Drying wood at home

[Derek Gilmer]

First off sorry if this is in the wrong forum, workshops seemed to fit well with the topic.

I've got a great source for cheap green lumber locally and I'd like to be able to dry the lumber quickly at home. Right now my approach is to sticker it and stack it on the side of my garage. That is less than ideal because of limited space and the slower speed of drying. I'm looking at two main options.

Option one is a solar drying setup. I've found numerous plans online and am leaning towards something like this: http://www.woodscience.vt.edu/about/extension/vtsolar_kiln/ or http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Solar_Kiln_Designs_2.html (look for the blackburg va one). Which boils down to a small box with a sloped transparent roof, black walls and fans to circulate air. I'd scale the plans a bit so it fits around 1000bf at a time.

Option two involves assisted drying in the garage. Because of the tools I'll put putting in to the garage I am close to surrendering my parking spot anyways. So why not use some of that to dry wood. My thoughts were along the lines of a 2' x 2' x 8' box with a fan and small (closet size) dehumidifier in it.

Does anyone have any experience working with either of these or any guidance at all really on the subject? Also, I forgot to mention has anyone used Nelson's kiln plans I've only seen great reviews and seems to be a perfect match for what I'm looking at.

[Jim Becker]

Derek, even if you plan on drying with a solar kiln, you'll want to air dry for a bit. That's best done outside, not in a building. Air flow is critical to the drying process. Sticker and stack that lumber outside where it will get good exposure to the normal wind for your area. Only cover the top of the pile to avoid standing water. Do not cover the sides. Depending on the species, it will be ready to work in about a year to two years. If you build the solar kiln, then air dry it for 3-4 months to reduce the overall MC and then bring it into the kiln. In either case, you can "finish" the process and stack inside once it's down to around 10-12% which is typical for a stable MC based on local humidity.

I currently have about 1500 bd ft of poplar drying now on the property and have previously done about 3000 bd ft of poplar and walnut in the same manner.

BTW, there are a few other 'Creekers in your immediate area. Hopefully you know them or will have the pleasure of meeting them; two examples would be Dennis Peacock and Zahid Naqvi and there are others!

[Scott T Smith]

Derek - the VT solar kiln is a very proven design - i'd suggest that you follow those plans.

[Derek Gilmer]

Thanks for the info Jim, I apparently have a lot of research left to do on this entire process. I was thinking the kiln drying in either option would result in wood ready to use.

Perhaps a two part building would work well then with the front half being a VT style solar kiln and the back side being only a roof to stack lumber. Let me double check what you are saying since I seem to have missed the boat in general on my research. I'm working mainly with red oak, cherry and little walnut.
1. Stack it out side with exposed sides for 3-4 months
2. Put it in the solar kiln until the mc is 10-12%
3. Stack inside to let it acclimate to the shop for awhile
4. Start building?

I have met Zahid once he is who turned me onto SMC in general and passed on alot of wisdom. I need to hunt down Dennis, I think all three of us work at the same company but life has been hectic all around lately and I haven't gotten in contact with him yet.

[Jim Becker]

Dennis is the dude in "bibs".... :D
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The solar kiln will likely get your MC down below 10% if it's done right. Air drying first will help things stay more stable--you don't want to dry too fast. Air drying is best done with all four sides exposed to the ambient wind...having it under cover at the back of the klin may or may not give you the right exposure for a "3 open sides" situation since the windows on the solar kiln need to point at the sun.

[Bryan Hosford]

Have you looked at the dehumidification kilns? simple design, quick stable drying and compact design.

[Derek Gilmer]

Jim, thanks for the heads up on the three sides hadn't thought about it. As for the bibs.. our dress code is relaxed but maybe not that much :)

Bryan,
Nelson woodoworking (won't link since i"m not sure if it is allowed) sells plans on ebay for a easy diy dehumidifying kiln. I have just begun scratching the surface of looking into that option. So any links/info would be greatly appreciated.