Buying a lumber can be quite costly sometimes so it is best if you buy it straight from the source and while it is still green. This type of lumber needs to be dried out first before you can use it and if you have a project this will not do. The only alternative will be by purchasing dried lumbers from home improvement shops , that is if you have a lot of money but personally I'd like mine rough cut and prepared by me.

If you already have project in mind you may then plan for the materials you will need. Going to a sawmill and choosing the best lumber for the project is our next step, and if you go to a sawmill you will find lumbers that are just laying around that you can choose. Getting a bit oversized lumber is advisable if you are picking the green lumber because it will shrink when dried.You should find that the price you pay here will be very good, so don't try to haggle the price down. If they like you and you become a repeat customer they will probably give you even better deals later on.

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After you get your lumber home, you'll need to decide on how you will dry it. One step is to pile your boards outside; undercover from rain and direct sun light; flat; with small (1"x1"x how ever wide your pile is) stickers spaced 12"-24" apart, between every layer of lumber (this allows air to circulate around the boards); this is called "Air-Drying." Then you allow it to air-dry for roughly one year for every 1" of thickness. This means that 1" thick boards will air-dry for one year, 2" thick boards will dry for two years, and so on. After a year you can bring the umber inside your shop to continue the process since it still has 12%-18% moisture.The ideal RH of your shop should b 50% for the lumber to dry down to 8% moisture and for you to be able to monitor the humidity you can purchase the rmometer/hygrometer from radio shack that will cost you around $40

One other method for drying a green lumber is by the use of solar kiln . There are a lot of solar kiln plans online. The set back if you want to have it built is around $200. When you bring your lumber home you can immediately put your lumber in the solar kiln and begin drying. It usually takes 1-2 months for the lumber to dry down to 6-8% moisture and be ready for use. But sometimes the location and temperature matters..

After your lumber is dried you can begin processing it. The very first thing you have to do is joint one face of the panel. You can do this manually using a hand plane or the uncomplicated method by using a jointer. You may now cut it in close to the dimensions that you need. After you have one face flat you then run the board through a thickness planner. This will make the board parallel to the flat face. As soon as you plane the plank into your final dimension, then you joint one edge possibly by yourself or by using a jointer. Cutting the board to the final width is the next process after you have planed the it to your desired thickness. This can be done by using a saw. Using the jointed for reference you can now set your board to your desired width. You're now almost ready to have a board for your project. Cutting your own board from scratch surely saves you a lot of money