What is the best wood for live edge Woodworking?
Let’s start with some important questions
- Is it dry everywhere or does it have some small pockets of moisture in small areas?
- Is there any rot or soft spots?
- Is it dried correctly for the environment the piece will live in?
- Are there bugs in the wood currently?
How can I tell if the wood is dry?
There are many theories and approaches here. Many people say you should calculate the dry time this way:
1 inch per year = 3 inches of wood will take 3 years
Luckily, we have modern technology on our side these days. Get yourself a reliable moisture meter. Standard old pin moisture meters have pins that you press into the top surface of the wood but only measures the moisture at the surface of the wood – it’s possible that your wood may be wet a half an inch below the surface and you would never know. A good pinless moisture meter radiates through the surface of the wood and reads about 3/4 of an inch deep into your wood slab, providing a far more reliable reading.
What’s a good moisture content for a workable slab?
First things first – where do you live? Your geography has a lot to do with what your moisture content should be – or at least your maximum moisture content threshold. So start there before you start to work with your live edge slab.
In most states, you want to look for moisture contents of 6 to 9%, or even a little higher at times. Red flags should go up if you’re seeing 15% , 20% and sometimes even 30% readings in your live edge slab (even when you purchase from a reputable supplier).
Check for rot
No one likes dealing with bugs. But when you’re working with natural materials, bugs are bound to happen. It’s important to make sure they’re dead and the easiest way to do that is to work with kiln dried wood. Purchasing kiln dried wood guarantees no bugs or dead bugs. If you’re drying your wood yourself, they say that getting the core temperature of your wood to 130° for 30 minutes or more ensures any live bugs will die. Most people don’t have kilns, but you may have an attic that will reach temperatures over 140° for long periods of time in the summer = instant kiln. But you have to be sure your attic will reach that temperature for at least 30 minutes – don’t guess.
Summary:
- Dry, dry, dry, dry.
- Bugs in your wood are fine — if they’re dead.
- 130° + 30 minutes in your attic is just as good as a kiln for killing those “things” that are in your wood.
I sure hope this information is helpful – it was helpful to me when I was learning. If you’re new to this and you follow these few guidelines you’re well on your way to producing high quality live edge slabs that will look beautiful in your home shop or confidently sold to your loyal customers.