In order to be able to process a tree trunk and make it durable - for example, to make rustic stools for the living area from individual pieces - the wood should be as dry as possible. The drier the trunk, the more durable it is. There are basically two drying processes to choose from.
A tree trunk can be dried in the sun - but it takes a long time to dry properly
Drying tree trunk naturally
You can often see naturally drying tree trunks on a walk in the forest: the trunks stacked there along the hiking trails lie there for several years until they reach the desired degree of dryness and can be processed further. In the case of so-called open-air drying, however, the following points must be observed:
- Cut down trees only in winter
- at this point they are in hibernation anyway and are already relatively dry.
- Drying takes a very long time - months to sometimes years
- only degrees of dryness of 15 to 20% are possible
- However, wood destined for furniture must be further dried
- Never store tree trunk directly on the ground
- always jack it up on a stone or similar surface
- a concrete surface or gravel is also suitable
- keep a distance of 40 to 60 centimeters to the ground if possible
- Store the tree trunk in an airy place, but protected from rain in a shed or similar
Outdoor drying is an inexpensive form of wood drying, but it also requires a lot of patience. Even though slow drying is the gentlest way for the wood, damage can occur during long storage. These show up in the form of cracks.
Technical drying in the drying chamber
On the other hand, the tree trunk is dried much faster in a special drying chamber - here the wood is dry after just a few days and can be used for the desired project. The advantage of this method is that the temperature and humidity can be set individually, so that a precise result can be achieved. The typical damage of natural drying, such as fungal attack, the development of cracks or discolouration, also does not occur. Instead, pests in the wood are reliably killed at temperatures above 60 °C. Of course, not everyone has such a drying chamber standing around at home, and it is not worth buying a few tree trunks. However, feel free to ask larger wood processing companies, a sawmill or a drying technology company specializing in wood drying.
tips
Before further processing, you should not only dry the log, but also impregnate it according to its purpose and thus protect it from moisture and the penetration of rotting bacteria and fungi.
The garden journal freshness ABC
How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?
The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:
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