Buying a lumber can be quite costly sometimes so it is best if you buy it straight from the source and while it is still green. However if you purchase the lumber while it is still fresh means it can't be used for a while. The only alternative will be by purchasing dried lumbers from home improvement shops , that is if you have a lot of money but personally I'd like mine rough cut and prepared by me.

If you already have project in mind you may then plan for the materials you will need. If you go directly to a sawmill they will let you go around pick your choice of lumber. You might also want to pick a lumber that is a little bit bigger because lumbers shrink when dries up.Since the prices of their prices are already very low asking for discount is not really necessary and if you've been a repeat customer I am sure they will give you a better deal on your next visit

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As soon as the lumber gets home drying it will be the next step. One of the ways to dry your green lumber is by piling the lumbers under the sun but making sure that it is protected from the rain you have to also make sure that every layer is 12"-24" apart Then you allow it to air-dry for roughly one year for every 1" of thickness. This means that 1" thick boards will air-dry for one year, 2" thick boards will dry for two years, and so on. After a year you can bring the umber inside your shop to continue the process since it still has 12%-18% moisture.However since most workshops has low humidity it is advisable for you to purchase a thermometer/ hygrometer that costs around $40 at radio shack so you could monitor the humidity on your shop . The ideal would be 50%RH .

The other method of drying is to build a solar kiln. Plans for solar kilns can be found on the internet. Building it will only cost you around $200. You can place your green lumber inside the kiln to begin drying. The time it takes to dry will vary due to your location, time of year, and other things. But generally about 30-60 days in the solar kiln will dry your lumber down to 6%-8% moisture content. So it will be ready to use right out of the kiln.

Processing your lumber can start as soon as it reaches it's ideal moisture content. The first thing you should do is joint one area of the panel. This can be achieved manually by using a hand plane or maybe the easy approach by using a jointer. You can then cut the board to your lose to the final length needed. And in order for you to have a uniform thickness you may now run through a thickness planer. This will make the board parallel to the flat face. Once you plane the board right down to your final dimension, you then joint one side possibly manually or with a jointer. With the board flat, planed to the final thickness you are ready to rip the board to your final width. You can use any kind of saw to do this. Make sure that you are able to set the edge guide by using the jointed edge for reference. After you have cut the final measurement you can now start building your project. You're done, and you saved tons of money by processing the rough boards yourself.