Kiln Idea

[khaos]

SO I have been toying with the idea of making a kiln out of one of those vinyl/PVC sheds similar to this:
http://images.lowes.com/product/converted/071691/071691481751lg.jpg

I was thinking I could silicone all the seams and joints and make silicone door seals and add a dehumidifier with a drain hose.

Stick, stack and done.

Anyone done something like this?

[MogulTx]

I doubt PVC would stand up to 140 degree heat very well... Maybe a metal one (they will rust, but it would probably be a slower failure)

I have built big kilns and the were designed to go much higher, so I used specialized insulation and a steel outer frame. I used hi temp kiln electrodes- so you would need to do a different plan for those... ANd you should not need too much heat. Just some good insulation. I would probably use sheet foam from HD, Lowes or a local Lumber Supply house. I would silicone THAT so that it does not move around and leak, etc. And you do need a vent of some sort to take out the humidity and possibly a fan on it. And MAYBE a drain... If the vent fan is effective enough, you may not need it.

There is no hard and fast rule except to respect the electricity! And get the wood hot enough to kill pests and drive out the moisture. it doesn't take a LOT of heat... just continuous heat and consistent from top to bottom.

[steve_g]

Monty…
Joe is wanting to use the “dehumidifier” method. My question is “will the dehumidifier add enough heat to kill pests” and “is there a dehumidifier out there that can take the heat to be right in with the wood?”
SG

[Brian Harnett]

I made one out of osb board I lined the inside with plastic vapor barrier and insulated with fiberglass to r40.

The first 2 days I run a torpedo heater to get it to 140, a vent in the roof is open for that time. then I switch to a dehumidifier and close the vent a hose is hooked to it to run outside even the dehumidifier will get it hot, I set a thermostat so it shuts off when it hits 115.

Mine measures 12' long 6' high and 4' deep I may make it longer since I can mill lager pieces

I have dried some really interesting pieces with it never to be found in a mill yard.

[Brian Harnett]

This site has a lot of info on do it yourself kilns, just search, lots of threads on the subject
http://www.arboristsite.com/community/forums/milling-saw-mills.62/

[khaos]

Thanks Brian!

So I think this (http://sbio.vt.edu/about/extension/vtsolar_kiln/) is the answer I was looking for.
The version described here holds 750 to 1,000 board feet of lumber. The kiln dries a load of lumber in approximately one month of moderately sunny weather at its location in Blacksburg, Va.

Also awesome:
http://owic.oregonstate.edu/solarkiln/plans.htm

info overload:
http://www.woodweb.com/KnowledgeBase/KBPPKilnConstruction.html

[Brian Harnett]

I have been thinking about a solar kiln, the kiln I have now is in my shop on the back wall. Time is the issue.

[BobW]

I used a broken freezer/refrigerator. Put a 100 watt bulb with a Radio Shack in/out thermo to monitor. Good for small pieces or take the shelves out for longer pieces. Gets moisture below 7% in a week. Put a small piece of tubing in the bottom and top seal to vent.

[gene]

I had a lot of red oak and some pine so i found a sunny spot stacked it with stickers . covered it with black 6 mil plastic . at one end i put a pallet on end and the other end i put a attic fan to draw air thru and out the other end. The most important thing is to paint the ends of the wood or it will dry to fast, split and turn into firewood

[genek]

If you can find a store that has gone out of business and buy their old walk in freezer or cooler. That is one of the best home kilns you can have. You can stack the lumber and get the temp up to 160 easy. Then with a dehumidifier remove the moisture. Like someone said paint the ends. To keep from putting too much stress in the wood remove the moisture in stages.