# Kiln help



## Andrew M (Mar 11, 2015)

I got a commercial grade food Warmer have to me. They are used to keep food warm before serving. I plan to use it as a kiln. 
It can range any where from 70-170 degrees. It has a blower fan to circulate air and is already ventilated, there is a water pan right on top of the heating element. 
My question is where can I find some information on temperature, cycle times and humidity levels?

Reactions: Creative 1


----------



## Tclem (Mar 11, 2015)

@Treecycle Hardwoods didn't you have some info on a kiln at one time?


----------



## Treecycle Hardwoods (Mar 11, 2015)

I could imagine that this set up could be used but you will need a way to get the water out of the box in order for the wood to dry. You can use a solar kiln type setup or you can add a dehumidifier. I don't have a document per se I have always done reading and then applied what I learned to my next batch. As a general rule of thumb you need to keep the box with high humidity to start your cycle then as time goes on slowly reduce the humidity. This is extremely critical with difficult to dry woods.

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## Andrew M (Mar 11, 2015)

Will the water not vent out in the air, adding a dehumidifier wouldn't be an issue as long as they will hold up the the heat.


----------



## Treecycle Hardwoods (Mar 11, 2015)

Andrew M said:


> Will the water not vent out in the air, adding a dehumidifier wouldn't be an issue as long as they will hold up the the heat.


You can get the air to vent out but that doesn't help in keeping the humidity high to begin unless you have a way to regulate the air transfer between the inside and outside. The dehumidifier will take the heat ok up to about 140 then I am not sure as i have never ran a load any higher than that. I can't express enough how important controlling the humidity in the beginning is. Some woods will crack all up if it dries to fast in the beginning. Oak and hard maple are perfect examples of wood that is made or ruined in the beginning of the cycle. Drying too fast and it will crack up on you. IMO it is better to dry slow and have a little mold on the maple than drying fast and having it check badly.

Reactions: Agree 2


----------



## Andrew M (Mar 11, 2015)

I'm gonna play around with some scrap and what I can come up with.
Do you know of any good articles with a lot of good information I can read?


----------



## Treecycle Hardwoods (Mar 11, 2015)

Andrew M said:


> I'm gonna play around with some scrap and what I can come up with.
> Do you know of any good articles with a lot of good information I can read?


not off the top of my head. I would be happy to help you as you move thru this process. If you have any other questions just let me know.


----------



## Andrew M (Mar 11, 2015)

I appreciate it. Did you go upper end on your dehumidifier or just a cheap one?


----------



## Treecycle Hardwoods (Mar 11, 2015)

Andrew M said:


> I appreciate it. Did you go upper end on your dehumidifier or just a cheap one?


I have heard of it going both ways. Some guys have went to goodwill to get a used one and there are guys like me who bough one new. For my first kiln I built I bought a 45 pint unit. The big one I have now built is using a 70 pint unit and will dry 1000 board feet per cycle. I also have an EBAC LD800 unit for my 3rd kiln which has external controls. The other ones I need to open the kiln up to make my adjustments. I just installed a plexiglass window in the bigger one and can stick a dowl in there to make the adjustments to the dehumidifier now. Opening them mid cycle let out all the warm and and reeked havoc on the drying cycle especially during the winter. I don't have to worry about that anymore. the plexiglass has a 1" hole i use for access and can plug it with a cork when I am done.

Reactions: Informative 2


----------



## Kevin (Mar 11, 2015)

Andrew this pdf mini-book contains all the info you need to gain a thorough understanding of the wood drying process. I refer back to it quite often for various reasons. Specific drying schedules are also very useful but don't try to use them until you've spent the time to read this pdf first. Don't get in a hurry to dry your first load of wood - it's not something you want to learn-as-you-go any more than you have to - it's much better to have a working knowledge going in so you don't ruin your first load. Drying wood is like everything else . . . stuff happens no matter what sometimes but you can minimize unexpected disasters by spending a day or 3 reading and re-reading. 

Greg gave you some great advice so re-read it also as you go along.

edit: Woops I didn't post the link...

http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr118.pdf?q=drying-hardwood-lumber

Reactions: Agree 1 | Informative 1


----------



## Andrew M (Mar 11, 2015)

Thanks both Kevin and Greg. This is what I'm trying to work with. The previous owners obviously used it for something other than food warming and them it set for a few years so it's pretty nasty and needs some cleaning.




There is a heating element under the pan which I was assuming was for water. The fan sucks the air from the front of the box then blows the air over the heating element and up the back right side of the box. The vent is on the bottom right side of the box.

Any ideas or disasters waiting to happen you can see will be greatly appreciated.


----------



## Kevin (Mar 11, 2015)

You can definitely make that work as a dry kiln with some easy modifications - think in terms of how a solar kiln works (add the link below to your reading). But before you start asking how, spend a week reading in your spare time and you probably won't have to ask any. 

https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/420/420-030/420-030_pdf.pdf

Reactions: Informative 1


----------



## Andrew M (Mar 11, 2015)

I plan on reading both of those to the full extent before jumping in head first. I really appreciate you giving me those links so I don't have to wade through the junk to get to the good stuff.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


----------



## Treecycle Hardwoods (Mar 11, 2015)

I agree with Kevin totally, this is screaming solar kiln to me. Solar kilns utilize a controlled air exchange to get the moisture out of the box. Some woods like the ones I mentioned earlier require the box to be completely sealed when the load starts. Read up on those links and shoot questions at us as needed.


----------



## Andrew M (Mar 11, 2015)

Give me a couple of days to read all of this and I'll let y'all know if I need anything.


----------



## Wilson's Woodworking (Mar 26, 2015)

You have my attention.


----------



## Aurora North (Mar 30, 2015)

Fantastic thread. I've had this on my mind all day long for some reason; maybe somewhere off in the back of my brain I was dreaming of building a solar kiln for the property. Thanks for posting up those links Kevin; those are a massive help.


----------



## barry richardson (Mar 30, 2015)

Very interesting! I will be following this one... trial and error is a great teacher, crank er up and throw some stuff in, just not your good stuff......yet


----------



## Andrew M (Mar 30, 2015)

This little project has been put on the back burner till I can devote a little more time to it. I'd love to trial and error it, but i believe I'm gonna study this one out. That way I know what is causing my errors.

Reactions: Like 1


----------

