Solar Kiln Update-It's Out!

[JackLeg]

Took the first charge of 7/4 cypress from my solar kiln yesterday. Exactly 31 days after loading, most of the stack is in the 17-20% MC range. We figure we can use that and that it will continue to dry some in a covered environment. There was NO appreciable checking, warping, or bowing. (Credit to Ivey's sawing and coating the ends with AnchorSeal.)

I'm tickled pink! (Nope, not peach, DaveO!) This has reduced our drying time from approximately 90 days of air drying by 2/3!

Put in the load of 1" boards I picked up from Ivey at the picnic. 400 b/f in varying widths. We really need this lumber as soon as it can dry to a usable MC. ( I'm betting that if we get 10 days of good sunshine, that it'll be workable in two weeks. )

If I sound pleased, I AM! After we get our current inventory of cypress dried, we have some white oak waiting. I'm SURE that will be a different story with a different result.

Thanks for looking.

 

[woodArtz]

Awesome news Reggie! :eusa_clap I bet you are beaming! Great job on the kiln!

 

[Bas]

Outstanding!!! And things will go even quicker now that the temperature is going up and the sun shows its face a little more. Real happy this first load out worked so well - yahoo!

 

[Travis Porter]

Sweet!!! I would guess the white oak will take longer to dry because it is denser?

I need to go see Ivey and load up on some Cypress.......

 

[scsmith42]

Reggie, congrats on the first load! Here's to many more successful ones!ccasion1

Scott

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

Reggie, why didn't you leave it in longer and bring down the moisture content so you could use it as soon as it came out? I would think you would only need a few more days or a week at most to get Cypress down to below 12%.

 

[JackLeg]

Alan, for our use, outdoor furniture, anywhere from 12-20% works well. So, it allowed us to go ahead and take it out and put in the 1" boards which are straight off the sawmill. (Ivey sawed them the day before the picnic.) We are very low on 1" stuff, so the urgency to get it in the kiln. The 7/4 is very workable in the 17% range.

 

[Douglas Robinson]

I can not believ this threa has continued without someone saying "No pics, didn't happen!"

Doug

 

[Bas]

I can not believ this threa has continued without someone saying "No pics, didn't happen!"

Doug

Shhhh, we're being nice-nice. If we don't bug him for pictures, maybe we can score some of that cypress.....

If, on the other hand the wood is already spoken for - Yeah, what Doug said!!!

 

[toolman]

Well Doug You beat me to it!! :gar-La; :gar-La; :gar-La;

[mouse]"No pics, didn't happen!"[/mouse]

 

[jeff...]

cool - so did you ever figure out how much MC your 100 BF lost perday max / min / avg? What was the MC when it went in?

At least show us a picture of a bucket of water or something.

 

[TracyP]

Reggie, that is great. I called you today but it was late. I will try again tomorrow.

 

[JackLeg]

Hmm! Let's see. I posted a pic when the load went IN the kiln. Honestly, the look didn't change much when it came out!!:gar-La;

I know I should have document the "ceremony" but rain was threatening and we wanted to get the next load in.

Jeff, I really don't know how much moisture loss occured on this load, I just know it was over 30% when it went in according to my Delhomme meter. And now it's 17-20% MC. You've sawed a lot of timber, what would you guess the MC was off the mill? Ivey, what do you think?

I'm gonna try and do a better job with the "science" once we get past this load of 1" boards. Plan to weigh some samples and do all the stuff I was taught at VT. (Hope Dr. Bond doesn't see this!) BUT, if you remember, I said early on that cypress is a most forgiving wood, and this certainly proves that!

Tracy, I'll look for your call tomorrow. If you are free, you could pick up some at Richfield tomorrow around noon. OR, Saturday is still good.

 

[Glennbear]

Congratulations on your maiden kiln run Reggie !!!:gar-Bi

 

[jeff...]

Hmm! Let's see. I posted a pic when the load went IN the kiln. Honestly, the look didn't change much when it came out!!:gar-La;

I know I should have document the "ceremony" but rain was threatening and we wanted to get the next load in.

Jeff, I really don't know how much moisture loss occured on this load, I just know it was over 30% when it went in according to my Delhomme meter. And now it's 17-20% MC. You've sawed a lot of timber, what would you guess the MC was off the mill? Ivey, what do you think?

I'm gonna try and do a better job with the "science" once we get past this load of 1" boards. Plan to weigh some samples and do all the stuff I was taught at VT. (Hope Dr. Bond doesn't see this!) BUT, if you remember, I said early on that cypress is a most forgiving wood, and this certainly proves that!

Tracy, I'll look for your call tomorrow. If you are free, you could pick up some at Richfield tomorrow around noon. OR, Saturday is still good.

if it were wet it would have been somewhere around 40% MC

 

[Ivey]

Good job Reggie. Glad it turned out a good first load. Those baffles on the end that we talked about will help out alot, I think you will see faster drying times.
How wet? With cypress I have found that it is different with each log, depends if it grew in water most of it's life or not, and would say 30%- 60%. Some logs saw out pretty wet. Then some are pretty dry..

 

[JackLeg]

Thanks to Jeff and Ivey. We cut parts today for rockers from the stuff just out. Perfect!! No checking, warping or bowing. Planed well, routed well.

I checked the kiln late today and it was 116F with a RH of 32. That compared to 84 ambient with 76 RH. I'm happy!!

:gar-Bi:wsmile::wsmile::wsmile::wsmile::gar-Bi