Milling
3/23/22
I've been milling up Black walnut for the past year after buying a Woodmizer. I started cutting slabs into 11/4" thickness and soon started cutting them into 21/2"-23/4" thickness. My thinking was the thicker slabs would dry with a little more stability and since I really do not know it would give me a little room for error. My question is am I on the right track and would it be better to split slabs into bookend matches for re-sale after drying. Right now I am air drying while building my kiln. Also can anyone clue me in on how to learn pricing. I'm in the Washington D.C. suburbs and when I look on line prices for slabs are all over the place.
3/24/22 #2: Milling ...
Hopefully you sealed the ends with Anchorseal or a water based paint after bucking. If not I'd suggest to do that right away to help prevent checking. The thicker you cut the slabs the longer it will take for them to dry to EMC(Equilibrium Moisture Content). If the piece(s) you had were straight I may have quarter sawn them to maximize the value of the wood. If you flat sawn the piece(s) I would eliminate the wood around the pith as that will not be as desirable due to its compression movement.
Good luck!