Plans For Building A Wood Drying Kiln

For all kiln drying schedules a heater should be used to sterilize the lumber and kill any insects that may be present.

Plans for building a wood drying kiln.

Softwoods will typically take half the time of hardwoods. We constructed this nifty 8x8x12 passive solar kiln. And boy does it work not to mention save money. After a few months bring the wood indoors and finish the drying.

Purchasing fresh cut lumber from a sawmill and drying it in a home wood kiln can be less costly and more satisfying than buying pre dried commercial lumber. For a kiln temperature of 140 f sterilization takes three to five hours. If you are into boat building this site describes the building of a 45 foot sailboat very interesting. Better still we developed a plan for our kiln so you can build one just like it.

Building the kiln is straightforward. The dimensions given are only a suggestion. Build a kiln to suit your drying needs. To build the kiln lay poly clear plastic roll on the ground and then build a frame with 2x4 studs on top of it for the lumber to rest on.

Wood industry fact sheet solar drying basics west virginia university extension service. Kiln drying lumber is a simple cost effective method recommended for anyone who wants to increase profits by selling dried lumber. With a 130 f kiln temperature sterilization will take 10 to 12 hours dry kiln operators manual 1991. Click on the wood doctor.

To slow the drying process for thick wood or when the kiln is less than full you can block off parts of the roof with an opaque covering or tarp. These figures hold true for lumber up to 2. Using a personal solar kiln to dry lumber can take several weeks but the opportunity to afford even exotic hardwoods and prepare them to your liking can make building your own wood. A kiln constructed to these specifications figure 1 will dry 450 board feet of one inch thick hardwood lumber in 6 weeks or less of good weather or 600 board feet of two inch hardwood lumber in 15 weeks.