Spalted wood is highly coveted among woodworkers due to its distinguished black wavy streaks that give each hardwood piece an undeniable level of detail and visual appeal.
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Picking out the perfect live edge slab or burl
When looking to purchase a live edge wood slab or burl, it’s important to find out how it was dried. If the slab wasn’t properly dried, you may end up with problems such as warping as your piece ages. Generally, slabs should be air dried for a year per inch of thickness and then dried in a kiln before they can be used. Here at Berkshire Products, we hold the same high standards in drying our slabs. To do this, we air dry them and kiln dry them, and even store them in buildings that act like solar kilns.***
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Cherry Live Edge Slabs
Cherry, also called Eastern Black Cherry or American Cherry, is found predominantly in the eastern part of United States: from Georgia up to Maine and west to the Ohio reiver valley. It will grow 60-80ft tall and reach 24”-36” in diameter. Early in Americas history, the tree was looked to for reasons other than woodworking. The inner bark was used by Native Americans for cough medicines and tonics, while the dark purple fruit was used by settlers of the Appalachian region to brew Liquor. Wood workers of the time reported that the cherry resembled true Mahogany and was nick named “New England Mahogany”. This is why Cherry live edge slabs are a great alternative when you don’t want to spend as much on Mahogany.
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Red Oak vs. White Oak
Oak has long been a favorite among wood workers. It is dense, durable, and machines and finishes very well. However, “Oak” is a broad classification. In the United States alone there are close to 90 species. These species broadly fall into either Red Oak or White Oak. Both have similar wood working properties and both show dramatic figure in the quartersawn grain known as Medullary Rays or Ray Flake.
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Why is Kiln Drying Live Edge Slabs Important?
It All Starts at the Mill
Drying live edge wood slabs properly is one of the most important, and often overlooked, steps in creating a one-of-a-kind piece of furniture. When slabs are pulled from our mill, they are stacked with evenly spaced sticks separating each layer. These sticks create a space between each layer for air to flow over the surface of the slab, allowing moisture near the surface to evaporate. This is the start of the air-drying process. The air-drying process can take anywhere from 1-3 years depending on species and thickness of the cut slab. The general rule of thumb for most hardwoods is to allow them to air dry 1 year for each inch of thickness. Most of our slabs are cut between 2” and 3” thick; so, a 2” slab will need to air dry for 2 years. This is to allow all the “free water” in the woods cellular structure to be evaporated.
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