is and this piece is a lot wetter than any blanks I have dried in the past. I guess the only way to know for sure is to give it a try.


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## Mike1950

I put some big slabs 2'x 20" x 8/4 of honey locust in my kiln for 3 weeks this summer. I have not cut into them but they sure were a lot lighter coming out then going in. Really no real new checking- They had air dried for 5 months before. We were Very hot and very dry this year. I agree with @Kevin -it is pretty wood.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Kevin

Mike1950 said:


> They had air dried for 5 months before.



I think that was the key to your success. I don't know for sure though because I have never put green HL into my kiln thicker than 5/4. I guess one of us needs to stick a green 8/4 piece in soon. I will drop one next time I log some FBE it is not prolific in my patch but I do come across them. The largest one I ever felled was in my FBE patch I think I posted a thread about it way back when. Does it grow in your neck of the woods Mike or do you get via domestic import?


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## Kevin

sprucegum said:


> I have looked at similar plans but really don't have a place for one rite now and as soon as the cold weather settles in finding a dry environment is not a problem. In cold weather I heat my home with a wood fired hot water boiler. It is in the basement and I have some drying shelves close to the ceiling nearly over the boiler, I expect that area stays 80 plus as long as the boiler is in use . I also have a fan that comes one when it gets over 75 just to move the heat around the basement a little. I have dried mill blanks that were in the 15% range to so low the meter won't read in just a couple of weeks. Having never used locust before I just don't know how prone the checking it is and this piece is a lot wetter than any blanks I have dried in the past. I guess the only way to know for sure is to give it a try.



Your basement sounds ideal.


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## Mike1950

Kevin said:


> I think that was the key to your success. I don't know for sure though because I have never put green HL into my kiln thicker than 5/4. I guess one of us needs to stick a green 8/4 piece in soon. I will drop one next time I log some FBE it is not prolific in my patch but I do come across them. The largest one I ever felled was in my FBE patch I think I posted a thread about it way back when. Does it grow in your neck of the woods Mike or do you get via domestic import?



I have a friend that works for an excavator. It was a yard tree and a Big one. Beautiful wood. Most of the checking in it was in it when I got it. Cut and sawn in March - I got it in may. I AC'd ends. Set stickered til aug. We were Very hot and dry and I expected it and the Black L. to degrade more but they did not. I love the color. I may see a Jewelry box or 2 out of it.

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## Kevin

I have some more HL drying for wall paneling. Just love the stuff. HL and BL are not very closely related as their names imply. They also have some considerable differences in woodworking qualities. Both are beautiful and both grow here. Can't wait to see your jewelry box with it I know you will do it right.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## Mr. Peet

Dave, how thick are the "Honey locust " slabs, that you want to cut 2.5 sq, blanks? If it is 3" stock, I would risk cutting a few 3 " sq stock blanks and seal the ends. Smaller pieces dry faster. If they degrade, You have that extra half inch to join and then plane. I would cut them 30" inches long to allow for possible end checking.

All a risk, but a learning risk.....


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## Nature Man

Would love to see pics. Chuck


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## Mike1950

Nature Man said:


> Would love to see pics. Chuck

Reactions: Like 1 | Thank You! 1


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## Sprung

Can't give you any advice on how to dry honey locust, but I do have to say that it is a beautiful wood. I rough turned a couple bowls from it early this summer and buried them in their own shavings in paper bags when I did. Am hoping they'll soon be dry enough to finish turn soon. I need to get me some more honey locust... Even in straight grained, I like the color and the grain in it - I'd love to build a piece or two of furniture out of it.


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