Help : Technique for drying wood (natural and artificial)

[earthjig]

Hi all. I was wondering if you could help me out sorting a few things.

I'm about to build myself a wood dryer. I've seen on the web something called a KILN (don't know if this even exists in Belgium).

Any how, do any of you use this method for drying wood, and what would be the optimal temperature and humidity %.

Any other tips on drying wood the best way possible?



Thank you.

[s1m0n]

It's possible to build your own kiln and dry your own lumber, but it's a more complex subject than can be covered in a single post. Check the 'woodworking' section of your local library. There are a lot of books out there with this info. Basics for all kinds of lumber drying include:

1) seal the endgrain. Ordinary paint will work. Wood loses moisture much faster from endgrain, and because it shrinks as it dries, when it dries unevenly it'll crack. In english the term for these cracks are shakes or checks.

2) Saw or split the wood into even thicknesses. The thicker it is, the more time it'll take to dry. The rule of thumb is that air-dried (ie, non kilned) lumber dries about 1 inch (2.5 cm) a year.

3) Sticker your stack of wood to prevent it from twisting, cupping and bending as it dries. Add weight to the top of the stack.

If you've done the above, it's possible to build a reasonably watertight structure around your stack and dry it using a 100 watt lightbulb as a heatsource. If you build in a bathroom scale under one end of your stack and check it periodically, you'll know it's dry once it stops losing weight. If you do this indoors make sure its well ventilated or dehumidified. Green wood can be 1/3 moisture by weight.

This can be done outdoors, but obviously the more insulation you use, the more efficient it'll be.

[Lorenzo]

Like everything else, it all depends. I don't think it's very simple to know how to cure, season, or dry out the kind of hardwood used with uilleann pipes.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand the method varies from species to species. IOW, the way boxwood is cut and cured would be different than ebony. Some harvesters of ebony band the trunk so the tree dies and dries standing, and then harvest the timber.

Because of the tension grown into some woods, boxwood is an example of a wood that must be split, not sawn, to avoid typical banana shape warping. And ebony should be cured at a different humidity level than boxwood.

Sealing the ends of fresh cut hardwoods should only be done with a substance that has no moisture content. Wax is best. I don't know of any pipe makers that use kiln dried hardwoods. Most use hardwoods that have been naturally air dried in a cool humid environment (to begin with), and then moved to another location and turned (flipped) every few months. A certain level of moisture left in hardwoods is desirable, and that varies from species to species--like 12-16%--but I understand it's hard to get an accurate measurement.

The length and width of the harvested timber is important in relation to the method use to cure. The longer a piece of hardwood sits, in terms of years, seems to improve it's stability and usefulness. I know one flute maker that uses ebony harvested nearly 100 years ago. A friend here in Oregon harvests Mountain Mahogany--which is nearly as hard as ebony. He waxes the ends immediately, or seals in plastic till he gets home, cuts them to a certain size, and then lets them season for several years--3 minimum I think.

I'm interested in any sage advice experienced people may have in this area because a friend of mine just bought several hundred acres in central Oregon and it's covered with Mountain Mahogany. He's invited me down to cut some trees.

[myrddinemrys]

I'm interested in any sage advice experienced people may have in this area because a friend of mine just bought several hundred acres in central Oregon and it's covered with Mountain Mahogany. He's invited me down to cut some trees.

Any chance I might be able to get a hold of some of that?

[uilleannfinlander]

http://plektratrading.fi/sauno-wood-dry ... -2-kw.html
745 euros... 5week drying with it = 5years natural dryingperiod