Seasoned timber is wood that has been dried after felling to reduce its moisture content, so that it is stable, stronger and less likely to warp, split or shrink once worked into furniture or buildings. Freshly felled, or green, timber contains a great deal of water, and seasoning brings it closer to the humidity of the environment in which it will be used.
Traditionally timber was air-dried, stacked with spacers in a covered, ventilated yard and left for many years, a common rule of thumb being about a year for every inch of thickness. Cabinetmakers kept stocks of well-seasoned wood for their best work, and the patience involved is one reason period furniture has survived so well. Kiln drying, which speeds the process using controlled heat and humidity, became widespread from the late nineteenth century. Green oak, by contrast, was often used deliberately for timber framing, being easier to work and shrinking tightly onto pegged joints as it dried. Poorly seasoned wood shows itself in shrinkage cracks, gaps in panels and movement. For restoration, old reclaimed timber is often favoured because it is fully stable and matches the colour and density of antique wood.
