09/09/2025
Well friends, I guess the mantle project is on hold, so don't expect any updates for a bit. Sometimes, with wood, things happen that are out of your immediate control, and you're left playing fix-it. 🤷
The particular chunk of walnut for this mantle was purchased by the customer at a pretty good discount, and now I know why. Apparently the tree was cut 8 years ago and left laying in a field until this spring, when it was cut in half. If you know anything about wood, you'll know what this means. If you don't, keep reading.
Wood needs to be dry to be stable. Average drying time is 1 year per inch of thickness if it's air-dried (not kiln dried). A tree laying in a field can take decades to dry thoroughly, depending on a whole host of conditions. When this tree was slabbed, it was cut at about 6" thick and brought inside. Even then, it still needs roughly 6 years to stabilize.
As I was working this hunk of walnut down, I just had the feeling that something was off. A quick moisture check revealed that it completely dry, as I had assumed. In my defense, I only found out the history after I asked the customer, and he didn't know till he called the guy he got it from.
So, to make a long story longer, the customer is currently seeking out a vacuum kiln company that he can have dry this piece before I do any more on it.
I'm the meantime, I have a couple other things coming up that I'll be sure to post about, so please stay tuned and check in once in awhile to see what's happening at Old Crow Woodcraft!💪🏻
