Producing Check-Free Beech for Turnings

The effectiveness of presurfacing green beech squares or drying the stock as rounds for reducing surface checking was investigated. Rough-sawed and presurfaced 2-1/2-inch by 2-1/2-inch squares and green rounds 2-1/2 inches in diameter were kiln-dried by a schedule that would cause surface checking in the rough-sawed squares. The squares and rounds were dried to 8 percent moisture content. By presurfacing, surface checking was reduced from an average of 31.2 inches per 3-foot specimen for the rough-sawed squares to an average of 16.4 inches per presurfaced square. Kiln-drying rounds reduced surface checking to an average of 11.4 inches per specimen. These reductions are statistically significant. The yield of acceptable turnings from the kiln-dried wood was 68.7 percent for the rough-sawed squares, 82.1 percent for the presurfaced squares, and 72.1 percent for the rounds. Kiln-drying rounds significantly reduced the amount of bow in the 3-foot specimens.

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