iDRY Vacuum Kilns

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Building with 13% MC

Started by Randy, January 20, 2006, 05:11:40 PM

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Randy

I don't know where I needed to post this, But I need some advice/answers from you pro's, I was fixing to glue together 3--3/4" white oak boards to get 2 1/4" thick boards for a big picture frame project and I checked the MC of the boards and the meter read 13%. Will I run into a problem doing this?? I don't have a kiln yet and got this project to build. Its going to be a frame around a good size piece of glass (3ftx6ft). This is all new to me!! Do you see any problems?  Help!! Thanks Randy

Tophat

I would not use wood that wet.  I dried a small roomful of oak by putting a dehumidifier in the room with a few fans.  Dried it down to about 6 1/2 %, then carried it to where it was going to be used and let it "aclimate" to the emvironment it would be in.  Made it into  4" flooring for my landing and also made stairs and risers.  Have had no warping, splitting or movement.  I would be afraid with it that wet it would warp badly being that narrow when it dries out.   

Burlkraft

Wet wood and glass is not a good mix :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\

You will end up with warpped wood and broken glass :'( :'( :'(
Why not just 1 pain free day?

chet

Yup too wet. Unless of course you can guarantee the finished product will stay in a quite humid environment, like the outdoors.
I am a true TREE HUGGER, if I didnt I would fall out!  chet the RETIRED arborist

Larry

Picture frame to me means a 45 degree miter joint.  With wood at 13% the miter will develop a not to nice big crack.

Iffen ya have to use wood that wet a mortise and tenon joint or maybe dowels might work.
Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

Randy

Thanks Guys-----Guess I better get busy drying these few boards. I didn't mention this lumber is spalted some/white oak. This will be used inside. I think I will just go ahead and build a kiln and quit dragging my feet. I have alot of projects I want to build. Thanks. Randy

iain

Randy
  You can get away with building a small kiln very quick, out of 2" sheets of fully expanded polystyrene, and use a household dehumidifer,
it would only to a couple of hours, and will work good,
just make sure you arange the boards to allow air flow, and they will be ready in a few days, i strap mine down in all the kils with heavy duty lorry straps and check them
after a week on hard woods from wet 4 days on soft from wet
then once from 16% down
your stuff i would put a couple of dry boards on top (1"ply with close stickers ) and tighten and that would be it till dry


  iain

fencerowphil (Phil L.)

I will concur with Tophat and Iain on the de-humidifier idea. 

It works great.    :P
I have strapped a small batch of stickered, air-dried Ash together very
tightly under a small tented sheet of poly.   A small fan and a dehumidifier
were under the sheet as well.   Ash is more porous, so it only took a
few days to take out a couple of gallons of water out of sixty pounds
or so of air dried Ash.   Of course Ash is easier.   Since it is more porous,
it's also faster drying.

The advantage you have is that you have already air dried
as low as you are likely to get this time of year for outdoor
air drying.   During a cold snap indoors you will find that the
exposure to your household dry air will bring it on down anyway.
The improvement, however, of having the wood restrained and
in a circulation of air with a controlled level of dryness will really
do the trick.  (Remember that humidifiers are controlled by a
humidistat, so you don't have to worry about overkill.)

The humidistat would be even more helpful, if you were less than
air dry already.   It would keep you from checking your wood.
;)
Phil L.
Bi-VacAtional:  Piano tuner and sawyer.  (Use one to take a vacation from the other.) Have two Stihl 090s, one Stihl 075, Echo CS8000, Echo 346,  two Homely-ite 27AVs, Peterson 10" Swingblade Winch Production Frame, 36" and 54"Alaskan mills, and a sore back.

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