Solar Kiln Build #2

[pineywoods]

Piney,

Does dehumidification at night thwart the conditioning cycle?  Has you experience with oak been good?

I don't think so, it seems to help.More trade-offs. A dh unit will make a fair amount of heat, enough to make a difference in how much the interior cools off at night. In my opinion, the only reason for high heat is to kill bugs and cook their eggs. So far, my experience with oak has been good, now watch the next batch get destroyed 

[Bill Gaiche]

pineywoods, what size dh are you using?
Larry, are you using a dh. if not what mc are you getting your red oak to/ bg

[pineywoods]

pineywoods, what size dh are you using?
Larry, are you using a dh. if not what mc are you getting your red oak to/ bg

Don't rightly know. Just the cheapest thing I could find 

Actually, it's a sears unit, specs say enough for 1 room only.

[Larry]

Right now I don’t have a kiln (a Nyle under construction).  Left the solar one on the farm when I sold it and kcwoodbutcher bought my Ebac DH.

When I was running my solar kiln I could hit 6% but it took too long.  I would stop when my sample boards hit 8%.  There would be a few boards in the load that measured lower and a few that measured higher but nothing over 10%.  And I should add that my solar kiln was completely solar except for the fan motors.  Think I mentioned before the last two or three percent are always the hardest to get out.  At least in my kiln I had to keep the vents just barely cracked.  I helped build 3 other kilns similar to my kiln and each one performed a bit different because of different construction features or insulation.

I did dry with a room dehumidifier for a while to increase my production.  The kiln was styrofoam sheets duck taped together inside the shop.  It was a jury rigged deal but really air tight.  I ran that dehumidifier wide open with oak and never got any case hardening at all.  I don’t think the small dehumidifiers have a big nuff compressor to do any damage.  Of course it would be prudent to watch any new kiln closely through the first couple of cycles.

[Bill Gaiche]

Thanks guys. bg

[Bill Gaiche]

have you guys ever dried any 4x4 red oak in your kilns? I would like to have some to build some legs out of. bg

[WDH]

Tell me about how water acts in the kiln.  Is there condensation that runs down the inside of the collector panels?  If so, how do you design to get rid of this water?  Is there any free water in the kiln otherwise that pools up or gets things soaked?

[Larry]

Depends on how it is built.  My kiln had R-20+ foam walls and double pane roof.  All the moisture exited through the vents.  On one of the kilns I helped build, the owner used R-13 bats and a single pane roof.  It worked well during the summer but during winter moisture would condense on the roof during the night.  In the morning there would be ice sickles hanging from the roof rafters.  Not good.

[Den Socling]

A 4x4 red oak square is a much different animal than 4/4 lumber. You would spend a long time and I believe you would be disappointed in the end. Better to laminate those legs.

[Bill Gaiche]

Today I pulled the red oak that I had loaded two weeks ago. The MC was 6%. I was really suprise that it had dried that fast. Ran it through the bandsaw to get a straight edge on one side. Wood looked good as far as I could tell. It made me feel good that I was able to do this. I loaded back the rest or the red oak that I have sawn with some cypress on the bottom. Now I will be able to start on those projects I have in mind. Thanks to those who have guided me in the Kiln build. It made a lot of difference. bg

[Magicman]

Ah, the fruit of your labors.   

[Handy Andy]

 Found a website that has double wall polycarbonate.  Available in different thicknesses.  FarmTek.com  They have large sheets, up to 6' x 12'. 

[Bill Gaiche]

We had 102 degrees at 2:30 yesterday and thought I would go over and check my kiln to see what the temp was. I suprised when I got there to see that ole temp. gauge reading 160 degrees. Boy that is warm. The pine has been a week and it was reading 6% mc and three 3x3x3' pieces of cypress was 10%. I plan on leaving it all in till next week. Can anyone tell me if you can leave wood in the kiln too long without damage? thanks for your opions, bg

[Den Socling]

You can damage wood by leaving it in the kiln too long. The damage is cupping. However, I doubt that your pine is in danger.

[pineywoods]

Bill, I just leave the lumber in the kiln until I either need the kiln for another load or I need the lumber. So far, I haven't seen any ill effects. Pine, oak, cypress, cedar. Got a bunch of sycamore going in shortly. That may be a bit different.