Alder Update

In case you missed the last few articles about this, let me fill you in. Kevin from woodfromthewest.com found an Alder tree for me and milled it into neck blanks. He sent them to us on a pallet and we have to store it while it dries out. Last weekend, Henry wanted to make some pocket money, so I convinced him to help me load it up into the loft to dry. Kevin sent it to us stacked on these sticks, which are milled with grooves in them. These are called stickers, which I would normally just mill from scrap wood. But, the grooves promote airflow and reduce any staining or fungus/mold that might happen with regular scrap-wood stickers.

Our loft was put in by the previous owner was used to store engines and car parts, so it is stout. The back few feet of it is open, so I thought we could tuck it here. This was a perfect job for an 11 year old boy who doesn’t mind getting dirty, as it is a tight space.

Notice that we tried to put a little space around each surface of the neck blank, so air can move freely. I was able to point our box fan up there, which I will run from time to time. We also have a ceiling fan a few feet away and a circulating air filter for dust, which should all help to dry it evenly.

Lastly, I planed a few blanks to show the diversity of color. I think the dark one will be a rarity, most are a pale pink, cream color. It is lovely, straight grain wood that will make a stable neck.

Thanks for keeping the lights on…

A