# Solar Drying Kiln



## ajh359 (Jun 19, 2007)

My sisters son has 45 acres and a lot of hard wood, oak, maple and some cyres. Looking trying my at hand drying some. Going to build a small solar kiln but do not want cut any large trees. If goes wrong do not want to waste a lot of wood. If I cut some maple is the better wood at the base of tree? Maybe I have been doing to much reading :glare: So if some one could show me the way would be helpful. I maybe I can start this project soon. Going in the morning to start taking a old barn down in Ga.


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## aclose (Nov 11, 2007)

i'd like to add to your question :icon_smile:
is it better to mill the log and then dry it? or can you let the log 'age' and then mill it? which would be preferred?


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## JP Sinclair (Nov 13, 2006)

This looks like a question for a mill guy!. Guess I beat Daren but he can chime in too. 

If you are cutting maple and want the whitest wood possible, then cut the log and mill it green. Maple is suceptable to sticker stain when you stack it, be sure to use dry stickers-I use kiln dried 1" square stickers. They also make some slick stickers with air tracks cut in them but they are costly. 

The base of bigger, old growth maples often have compression curl (also known as tiger maple). The growth rings also usually have a nice turning, twisting look. 

If you take sugar maple and cut it into a log and let it sit in a damp, shaded area, you get spalted maple. It has some great dark lines that roll throughout the wood, very nice look--:thumbsup:


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## ajh359 (Jun 19, 2007)

This is Red Maple, going get a saw mill it for me. There some very large ones but stay with one I have pick out. It is about 18" OD and about 40' foot high. Going get the saw mill to dry some me and I'm going to do rest. Thanks for the replies. And every one have a safe new year.


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

Here is everything you need to know about solar kilns. http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/WoodDrying/wood_kiln.htm

What JP said about milling maple asap (unless you want spalted, but it does not sound like it) Winter is also the best time to cut a maple tree. Some mills only take maple in the cool month, because of the sticker stain, mineral stain, discoloration...that can (and most likely will) happen in warmer months.

aclose, that is a common misconception "letting a log age"...that's just letting it rot :laughing:. There are exceptions, but too few to even bother mentioning, that can lay awhile without degrade. The best thing for a tree is as soon as it hits the ground, get it to the mill, like that day if possible.


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## ajh359 (Jun 19, 2007)

Thanks for the reply Daren, going cut it before the end of the month. Going to read the link you posted.


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## ajh359 (Jun 19, 2007)

Virginia Tech Solar Kiln I have been reading this, going read some more. Got all the lumber for the job, waiting on my sons to build it for me. I live in north Fla. and I think the weather is going to be OK for me here.


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## ajh359 (Jun 19, 2007)

Daren I see that you talk a bout a kiln on your website, would it be to much to tell me how it works? Before I start on mine would to see what is out there.


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

ajh359 said:


> Daren I see that you talk a bout a kiln on your website,


My is a dehumidification kiln, it uses a d/h to mechanically remove the water from the wood. It is for drying small amounts at a time (300 bft or so). You were asking about solar, in you area "The sunshine state" that would make the most sense. Where I live here in Illinois solar just would not work for me. We can go 2 weeks without seeing the sun, no kidding, just gray skies. And days like today, when the sun is shining...it is still only going to get 20 degrees outside.

You can see why I did not go with solar, for you if you have alot to dry solar is your best route.


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## ajh359 (Jun 19, 2007)

Thanks for the reply just trying to learn all I can. Just making sure I'm going the right way. Do not want to build some thing when I should of did it different.


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