I have a problem. I am a lumber hoarder. Despite the fact that the lumber rack in my garage is well stocked I can't resist checking craigslist occasionally for a good deal on hardwood or an opportunity to pick up something unique (figured, thick, or wide stock). Last week I ran across a post for a stack of black walnut that fit both criteria. The stack consisted of around 200 board-feet of 4/4 air dried stock with the bulk of it being 16" wide, 16' long, and mostly clear except for a few splits and checks. There were also a few smaller live edge pieces in the mix. The stack was listed for $500 but the seller really wanted it out of the way so I was very happy when we settled at $375 or about $2/bdft after factoring in gas and lunch for the trip to pick it up down in Horicon. Hauling 16' lumber in my short box F150 isn't an option so we ended up cutting each piece down into 10' and 6' sections for the trip home. I hated to cut down those long pieces but we left the best sections 10' long to maximize their usefulness and in most cases the shorter sections contained most of the splits and checks and will still yield plenty of usable pieces of smaller dimensions.
I checked the cut ends with a moisture meter and they measured between 11% and 15% moisture content so I stacked and stickered the pile in the south facing back porch off the rear of the garage to allow it to equalize and dry out a bit more.
With my lumber rack nearly full and this stack taking up room in the back porch I now have plenty of wood for the next few projects on the to-do list and it is time to make some furniture and take a break from wood hunting on craigslist.
Thanks again Mark for the help, you are an enabler.
