Log Sawing

Sawing and drying customer’s logs, or logs we have sourced for a custom project, is a core part of MDB Industries. Using a local professional with thin-kerf bandsaw mills, we get the best quality and highest yield possible from each log. The sawmill can handle up to 20' in length , and just over 30" in diameter. However, in those cases where we get a log or a project that requires capacity greater than that, we have several additional methods of achieving the need.

In the Worth The Effort Project page, you will see one of those methods in action. Using a device called an Alaskan mill, two people and a chainsaw can slab a large diameter log into pieces manageable for the sawmill. This is a physically demanding and time consuming (read: expensive) process, but for some projects and especially some species, it is well worth the expense. Oaks in particular can be processed to provide quarter-sawn material 12"+ in width.

When we get a truly unruly or large log that isn't worth the expense of Alaskan sawing, we have another process that is a lot faster, but much less precise. Unfortunately, our legal department thinks it best if we don't go into any further detail here.

Kiln Drying

Drying is just as important as sawing for lumber to be usable. Modern buildings are so well enclosed that without humidification the Relative Humidity tends to be similar to a desert’s. As wood is a dynamic material, it is always trying to come to "agreement" with its surroundings, giving up or taking on moisture to reach EMC (Equilibrium Moisture Content). Industry standard for hardwoods used inside a controlled environment building (ie heated and or air conditioned), is 6-8% EMC. For flooring, MDB tends to prefer the lower end of that range, as swelling is easier to fix than shrinking should there be a discrepancy. For products to be used outside, our region, and most of the Northeast, EMC is about 12%.

There’s more to drying than just removing moisture from the wood. Typically, a good drying schedule is 5-8 steps long, the most critical being the first, as this is where the largest potential for damage exists. But at the end, you also need to take steps to get all the material in the kiln as even in MC as possible, and relieve stresses inherent to the drying process.

MDB Industries has been drying lumber since first opening its doors, first with a vacuum kiln, and currently with a dehumidification kiln. With that decade of experience with two advanced drying techniques, and certified continued education covering conventional drying in addition to, owner Carlton Wilson has the knowledge to properly and safely dry and oversee the drying of our customer's lumber.