Irvin Cooper
11-17-2008, 4:57 PM
Good afternoon all.
I am on the cusp of purchasing some walnut to build a bed. When speaking to the owner over the phone about wood they have in stock, they replied that they would "put it in the kiln tonight" and I "could pick it up later this week".
I asked how that was possible, since all of the drying kilns I was aware of took weeks/months to dry, not just a matter of a couple of days.
This outfit uses what is called a vacuum kiln, where they have some sort of metal pan of water in the bottom of the kiln, then load the kiln up and dry it under vacuum pressure.
Has anyone ever bought lumber which was processed in this way, and how did it hold up? I am hesitant to drive all the way up there and purchase lumber that could become 90% waste wood because it wasnt dried properly.
It could be that all lumber is dried this way and I am just not very well informed.... I thought it was all dried by long-term exposure to moderately dry heat.
Thanks.
Irv
I am on the cusp of purchasing some walnut to build a bed. When speaking to the owner over the phone about wood they have in stock, they replied that they would "put it in the kiln tonight" and I "could pick it up later this week".
I asked how that was possible, since all of the drying kilns I was aware of took weeks/months to dry, not just a matter of a couple of days.
This outfit uses what is called a vacuum kiln, where they have some sort of metal pan of water in the bottom of the kiln, then load the kiln up and dry it under vacuum pressure.
Has anyone ever bought lumber which was processed in this way, and how did it hold up? I am hesitant to drive all the way up there and purchase lumber that could become 90% waste wood because it wasnt dried properly.
It could be that all lumber is dried this way and I am just not very well informed.... I thought it was all dried by long-term exposure to moderately dry heat.
Thanks.
Irv