Small-Scale Lumber Milling and Drying Workshop

Wild Thyme Farm, Oakville (May 2009)

Northwest Certified Forestry organized another interesting and educational workshop for small-scale woodland owners, this time at the beautiful 150 acre Wild Thyme Farm in Oakville. There was a large turnout of people from across Washington and Oregon, and the information and discussions kept flowing all day from both the instructors and the participants.

Topics included: understanding log / wood qualities, small-scale sawmilling, sawing for value versus volume, small-scale drying techniques, preparing green lumber for drying, avoiding common drying defects, niche marketing of wood products lumber grading and measuring, and a walking tour of the farm and its facilities.

Lumber milling on the farm's band saw, with one of the same alder we cut during last September's Game of Logging event

 

Band saw blade just passing out through the end of the log

 

Removing the first board from the log on the band saw

 

Lumber drying rack stacks with stickers (separator blocks) in a dehumidified drying room

 

Wild Thyme Farm's barns, from across a grassy meadow on the nature trail before the forest

 

 

Big Cedar Tree in Olympic National Park