# home made small kiln questions



## MidGAOutdoor (Apr 7, 2011)

got a 2x4x2 box with plywood lid. i had 5 small logs >3inches in diameter that were sat in the shop for a few weeks. and several of the same out in sun with bark on. ran them all in for 3 days with fan and 100 watt bulb. the pealed ones are dry, they had that dry sound when u knock them together. the others when i pulled them and pealed i got a shower. so querstion is, better to dry with bark off? how long for? ive had good experience with a freezer and small slabs in the past. i also wanna cut some slabs down to 3ft and run in there they are 2 inches thick.

i watched this video




 
and he has 2 nulbs ane he says it takes about a week in his.

so bark off?
maybe a 250watt heat lamp bulb?


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

I DIDN'T watch the video BUT only what you wrote about it.

DON'T believe everything you see without ample researching. A week and heat bulbs with 2" slabs :no::thumbdown::no:. 

Check out and order a set of DAREN's kiln plans. You can adjust the kiln size to your specs.....IT WORKS GREAT :thumbsup::thumbsup:...It's what I use and I pushed it to the MAX.

Have a Blessed and Prosperous day in Jesus's Awesome Love,
Tim


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## bikeshooter (Nov 5, 2010)

I didn't watch the video either (no need to) and fully agree with what Tim has said. I also have used Darren's kiln plans for going on 2 years and am very happy with the results. 

Your logs may _sound_ dry but there's no way they are :no:. You mentioned using heat and a fan. It is critical to have a lower humidity level in whatever box you're using and some sort of machine is needed for that. A standard dehumidifier works. 90 degrees plus 30% humidity is close to a bare bone minimum to dry wood to a normal 6% m/c and even that take more than a few days.
Have a look at this link to judge the eventual m/c of what you're drying. http://www.csgnetwork.com/emctablecalc.html
An inexpensive moisture meter is also a very good thing to have
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/mmeter.html.

It is not difficult to dry wood but it _does_ take time.


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## smokey1945 (Feb 20, 2009)

+1 on Darren's plans:

http://nelsonwoodworks.biz/pb/wp_395bc3fb/wp_395bc3fb.html


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## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

It's always better to remove the bark from logs in most cases. Not only will the log dry faster but bugs like to live just underneath the bark.

If you are letting the log(s) spalt, then leave the bark on. It will help retain the moisture needed to promote the fungal growth responsible for spalting.

I really doubt that 3" diameter logs would be at less than 20% MC throughout in a few weeks of air drying and three days under a 100 watt bulb. More likely, the outer shell is dry and in tension while the inner core is still wet and in compression.

If you are in Georgia, you should seriously consider a solar kiln similar to this one http://americanwoodworker.com/media/p/11388.aspx

The beauty of this solar kiln is that it's basically a load-it-and-forget-it method. The solar panels are sized for drying White Oak which has a very low safe drying rate (about 2.5% per day). That pretty much covers any domestic woods you will dry in the kiln.

At night, you shut the fan off and when the kiln cools, it conditions the wood (moisture laden air) which relieves drying stresses. In a few weeks, you have dry, defect free wood.

The only downside is that a solar kiln rarely gets hot enough for long enough to sterilize the wood.


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