iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

Figured Aspen.

Started by Jeff, April 11, 2003, 12:33:29 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Jeff

Tody I had a run of aspen logs like I have never ever seen in all my years of sawing. It looks just like heavily curled maple. Maybe you would call it quilted or fiddleback. Well, I sawed some into 6/4 and I bought it. About 300 ft.  I don't know what to do with it now. :D  I need to build a solar kiln in a day I guess. Is there a simple way to use plastic sheeting and fans or something to build a quick and dirty one time use solar kiln?

I will try to beltsand a chunk of one of these boards and get a picture. I am not sure if the figure will show up without doing that. This must be rare. I have seen it only a couple times but never like this.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

MrMoo

Jeff,
Just a thought. Would one of those clear poly plastic hoop type green houses that folks use to start plants in work. Some I have seen even have a fan. The poly is not perfectly clear but if it was in the sun it might get warm enough.
Mike

Tom

If you study Woodmizers early solar kilns they used two envelopes of plastic supported by a framework and fans.  The rays came through both envelopes and heated the inside where the wood lost it's moisture to the heated air.  The fans moved the air to the outside envelope where the air was cooler and so was the outside plastic sheet.  The water condensed on the inside of the outside sheet, ran to the bottom and exited the kiln.  The dryer air was then returned to the stack of wood in the inside envelope to pick up more water..

It all sounds so simple to me and would be easy to build in a myriad of fashions.  Shucks, I've been meaning to do it for over 10 years now. :D

Minnesota_boy

Before you put those planks into a kiln, let them air dry for a while in a place that the sun will not hit directly on them, as aspen tends to assume all kinds of different shapes when exposed to the direct sunlight while it drys.  If you remove moisture from them too quickly, you will get a lot of surface checking.
I eat a high-fiber diet.  Lots of sawdust!

Jeff

How about stickered under a 14 foot aluminum boat?
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Tom

Air flow, jeff.

Don't cover it with anything that will trap the wet air.  Even a tarp over the top that droops over the top couple or three layers is enough to cause a greenhouse and those layers will mold/mildew.

An aluminum boat will work if it is high enough off of the stack.  Think "sheet of plywood" or sheets of tin that stick out straight from the stack.  That keeps the direct sun off but allows maximum horizontal movement of air through the stack.

Jeff

I was thinking about using 2 or 3 chunks of 2 by 4 aross the top that the boat would sit on. Forming a peaked roof, an overhang, and weight all at the same time.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Minnesota_boy

Use 1x1 stickers under the 2x4, dry if you have them.  The aspen is likely to mold under the 2x4 unless you can get some airflow under there.  I'd suggest all 1x1 dry sitckers for all the pile, although you can get by with slightly wider if the weather stays on the cool and dry side.  I've rotted boards in a pile with wider stickers, but just where the sticker was.  :-/
I eat a high-fiber diet.  Lots of sawdust!

Jeff

I think we might have some dry ones at the mill. If not i'll rip some out of a sheet of plywood I have.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

ohsoloco

Jeff, was there any evidence of the figure from the outside of the log?

Jeff

Yes there was. I could tell the figured ones before they got to me. Now I dont know if you could tell with the bark on cause I didnt see them then, but with the bark off the logs they looked rippled thier entire length and all the way around. I only cut boards for me out of the arrow straight one. Everything I cut was defect free. no knots, stain or heartwood.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Jeff

Here is a 2 foot chunk that is 8 inches wide. Its to green to sand and hard to capture the figure on the camera but you can kinda see it. its very pronounced when you are actually looking at it. The stips are like tiger stipes completely crossing the boards. You just cant see that here.



Here is how I stacked it. Any apparant problems? I used 1 by 1 dry tulip poplar for sticks. The lumber is 10 foot long, and obviously I was mistaken on the boat length, it s 12 foot. I put a small tarp on the front where the boat did not cover and overhang.




Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Minnesota_boy

Check the bottom side of that tarp in the morning.  I'd expect it to be covered in water and dripping on the lumber.  It would be better if you could put sometjhing like a sheet of plywood under it to keep it from condensing the moisture that the aspen will be giving off during the night.  I can't see it in the picture, but I hope you have a sticker or 2 under the 2x4s so yoiu don't have a 4" width laying directly on the lumber.  You could put the sticker diagonally under the 2x4 so it wouldn't tip off too easily, or use 2 stickers with a space between.  

BTW, what's that white stuff on the ground around the pile?  ;D
I eat a high-fiber diet.  Lots of sawdust!

woodmills1

I have had good results for photos of curly by putting water on the board before taking the

photo.
James Mills,Lovely wife,collect old tools,vacuuming fool,36 bdft/hr,oak paper cutter,ebonic yooper rapper nauga seller, Blue Ox? its not fast, 2 cat family, LT70,edger, 375 bd ft/hr, we like Bob,free heat,no oil 12 years,big splitter, baked stuffed lobster, still cuttin the logs dere IAM

Jeff

Yep, the 1 by 4s are balanced on a 1 by 1. I got that advice from somebody here I think. ;)  I'll check for moisture in the morning. I may have to come up with something else. I guess I was not thinking moisture, but thinking sun.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

ohsoloco

Jeff, aren't there any small kilns in your area that could dry this stuff for you?  Ever since my powderpost beetle incident, I'm sending all of my air dried hardwood to the kiln, just to be safe.  Do the bugs like aspen?  They really like my red and white oak  >:(

Jeff

I know of one not to far away that charges .45 a foot. Seems like a lot?
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

ohsoloco

Yeah, that seems like a lot  :(   There's one about 25 miles from my place that charges .20 a foot under 1000, and .18 1000 and over.  Even at that price I want to build a solar kiln  :D    

I don't know when I'll be moving, so I don't want to make something too permanent  :-/  

woodbeard


Found this pine board at Home Despot last night, rather it found me.

MrMoo

Jeff,
You know if you were to cut some holes in the roof of that cap, er I mean boat, you have have on the top of your wood pile you'd be able to start your tomato plants under there too  ;D

Jeff

Nope. Da Boat still floats. :D Someday I promised it I would take it fishing again. That was about 2 years ago. :-[
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

ohsoloco

Jeff, I use the same setup to dry my sticks....I was also supposed to take the boat fishing many years ago  :-/

MrMoo

Oh no, this means I have to tell the wife we need to get boats to put on top of the lumber piles to keep the rain & sun off them.
Me thinks me could be in trouble with this one!

I've had a date with my fishin rod for a couple of years too. Don't get there though :-[

ohsoloco

I need more boats to cover all the other lumber piles  :D

biziedizie

Let's see...one power boat that never sees water...one sailboat that was out 1 year ago....building a bigger sailboat in the other shop...sailboat #2 was spose to be finished by now.....maybe next year...yeah I guess I'm just like you guys when it comes to finding time to have some fun. :D

    Steve

Thank You Sponsors!