Drying slabs properly?

[Flint Mitch]

I noodled out a few maple slabs I'd like to use in the future. What do I need to do to get them to dry right?

 

[Lightning Performance]

Seal the end grain, stack them with 1 inch stickers for separations and keep them out of the sun and the rain.

 

[Flint Mitch]

Seal the end grain, stack them with 1 inch stickers for separations and keep them out of the sun and the rain.

Best product to seal for the $?

 

[Junk Meister]

Stickers (sticks) Made out of white or burr oak (moderately dry as well) will minimize discoloration, rot, spalting, etc. 1" x 1" works well and do NOT use an old house lath as the lime and iron from the nail hole will take a toll. As said store out of the sun and rain. If you keep the stickers directly over top of each other and a heavyweight on top that will help with warping issues and I prefer a cheap latex paint on the ends because it doesn't tend to bleed so far up the grain.
Another way is to hang them from a rafter just avoid wire with Iron (discoloration) I like the aluminum from overhead entrance wire (Electric) and unravel it and avoid the steel one , you could drill a small hole and use string. good luck

 

[JimBear]

I’ll throw this question out there to the masses since this thread is about drying. I have a grain bin that is going to be open/freed up till October of 2020. The drying floor is in good shape & flat/level, I don’t plan on running the fan but I could to speed up drying, it would get a bit expensive running it for too long. With the vented floor & roof I am guessing that it will work well for drying some boards.
1.)Am I correct on thinking this?

2.)About how long does it take to dry Cherry that is/will be cut to 1-1/4” to 1-1/2”?

3.) Can I lay them flat & routinely flip them as seen in the photo?

4.) Or do I need to stack vertically for weight purposes?

The boards in my photo were the first ones I cut with my mill, test boards if you will. Mulberry & Cherry just wanted to try things out. I have plenty of paint for ends on the next ones.

 

[Junk Meister]

best get them off the floor by using stickers under them (Metal and reactive consequences for the decking) and in my opinion the fan is irrelevant with a hind thought of refreshing (exchanging) the air. You have a HUMONGOUS floor area and could dry several or more thousand feet and then the fan would be a benefit.