Building my Lumber Kiln Part 4

   / Building my Lumber Kiln Part 4 #2  
You own a sawmill, and are building the kiln using store bought lumber ?

Really ?
 
   / Building my Lumber Kiln Part 4
  • Thread Starter
#3  
TnAndy said:
You own a sawmill, and are building the kiln using store bought lumber ?

Really ?
Click to expand...

Really I am,

The engineers that designed the Nyle Kiln suggest using store bought KILN dried construction lumber for the chamber, really. Since they are the no1 Kiln manufacturers in the world I thought it wise to take their advice.

I could have used my pine or hemlock logs but they would not have been kiln dried. Meaning if any of the lumber would have had bugs/insect larva etc my kiln walls (which are enclosed,sealed) would have run the risk of having
all the expensive rigid foam insulation ruined and the risk of total failure for the building. So really I am using store bought lumber, really.

Really,
 
   / Building my Lumber Kiln Part 4 #4  
I also made a DIY very basic kiln.
First I stacked my lumber on cement blocks and separated each layer with scraps.
I did lay plastic sheeting under the blocks.
I then leaned 2 sections of dark colored tin roofing on each side and a 3rd as a 'roof' with the edges bent at 90 deg's giving me a 3 ft X 3 ft chamber.
This set up was oriented to let the sun hit it dead on at high noon.
As hoped in not all that long (2 months or so) I had me some nice dry wood and with my probe confirmed it good to go.
Little fun project just to prove that it could be done.
The open ends provided just right ventilation.
LOL, still have used that nice wood!
 
   / Building my Lumber Kiln Part 4 #5  
What sort of temp do you use for drying wood? I would assume it varies depending on the moisture content of the wood, but Is there an average temp and time?
 
   / Building my Lumber Kiln Part 4 #6  
I air dry mine on sticks with a cover (scrap tin) or in an open shed until it hits around 15-20% MC. Framing, I use as is from there....there isn't any difference basically in kiln dried or air dried for framing.

For cabinet/furniture use, I move it into my home build kiln, run by an old 22,000 BTU window AC sitting on a shelf in the kiln room. Takes 2-3 weeks to get 1000 bdft down in the 6-8% range, room temps reach the 130 degree level from the scrap heat off the AC unit.

Walls/floor/ceiling are my rough cut, walls have OSB with a couple coats of mobile home roof coating for a vapor barrier.

enhance
 
   / Building my Lumber Kiln Part 4 #7  
Wow, just wondering. I had a local guy that has one of those portable saw mills ask me a while back if I could dry some lumber for him in my large powder coating oven. I told him that I thought it would do it, but I have no clue how it should be done.

He was going to look into it, but I have not heard anything back from him.
 
   / Building my Lumber Kiln Part 4 #8  
Back in the bay when I managed a glass company I was going to take some mismeasured 1/2" thick tempered glass and make a solar kiln. We always had scratched dark brown and black aluminum flashing around so a couple solar panels and a couple of fans and a little lumber would of made a cheap way to dry wood. At the time I really didn't have a good place to put it.
 
   / Building my Lumber Kiln Part 4 #9  
AGRIMAN said:
Wow, just wondering. I had a local guy that has one of those portable saw mills ask me a while back if I could dry some lumber for him in my large powder coating oven. I told him that I thought it would do it, but I have no clue how it should be done.

He was going to look into it, but I have not heard anything back from him.
Click to expand...

Dehumidification kilns, like mine and the one Max is building, run at fairly low temps....enough to get moisture to drive off the wood into the air (warmer the air, more moisture it will hold), then hit a cold coil from refrigeration, condense and run off to a drain. It's hard to screw up lumber in this type kiln.

High temperature kilns (160 degrees and above), you have follow very specific schedules, based on time, temps, and species, and a couple other factors, or you can ruin a load of lumber. Ever saw a piece of lumber and have the kerf close up and pinch behind the saw blade ? That is a drying defect known as case hardening.....the lumber was dried too fast, the cell structure in the wood collapsed, and case hardening results.

I would NOT stick a load of lumber in a powder coating oven and try to dry it.
 
   / Building my Lumber Kiln Part 4 #10  
TnAndy said:
Dehumidification kilns, like mine and the one Max is building, run at fairly low temps....enough to get moisture to drive off the wood into the air (warmer the air, more moisture it will hold), then hit a cold coil from refrigeration, condense and run off to a drain. It's hard to screw up lumber in this type kiln.

High temperature kilns (160 degrees and above), you have follow very specific schedules, based on time, temps, and species, and a couple other factors, or you can ruin a load of lumber. Ever saw a piece of lumber and have the kerf close up and pinch behind the saw blade ? That is a drying defect known as case hardening.....the lumber was dried too fast, the cell structure in the wood collapsed, and case hardening results.

I would NOT stick a load of lumber in a powder coating oven and try to dry it.
Click to expand...

TnAndy,

Thanks for the info. I can hold a constinate temp below 160, but it sounds like something that I'm not interested in doing much less have time for.

It was and interesting request and I was mainly just wondering how it was done.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
 

Footer Links 1

Top