I'm going to make an insulated solar kiln to dry out 6 -8 foot stock. Any a dvice. It's just going to be an insulated box with repurposed house windows tilted at 45 degrees (Wisconsin) and a small fan to circulate air. Any imp ortant things I need to keep in mind?
Thanks.
advice. It's just going to be an insulated box with repurposed house windo ws tilted at 45 degrees (Wisconsin) and a small fan to circulate air. Any i mportant things I need to keep in mind? Thanks.
Might not need a fan to circulate the air. Tilt the kiln about 30 degrees, make a small vent at the upper end and the warmer air should rise to and o ut the vent. Screen the vents to keep any bugs, especially wasps, out.
Sonny
If it dries unevenly or too fast, you can always use the lumber to build a boat.
Really, if it dries to fast it's garbage isn't it. It usually gets hardened.. And it may honeycomb.
I prefer working with air dried lumber. Especially walnut that has not been steamed... It's more beautiful.
ny advice. It's just going to be an insulated box with repurposed house win dows tilted at 45 degrees (Wisconsin) and a small fan to circulate air. Any important things I need to keep in mind? Thanks.
s, make a small vent at the upper end and the warmer air should rise to and out the vent. Screen the vents to keep any bugs, especially wasps, out.
That's good advice about the wasps, especially around here. Why 30 degrees? This guy lives in Wisconsin and says 45 degrees. I'll do whatever works be st. Thanks.
s? This guy lives in Wisconsin and says 45 degrees. I'll do whatever works best. Thanks.
I didn't have the benefit of the video, so I assumed a small box-like unit, not a shed-like (larger greenhouse) unit. I was assuming you were to kiln dry small amounts (500 max bd ft) of lumber, not a bundle or two or three, as that video unit can accommodate.
I was thinking the small box-like unit would be tilted up, at one end, 30 d egrees, not the windows. I was thinking vents on each upper end, as with a greenhouse.
I did assume the windows (sashes only?) would be facing south and tilted at 45 degrees, that would be installed on the box-like unit, which would be t ilted at 30 degrees.
I was guessing at a size and design that may not require a fan for air move ment.
Sonny
ees? This guy lives in Wisconsin and says 45 degrees. I'll do whatever work s best. Thanks.
t, not a shed-like (larger greenhouse) unit. I was assuming you were to ki ln dry small amounts (500 max bd ft) of lumber, not a bundle or two or thre e, as that video unit can accommodate.
degrees, not the windows. I was thinking vents on each upper end, as with a greenhouse.
at 45 degrees, that would be installed on the box-like unit, which would be tilted at 30 degrees.
He makes the claim that kiln dried wood is available faster (yes) but bette r quality? Not sure about that, but if this kiln can get the wood to 6-8 pe rcent instead of the 12-14 that you get with air drying, then that's a big win.
I don't know the wood bits, but I do know solar.
The angle varies by season. Whatever angle about an hour before solar noon. You can also add reflectors to bounce more light in. Polyiso foam RMax, or reflective bubble wrap. With either you can tape/tack together.
I use corrugated panels like SunTuf when I make anything solar. That brand also has a UV shield, if you wanted to add a layer of mylar for extra insulation.
Thinking outside the box, probably too far out:
The solar heater can be separate from the wood.
It seems that drying benefits by air movement:
and a small fan to circulate air. Any important things I need to keep in mind?
Larger fan and the cross section small so the air speed is higher.
I use fan forced solar hot air to heat my house during the day and I can see how solar forced air could dry wood. A mix of recyled and fresh air.
Arduino humidity/temperature:
I think keeping a relatively constant humidity may be more important than the temperature.
You know, it's funny but a hundred years ago wood was air dried.
1 thousand years ago it was air dried.Now we have heat in our homes... it dries out. The guy says it continues to shrink in our homes, therefore it's less than 12%..
Air dry it, acclimate it in your shop and you are good to go. Most wood stays in my rack a year or 2 before use. Except when I buy kiln dried then its a week or 2... I even get 2x4's to stabilize. I clamp them down on the rack so they finish drying b4 use, it doesn't always prevent a small twist, but it's better than taking it and using it immediately. I use 2x4's for utility grade stuff.
My tiger maple, walnut, cedar, ash, beech and cherry are all air dried.
Once you bring them in to finish drying you get down to 6-8% in the winter. Higher in the summer.
I have 2 meters a cheapy that I bring to the lumber mills, or local guys. And a lingnomat for final checking. Both agree on my final within a point or 2 so I am confident that I am not speaking out my Ass...
If you do steam bending I was told you don't want kiln dried wood.. Not sure why and not sure if its true.
woodchucker wrote in news:DJidncbxOoamwIPOnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@ptd.net:
*snip*
I haven't tried steam bending, but have worked with kiln and air dried versions of pine. Kiln dried wood is much more brittle. If you try flexing a small piece of kiln dried and air dried wood, the air dried will bend a bit before it breaks while the kiln dried just snaps.
Puckdropper
Thanks for the good thoughts. My goal is to keep the costs way down. I have most of the stuff laying around already, including windows, but not the 3/4 sheets of plywood or the fan. The suntuf looks like a great suggestion. I'll see where the budget is.
If it's kiln dried to 6-8 percent, it's probably going to break from lack of moisture, even after you've steamed it. Unless you're bending very think strips, maybe 1/16, kiln dried wood will not produce very good results.
I remember a video on the subject, probably at the Fine Woodworking web site. The kiln operator recommended a home dehumidifier for a small kiln.
y advice. It's just going to be an insulated box with repurposed house wind ows tilted at 45 degrees (Wisconsin) and a small fan to circulate air. Any important things I need to keep in mind?
I saw those too, but after casting around a little bit, I'm just going to g o for it and make a big solar kiln. It sounds like a fun project that will be very useful.
Yes, they make a wonderful solar operated fan I use in my greenhouse.
12volt..... sounds good. you could also dry fruit..... wonder if it gets too hot too quick? warping boards? I guess you can sticker them....and cover from the sun, but circulate the air....in and out.... johnI'm going to make an insulated solar kiln to dry out 6 -8 foot stock. Any advice. It's just going to be an insulated box with repurposed house windows tilted at 45 degrees (Wisconsin) and a small fan to circulate air. Any important things I need to keep in mind?
Thanks.
--------------------------------------------------------- "Michael" wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------- Norm once built a green house on NYW.
Used a modulated opening for maintaining temps.
Might want to take a look for reference ideas.
Lew
"Lew Hodgett" wrote
Real kilns modulate temperature and moisture by heating up with a cycle of then letting the hot moist air out, then heating up again. Ideally, for a solar kiln, you would want to cycle the air out in early afternoon, then let it time to heat before nightfall again. A furnace blower on a timer with shutters that blow open would facilitate that very nicely. Also, if you do not stick your wood, you are fooling yourself.
This isn't aimed at Lew, just an add on to the thread.
Great idea about a solar fan. I'll check that out for sure, but the fan sho uld be on a timer, I think. I'm concerned about regulating the temps and dr ying too quickly, as you and Lew point out. It will be important to paint t he endgrain and weigh it down to keep it straight during drying, and use st ickers, as Jim Morgan says.
Forget the 3/4", Frame it up and use the rMax polyisocyanurate for the sides. Reflective side in, you can paint the exterior if you like or cover with thin ply. The half inch ($10) should be OK:
There is little advantage of having a higher R value as most of the heat will escape through the glazing.
The suntuf looks like a great suggestion. I'll see where the budget is.
It's very tough. Just make sure no direct sun can hit the reverse side. If so, Lowes has a similar product that doesn't have the UV shield because it does not need it. For what I do, the UV shield is important.
Also, you don't need much wood in the structure. You can frame it in with 1" or 3/4" PVC pipe. Use self tapping screws with the gasket. You will need to paint the PVC if it is exposed to UV. I've made a structure just out of the Lowes panels and 1" PVC and 2 x 2s. Very strong.
If you just need to try it out and last a season or maybe two, get the clearest 4 mil or greater poly rolled sheet. Clear poly is seldom very clear. Vinyl will be clear and seems to hold up a bit better that poly, although more expensive. Ace Hardware, I believe. Clear shower curtain liners are a lower quality vinyl but may be OK.
I'm all about cheap!
Jeff
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Great information, Jeff! Will this rMax material hold up under rain and snow conditions, or will some kind of exterior skin be necessary?
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