The Technique of FURNITURE MAKING
Seasoned wood
The terms dry, bone dry, well seasoned are relatively meaningless without supporting evidence, for any wood which has been sticked one year for every inch (25 mm) of thickness may be counted as air dry or seasoned, as distinct from green. The moisture content will, of course, depend on the season of the year, and not on the number of years in stick; it should not exceed 20 or 22 per cent in exceptional circumstances in Britain, unless it is water wet with drifting rain or snow. While further drying over the prescribed minimum will not make any difference to the moisture content, nevertheless additional years in stick help to equalize out the built-in strains and stresses; and while a 1 in (25 mm) board of English oak which has been seasoned for five years might show little intrinsic difference from one which has been dried for one year only, nevertheless it will be more mature and tend to be milder mannered and more stable.
Timber-merchants or lumber-dealers converting their own logs keep exact records, and will always give the number of years in stick, while if they have bought the logs from other merchants the pedigree is usually available. Retail merchants who do not convert their own can rarely give the seasoning time, marketing the wood as 'seasoned' only. This also applies to all square edge imported wood, which may only be 'shipping dry' (approximately 25 per cent moisture content) when received
from the importer. However, reputable merchants can be trusted to advise the buyer to the best of their ability.
