How to Speed up 8/4 Drying Time

[Sawdust Lover]

I started selling thick live edge slabs a few years ago right off the mill. Customers were buying them and drying them themselves because I was selling them so cheap. As time went on I was sawing more slabs to try to get ahead so they would dry. I have not yet been able to keep a slab long enough to let it dry fully. I have a great showroom where I keep them and can store up to 300 slabs. But I am selling close to 50 per month. I now have a buyer in California and will take all the walnut I can send him. Some of these logs weigh 2500 lbs off the mill but if I could dry them fast I could double my money. I have a large solar kiln and next month I will have my L200 Nyle up and running. Getting these slabs down to 20% would be nice before I ship them but I need to do it quick. I feel like I have the right equipment just not the experience to do so.

[thecfarm]

Talk about a niche market. Good for you. Seem like quick drying and slabs don't go together?? Others know more than me.
I just looked. In this board on the first page was some threads on drying slabs.

[red oaks lumber]

you can dry walnut quick but, it will crack and split terrible.

[WDH]

There is no instant pudding  .

[Sawdust Lover]

Right now I am drying them with fans and a dehumidifier. It works but it would be nice to sell a dry slab. Can I put them in the DH kiln when they get to a certain moister content. I have read other posts and it seams like people are putting slabs in there kilns. I would be happy with 2 months. Or am I dreaming?

[DR Buck]

Thick and drying quick don't mix unless you're making firewood.   

With a Nyle 200 you can get green 12/4 walnut, cherry, and some of the softer hardwoods to ~35% in 4 to 5 weeks.  I've had some success doing it using the DH-4000 (Wood-Mizer version of the Nyle 200)   Start at 90º and 80% RH for about 2 weeks.  Then raise the temp to 100º and not less than 60% RH for another 2+weeks.   After that you'll need to follow close to a normal drying schedule.  It will take close to 7 or 8 weeks to reach 20%.

[Ianab]

2 months sounds like a reasonable expectation for a decent kiln. Like DR_Buck says, just watch the drying rate, and don't push it too hard. That's when you will have problems. As the wood gets drier it's more forgiving, hence the reason for some folks to air dry for a while first, then move to the kiln for the final stages. Means you wont have the kiln tied up for the whole 8 weeks. By air drying, and then giving it the last ~2 weeks in the kiln you could get a lot more loads though per year, and something like Walnut is pretty forgiving to air dry (just takes time)

Ian

[DR Buck]

Customers were buying them and drying them themselves because I was selling them so cheap. .......... I have not yet been able to keep a slab long enough to let it dry fully............... But I am selling close to 50 per month. ..........if I could dry them fast I could double my money.

What size are these slabs anyway?    And, what's cheap?    If you are going through that many slabs per month, it sounds like you may be giving them away.   Are you undervaluing your labor charges?   Kiln drying is going to add significantly to you costs.  I get 60¢ a board foot for kiln drying on top of the slab and milling costs.

[Sawdust Lover]

I am selling slabs 20" x 8' for around $100.00 each green. The logs are free so I think its a fair price.  Some slabs are smaller that I will sell for around $50.00. Almost all the slabs are going to furniture makers in N.C. The rest will be going out west.

[scsmith42]

I am selling slabs 20" x 8' for around $100.00 each green. The logs are free so I think its a fair price.  Some slabs are smaller that I will sell for around $50.00. Almost all the slabs are going to furniture makers in N.C. The rest will be going out west.

That works out to be $4.00 per board foot - a steal for a walnut slab especially when you factor in the costs of handling heavy slabs.

Dry 8/4 BW (not a slab) usually sells for $6.50 bd ft; more for wider widths.

One thing that you may want to consider is to determine what your price would be if you had to purchase the logs, and price accordingly. 

If you'd like, we can kick around some drying ideas when you stop by the farm.

[Sawdust Lover]

That will be a huge help. I look forward to it!

[EZland]

I agree I think you are a little low on your price.  I am in GA and just sold some pine slabs that were the same size for $150.  I did dry them in my solar kiln down to 10%.  I am not selling them in the volve you are, but you are right people buy them up like crazy.   

How do you ship them to people?  what method? 

[Sawdust Lover]

I agree I think you are a little low on your price.  I am in GA and just sold some pine slabs that were the same size for $150.  I did dry them in my solar kiln down to 10%.  I am not selling them in the volve you are, but you are right people buy them up like crazy.   

How do you ship them to people?  what method?

I use Uship for my lumber and furniture. I just sent 3500lbs of slabs to San Francisco from Va. for $500.00. Shipped a desk to Texas Monday for $250.00. Keeping the lumber under 8' so they can load it sideways is a big money saver.

[EZland]

Sawdust Lover thanks for the info on shipping. 

[mesquite buckeye]

Vacuum kiln. ;D

Very expensive, but hard to beat for speed and quality. 100 a slab won't pay for one. :(

Talk to Den Socling.

[Too Big To Fail]

I have a related question-
can you put a slab to use (as a table top say, with no joinery involved) that is still more or less green if you oil it to slow down the drying? 

[WDH]

If it is inside in a heated and cooled space, there will likely be too much drying force (low humidity), and bad things will probably happen. 

[Too Big To Fail]

I guess I'll have to try one and see.  Make up a quick bench or something.

I opened up a big norway maple this afternoon.  She's a beauty- lots of nice curl. Will be 38-40" at the widest, 12/4.  I don't think I'll be experimenting on these slabs, they're too nice.  Maybe sacrifice some red oak (I've got too much of that anyway).

[WDH]

Yep, dry the Norway Maple slow. 

[Seaman]

I have a customer put a 40 x 3 x 10 ft white oat top in an office the week after I sawed it green. He had a bolted on base wit elongated holes so the bolts could shift a little, just barely snugged. In the past year it has lost a LOT of weight, and one small crack extended a couple of inches from one end. I think W oak is a very stable wood, results may vary!
I do think you can get away with a lot when working with one large piece, compared to gluing up smaller wood.
Frank

[Too Big To Fail]

No guts no glory right!