found out i can go an order wood from the sawmill down the road,but its all greenwood,they have hardwood an pine there,am thinking of getting some hardwood to make a new dining room table,Momma wants me to build a corner type booth and table w/bench seating,just want to know the best way to go about it.

Well, if it is green wood, you'll have to play the waiting game until it is dry.  Finf a nice dry corner somewhere and stack and sticker the lumber then wait, at lest a year or so until it is dry.  The other option is to find someone with a kiln that will dry it for you.  Drying charges vary from firm to firm but usually it is about 20 to 30 cents a board foot.  Good luck.

Pappa,

If you plan on using this source of wood more often, maybe a home made drying kiln is in your future. Here is a link to a bunch of designs-

 

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/WoodDrying/wood_kiln.htm

Ron and Lew both hit it right. You got to dry it before you can use it. I have some in the Wood Stash that has been drying for several years. Have to stay ahead of the drying time but always getting more well ahead of projects.

Many species of lumber are  going to need different drying methods.

Take white oak as an example of a finicky lumber.

 In order to reduce fast transpiration:

It needs as smooth a surface as you can get

It needs to be kept  slightly moist many people will say it should be stickered closely with other oak.  I tarp it.

You need to contemplate the thickness you'll want when done.  Thick cross sections check more easily.

 

Take Siberian Elm as the polar opposite:

You can just lay it out in whole logs and it'll  dry up very fast and  be mostly clear of checks and voids.

Sawing it and stickering it is good too and it rarely warps as it dries.

 

Fruit wood is it's own weird thing.  Ya absolutely gotta remove the  pith or the pith  may destroy the lumber.

 

The forestry service has some very good publications on seasoning and kilning lumber

here  are a couple

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/forestry/publications/pdf_files/f-328.pdf

http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplrn/fplrn089.pdf

 

Bruce Hoadley's book "understanding Wood" is a gem.

You can buy a copy used for like $2.00 at https://www.alibris.com