Even though I've been doing this work for over 35 years I still like to check with the group. I was at the lumberyard today looking at some 8/4 Cherry and were thinking the moisture content is around 10% in the Cherry boards that we are looking at. This stack of 8/4 Cherry is in a beautifully well suited woodshed if that means anything. My question to this group, do you think I would be OK with making tabletops out of this Cherry wood at a moisture rate of 10%? (I hope!) Table tops size of 42''x25''x1 1/2''
Yes of course, I will be only using the heart of these 8'' wide 8/4 planks. The boards are beautiful and flat but I still have to pull them out and make sure that they are tree width.

Thank you group!!

I would be careful as you don't know what the center MC is. Was at some point was this kiln dried or just air dried? Good luck on what ever you do.
Perley

What’s the history of the wood? What tool are you using to measure the moisture? How long has it been in it’s current location? What State and is the wet season? 10% is definitely borderline.

What does "were thinking the moisture content is around 10%" mean? Thinking is a poor way to measure moisture. If you have been doing this for 35 years I would have thought you had a moisture meter. I've been doing it for 48 and have both a pinless, and pin meter. Were do you live? Rainy spell started this spring? How long has it been out of the kiln? Don't buy the top or bottom boards. They will have a different moisture level on the face that was exposed vs the center of the stack. From my suppliers I can almost get 1 1/2" thickness from rough 6/4. Rough 8/4 is going to take a lot of milling to get to 1 1/2". Make sure you take as much off one side as the other. I'd much rather buy my furniture grade hardwood for a place that has some climate control in the warehouse compared to a lumber yard.

Today I found a new hardwood lumberyard that I probably drove by 100 times during my life. They are set off on a dirt road from the busy highway in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.
Bucks County Hardwoods.
They have some nice 6% and 7% 4/4 & 8/4 FAS rough cathedral grain that look pretty good but it was the left overs of some pick through piles. They will be getting three more units in a couple weeks so I think I'll wait and put another project before this one. We compare moisture meters and the readings we're pretty much the same. Anyway, I'm always nervous with tabletops and I always like checking in with this group. Thanks for your help!!!

I once got a hold of about 100bf or cherry some guy had underneath his porch. Nice stuff! More of a tawny brown than red. Anyway, made several FF cabinets and furnitures out of it no problem. Didn't even use a meter. Judged by weight and hand feel. IMO you are all set for a tabletop unless they are very green. JUst make sure your attachemnt to the base allows about 1/4 for seasonal movement. In my experience it is more like an eigth for a tabletop but better safe than sorry.