First batch of dry cherry

[Gary_B]

  Just wanted to keep everyone updated on my solar kiln, I unloaded the kiln today, I had close to 800 bd.ft. of Cherry, the Cherry had air dryed 6 months prior. I kept it in the kiln close to 30 days, probally was done sooner, but I just received my moisture meter a week ago, the lumber checked out to 6- 7 % mc. Now I loaded her up with about the same amount of ash, at the time its reading 16% mc. With the temperatures starting to cool down in Ohio, I exspect it to take a bit longer. I figure if I can run three loads a year thru it , I will be pleased, all the wood is for my home shop, hopefully start building some gun cabinets and furniture.

[Dan_Shade]

cool deal, i'm sorta in the same boat, but a bit behind, I am into my adventures with a friend of mine.  as of now, we have a load of 1/4 sawn red oak ready to come out of our solar kiln, but we need a place to put it, he's building a new garage with a workshop in it, but it's not quite ready.  in the meantime, I have a bunch of gum to saw up (hope it's still decent), but our air pile is too big, so we need to get a spot to put the red oak, put some of our air dried in the kiln, and then I can saw up the gum.  it's like playing hopscotch blind or something, haha

[Gary_B]

  Dan,
  I know the feeling, seems like I just never have enough space. That was another reason for keeping the Cherry in the kiln alittle longer, first I had to build a wood rack in the woodshop/ garage. I'd like to have about 100 sheets of steel siding to build a building for everything....that would probally last for a little while

[twoodward15]

Dan, I have the perfect storage spot for your lumber.  Just run it up to my house and I'll keep it covered for you. Storage fees are cheap

[Charles]

Gary

I have a question that I will ask you but put to the others out there also
I was wondering that if you dryed 8oobf of lumber and are storing it some where other than a controlled environment so the lumber stays at 6% It will absorb roughly depending on the location about 1 to 2% of moisture back again in to the wood again every month. You only need  3-5 months or so and the lumber is back to 12% or about air dryed. Won't it better to dry it to 12% and then as you need it dry it to 6%. If the 800 bf is for you that could take awhile to use it up would it not. I have a furniture factory near me and I talked to the guy who drys the lumber it is soft and hard maple. He says he drys to 6% and then stores it outside in a shed but the lumber never lasts more than 60 days so around here that is a 2% increase in moisture content which is ok for furniture. I am just curious about this because I got stuck once and had to use 12% lumber and it didn't work out cause it warped.  Any thoughts anybody

my thoughts
charles

[twoodward15]

I pretty much use anything under 14% (here in Jersey) when it's in my shop and then it goes inside my house and gets drier (I would assume, as I've never checked it or had a reason to, but will tonight now) and never had a warping issue.  I have forced air heat and central air.  I have to run a humidifier in the winter because the air gets so dry that it burns my nose.  If I'm not mistaken anything under 12% is considered kiln dried regardless of how it got that dry.I think in general as long as you stay 12% or under you will be fine for building furniture. 

[Gary_B]

      Charles,
  Thanks for the concearn, and you probally have a good point also, At the moment everything I do is strickly experimental, trial and error. In the late fall and winter my shop is heated by wood heat, inwhich we all know its a pretty dry type of heat, I hope that will help keep the moisture down although its not heated 24/7 only when I am working part time. The reason I dried 800 bdft is well thats what my solar kiln will hold, so I figure why not load it up. The lumber had been air drying for some time and I wanted to drop the MC.  I have been checking it since it came out and still no problem its holding the same. In Ohio I only have a few months to really harvest the power of the sun,  I probally wont try to dry any lumber during the winter months due to a lack of heat from the sun. Im think it would still dry the lumber , but the amount of time and with the fans running, it might not be feasible. Another way to look at it, if you buy a piece of hard wood from a wood distrubitor...such as lowes, or a lumber yard you would still be getting the same quality of lumber, as in my shop. Charles what I have said is not fact...just and opinon...and I might be totally wrong. Time will tell

[FeltzE]

You need to go to http://wood.orst.edu/woodxlsform.php and down load the wood shrinkage worksheet, ... way more information than you need but definitely answeres the age old question..

SHRINKAGE////   

Eric