Moisture content variation of lumber processed at roughmills

Wood furniture and its wood components should have a moisture content (MC) between 6 and 8 percent. Lumber processed at roughmills to produce furniture parts may not fall within this range for a number of reasons. The extent of MC variation in lumber at roughmills is unknown. This study sampled MC values of 4/4 oak lumber processed at six roughmills during summer and spring periods. MC differed significantly between summer and spring periods. While the average MC values of 7.3 and 8.6 percent for these periods showed no great departure from the 6 to 8 percent range, considerable variation existed in the distributions and, as a result, substantial percentages of lumber were outside the range. In summer, an average of 8.2 percent of MC values was below 6 percent, while 27.8 percent was above 8 percent. During the more difficult spring drying period, none of the MC values was below 6 percent, while 40.9 percent was above 8 percent. Underdrying was a problem during both summer and spring periods but was a larger problem in the spring.

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