Drying wood in Utah
Posted on June 27, 2007
I will be eternally interested in the science ….. no …… make that, ART of drying wood. I have tried most of the formulas like SOAP-ALCHOHOL-PLASTIC BAGS-SHAVINGS. The simplified results are:
SOAP: inconclusive, most seemed to work, but takes a big vat. Nice lubrication qualities.
ALCHOHOL: some success, liquid needs filtering after each soaking or staining can occur. Dangerous to store.
Kiln: I realized that my problem was not to create drying but to slow it. UTAH is very hot and dry. I rigged a shelf and wrapped it with visqueen (sp) and slit the front to make a door. Humidity stays at about 40%. The humidity is generated by the wood that is drying ….. duh! This is the best way to store wood in Utah that I have found.
Plastic bags: good protection, need to be opened often, promote mildew, takes to long.
Now I am wrapping large bowl blanks transversely with Saran wrap and sealing small pieces with paraffin. I use an old electric frying pan as a reservoir for the wax. Noticing mildew forming on the outer surfaces, may not be a problem on bowl blanks as it is turned away.
I will soon experiment with brown wrapping paper instead of plastic wrap to see if it solves the mildew problem
I was also surprised that a thinly turned and immediately finished bowl …. didn’t crack. Can it be that the finish helps seal the wood and slow down drying? I’l endeavor to prove this notion…..
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I like your site. It looks like you have been turning for a while. I’ve been at it for just over a year. Great hobby. I’ve been thinking of building a kiln 2×4x4 or maybe 2×2x4. Insulated and lightbulb heated. From the Blue Grass region of KY.
Came across your website, and find it rather nice. On the drying, it does vary from region to region. I am in North Central Texas which is a high humidity region, and hot. I have a slightly large operation for my hobby/business. I have two solar kilns. Both 12′ long and 8′ in heighth. One is 3′ wide, and the other is 6′. I have both covered with heavy roofing metal, painted flat black. Both equipped with oven thermometers. They can get to about 160 in them. They are ventilated. After I rough out my blanks, for further drying, I coat them in either teak oil or danish oil. I do not ever use a top coat finish on any of my woodworking. Whether it is woodturnings, or furniture. Never seal wood for drying in plastic of any kind.