Plans For Building A Wood Drying Kiln

Building the kiln is straightforward.

Plans for building a wood drying kiln.

The dimensions given are only a suggestion. After a few months bring the wood indoors and finish the drying. And boy does it work not to mention save money. 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.

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. Softwoods will typically take half the time of hardwoods. These figures hold true for lumber up to 2.

For all kiln drying schedules a heater should be used to sterilize the lumber and kill any insects that may be present. We constructed this nifty 8x8x12 passive solar kiln. A solar wood drying kiln in which the entire front glazed area lifts up for access. With a 130 f kiln temperature sterilization will take 10 to 12 hours dry kiln operators manual 1991.

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. Wood mizer dehumidification and solar wood kilns range from 300 to 35 000 board feet capacity for drying lumber. Wood industry fact sheet solar drying basics west virginia university extension service. If you are into boat building this site describes the building of a 45 foot sailboat very interesting.

For a kiln temperature of 140 f sterilization takes three to five hours. Click on the wood doctor. 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. 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.