custom kiln drying

[Pclem]

Hey guys. Got a question on custom drying lumber. I currently run a firewood business kiln drying firewood. I started out with a 40' reefer with some big heat exchangers, and it worked ok for firewood, but was slow. I now have a kiln direct firewood kiln. I bought control panel, heat exchangers, fans, and vents from Nyle. [For the reefer]. I'm thinking of converting the reefer to lumber. I know little to nothing about drying lumber. I'm thinking since I have it, try and make some money with it. From the little research I've done, it looks like I could charge around .30/bd ft. Guessing the kiln will hold about 3000'. There is roughly 32' usable due to the control room. It looks like I would have to figure about a month to dry oak. So that gives me $900 gross./load. does this sound about right, am I missing some big considerations? I have no idea what the custom market is like around here, and I realize I'll have to take a course or more on kiln drying. Just wanted some feedback to see if I was barking up the wrong tree or not.

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

Talk to Scott Bowe who is the WI Foresty products Extension agent.  He is at Kemp Station near Minocqua.  He can certainly help you.  sbowe@wisc.edu

[Pclem]

Thanks Gene. I contacted Scott, and he gave me some good info

[Den Socling]

We have customers doing custom drying with their vacuum kilns. They have the advantages of speed, color and the ability to dry thick and/or difficult species that just can't be dried any other way. However, there is one thing you will have even if you are drying in a reefer. The average guy in the street with a 1000 BF or so has no other choice but to come to you. If commercial kilns are charging .30, that doesn't mean that you have to charge .30. The commercial kilns aren't going to mess with a little wood from a one-time guy. Charge what you feel comfortable with and they will pay.

[starmac]

Not many kilns around here especially that does custom drying. A friend checked on one for me the other day and their prices start out at 75 cents for small amounts. They can handle 3000 ft at a time and the price does go down some the closer you get to filling their kiln.

[Hackermatack]

I sometimes take lumber to a custom kiln, I think I paid $.40/ft last time for some maple. I know they get less for softwood. They have 4 small kilns I think the largest is around 5000/ft. Having more than one kiln allows them to be more versatile and keeps the wait time down. They are always happy to work in small quantities I think the most I have ever taken was around 500 ft. This kiln is a dehumidification type with supplemental heat when needed. Unless there is some one else in your neighborhood doing small lot drying I think area wood workers would use the service.

[Pclem]

thanks guys. Looks like I'll need to learn a bit first

[5quarter]

Pclem...good plan...everyone loves to saw wood, not many like drying it.  ;)

[Solomon]

I have been using a steel 20'  shipping container and a 14'   box off an old truck made of aluminum with a roll up door.
I wish I had a way to put some heat to them.
  They work reasonably well in the summer time when the sun beats on them and I run a home dehumidifier in each one.   
Works great for ceder and cyprus and pretty much any lumber that behaves itself well as it dries.    I have successfully dried quarter sawn oak  ( both red and white ) in them though they do tend to crook from side to side but I can rip it straight  with a table saw and jointer.
Everything else gets pretty ugly on me, but  I do the best I can with what I have to work with.
I wish I could afford a real kiln but I just spent a bunch of money on  a Grizzly 5hp tilting spindle shaper and  about  30  cutters so......   No kiln this year and very likely not next year either.
  I guess we all have our priorities.
I have found if I seal the ends of the logs with oil base Kilz really thouroughly, I get a lot less spliting and checking in the ends of my boards.
 

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

I do,believe that your hot boxes qualify as a kiln.  You will get even better performance (hotter) if you paint the roof and south wall a dark color.  It may get too hot, in fact...too hot for the compressor (115 max. Probably) .  If this happens, you need to add a small exhaust fan.  If they are kilns, then you can take their cost as a depreciable business expense and tax deduction, etc.

Kilz is indeed a good sealer, so if put on thick enough and soon enough (before checking starts), it will work somewhat.  I think the price of Kilz, versus asphalt roofing cement or Anchorseal, are similar.  These last two work for very wet ends and in cold weather very well.

Side bend or crook is not a drying defect, so it cannot be controlled by changing drying practices.  Rather it results because wood close to the center of a log likes to shrink lengthwise, while wood further away does not.