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drying question...am I just wasting money thinking of this?

Started by Osric, April 26, 2008, 08:04:23 PM

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Osric

I've been kinda turning an idea over in my mind and I don't know if it is worth doing or not.  Tell me if you think this would just be a waste of my time/money or not.

I have an area in my garage that I'm not using except to stack some wood and letting it air dry.  It measures about 5x13 and is as high as the garage itself (say 9' or so.)  Right now, I have a bunch of poplar stickered there to air dry.  It occurred to me that it wouldn't cost all that much to build a frame around this area and make it pretty much air tight.  Then I could sticker the wood in that enclosed area, stick a dehumidifier in there (maybe a little ceramic heater as well) and suck all the moisture out of the wood a lot more quickly than just letting it air dry.

Would that work?  Or by doing this, am I just asking for problems? 

I'd do a solar kiln instead, but my property just doesn't lend itself to another outbuilding.  Any thoughts would be appreciated.

brdmkr

I have about finished a small DH kiln.  I can't see how your plan differs from what I am doing (other than I am building a box). 
Lucas 618  Mahindra 4110, FEL and pallet forks, some cant hooks, and a dose of want-to

kelLOGg

It will work - I was successful in an even cruder approach. In the 2nd floor of my barn  I used tarps wrapped around the stickered lumber with 2 fans a de-humidifier (no heater). Got the 1 " hickory down to 7% in about 10 days (after a year of air drying). Now I plan to do what you are planning - build a permanent chamber in the same place and maybe add heat.
Bob
Cook's MP-32, 20HP, 20' (modified w/ power feed, up/down, loader/turner)
DH kiln, CatClaw setter and sharpener, tandem trailer, log arch, tractor, thumb tacks

Tom

Speaking out of school, I have two things for thought.

1.  Kiln fires are common.  If you decide to build a real kiln in your house or barn, make sure there is some kind of fire suppression system installed.

2.  If a Solar Kiln is being considered, I would think that the collector wouldn't necessarily have to be the box containing the wood. Why  couldn't you put a collector on the roof or in the yard and "pipe" the air to and from it.   You might even have the condensor outside too.

Part_Timer

 

It will work just fine.  some times simpler is just right.
Peterson 8" ATS.
The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.

metalspinner

Expanding on Tom's thought just a bit...

The roof top in of your home is already a collector and the attic is stored heat.  Piping the heat from the attic to your chamber might a reasonable way to dry the wood.  Should be real simple considering you are "only" in the garage.  A duct with a fan can pull the heated air right to the bottom of the stack.  An exhaust fan can go out of a window.
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

MikeH

 Of Course it will work, still waiting for the Home Depot to come out with a cheap'o Chinese kiln to increase demand for portable sawmill. I can't believe they are not out there yet!!!!!

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