Hello, new member here.

[Just Me]

Welcome.
I know a lot of people on there stack and sticker for air drying.  Do you need a kiln?
http://www.forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,18953.0.html

 I build high end furniture, cabinets and doors so yes. I will not work with air dried. Bit me a couple of times, kiln dried is just more stable.

I checked out the porch, will have to come up with a block. Hes just 100 miles or so south.

[Ianab]

I build high end furniture, cabinets and doors so yes. I will not work with air dried. Bit me a couple of times, kiln dried is just more stable.

Fair enough, but you can build a relatively simple "kiln"with a home dehumidifier and some fans. Take that 12% air dried wood and get it down to a nice stable 8% in a couple of weeks. Doesn't matter exactly how you get the wood dry, you jsut need to get it down to the correct level so it's stable.

Ian

[Brad_bb]

The most recent photos of the blocks are on page 50 of that post. Brad

[Carpenter]

     Have you looked into a solar kiln?  I am planning to build one when I get the time.  From what I've read they work quite well for drying furniture wood as they dry slower than high heat kilns, also something about heating during the day and letting the wood fibers relax at night relieves stresses gently, supposed to lead to fewer drying defects.  Of course they work differently in different parts of the country, but, I think they will work just about anywhere as long as the solar panels are sized right and the angle is correct. 

[Just Me]

I build high end furniture, cabinets and doors so yes. I will not work with air dried. Bit me a couple of times, kiln dried is just more stable.

Fair enough, but you can build a relatively simple "kiln"with a home dehumidifier and some fans. Take that 12% air dried wood and get it down to a nice stable 8% in a couple of weeks. Doesn't matter exactly how you get the wood dry, you jsut need to get it down to the correct level so it's stable.

Ian

 Because of the Great Lakes and being on the 45th parallel we get crazy swings in temp and humidity. When its -20, we basically have no humidity as it just falls out of the air, and I have seen -52 degrees. In the summer we approach 100% much of the time, with temps gettin up close to 100 at times, so wood stability is a bit more of an issue here than some places.

No idea what your weather is like but I have always wanted to chech it out first hand!

[Ianab]

What a climate like that means is that you need to pay close attention to your design and construction, because the wood IS going to move, no matter what moisture content you start out with. But I agree that starting with a consistent "dry" value is going to make life much easier, and the wood will then all move in a similar and more predictable way.

That comes down to having a climate controlled storage area for your dry wood though, otherwise the wood is going to swing between maybe 4% in winter and 18% in summer, no matter what it started out at.

Climate here is pretty mild as it's islands surrounded by huge oceans. Summer is wam and humid, winter is cool and humid  Maybe similar to coastal Northern California / Oregon area. Original forest was mostly temperate rainforest, lots of vines, ferns and moss etc.

Ian

[Just Me]

That comes down to having a climate controlled storage area for your dry wood though, otherwise the wood is going to swing between maybe 4% in winter and 18% in summer, no matter what it started out at.

Quote:

I kept my old shop air conditioned for this reason, and to make life easier on those hot days. I've had to downsize because of our economic troubles from 9000 sq. ft. to under 2000 ft. so I am not sure what my new system will be as I can't store over 3-4 thousand feet inside. Still, I adjust my clearances according to the time of the year. Larger gaps in the winter and tight at the peak of summer. I prefinish all panels and receiving rabbits before assembly, often soaking end grain with West System epoxy on larger panels to minimize seasonal movement.

On the plus side of the new smaller operation, its paid for..........