# home built kiln



## DavidDobbs

anyone have a home built kiln ? pic?

plans? 

Looking to build a DH style kiln in the end of my shop.


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## woodtickgreg

DavidDobbs said:


> anyone have a home built kiln ? pic?
> 
> plans?
> 
> Looking to build a DH style kiln in the end of my shop.


Contact Daren by pm, a member here with a good set of plans for a homebuilt kiln. His price for the plans is very reasonable.


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## David Van Asperen

woodtickgreg said:


> DavidDobbs said:
> 
> 
> 
> anyone have a home built kiln ? pic?
> 
> plans?
> 
> Looking to build a DH style kiln in the end of my shop.
> 
> 
> 
> Contact Daren by pm, a member here with a good set of plans for a homebuilt kiln. His price for the plans is very reasonable.
Click to expand...


I built one from Darren's plans. It works great. So now am going to re-build it in a more permaent manner,


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## Kevin

Here's the link to order his plans. Works great.


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## DavidDobbs

I have most of the parts and controls an a lot of time on my hands. As of 10/31 it will be a year since I had a real job.

Has anyone built with a solar collector not directly attached / part of the kiln.

I have a well insulated building already in which I was going to build in the end of. But someone got me thinking about the whole solar deal.
Which I am sure would work well here in the summer. I just dont know how well in the winter in the midwest.
That is why I am thinking about a hybird.

I have a buddy that I haven't seen in a while. That has a solar kiln(an 3 wood mizers) that I am going to try to go see this week. Bad part of going there alway come home with to much wood.


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## Mike1950

TOO MUCH wood -WOW that is really a bummer- I can see how you would never go there.........:dash2::dash2::dash2: WHATTTTTTTTTTT the.......


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## DavidDobbs

hard to belive huh lol

Well with building a new outdoor/ archery shop here at the house.
Every space that should have wood stuffed in it has something stuff in it............lol






Mike1950 said:


> TOO MUCH wood -WOW that is really a bummer- I can see how you would never go there.........:dash2::dash2::dash2: WHATTTTTTTTTTT the.......


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## gvwp

I built my kiln from scratch with no real plan. It works really well and its been running nearly non stop now for almost five years. I dry lumber for people as well as a lot of my own. Crammed full it will dry around 7500bf but most of the cycles are around 5500-6000bf. I can dry green 4/4 Oak in about 30 days. Poplar in about 3 weeks and pine in about 10 days. It uses my wood burner for heat and 11 box fans and three large air movers in back. Hot water is brought in from the wood burner into a 216,000 BTU exchanger which is connected to an external weather proof thermostat. I have several wireless sensors which transmit internal heat and humidity readings so I don't have to open the kiln to find out whats going on. I built it all from green Eastern White Pine. Had some twisting on the outside paneling but other than that its been a great asset. 

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## woodtickgreg

Wow! That's just cool! Thanks for showing the pics.


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## DavidDobbs

gvwp ................wow very nice !!!!!!!!!!!! I am going to have to figure out where your place is an drop by sometime. I come over that way almost every Sat. nite in the summer racing.
My profile pic I am sure you know where that is. Beautiful downtown Putnamville........lol


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## gvwp

DavidDobbs said:


> gvwp ................wow very nice !!!!!!!!!!!! I am going to have to figure out where your place is an drop by sometime. I come over that way almost every Sat. nite in the summer racing.
> My profile pic I am sure you know where that is. Beautiful downtown Putnamville........lol



OMG yes! Thats just down the road from us! What a small world. Do stop by. We can't be but about 15-20 miles from the Putnamville track. Other side of Brazil about halfway between Brazil and Terre Haute. 

David


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## DavidDobbs

One of my good friends lives on twin beech


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## gvwp

DavidDobbs said:


> One of my good friends lives on twin beech



Twin Beech is 1 mile east of us so you know the area. You know I used to own a house in Edwardsville, IL. It was on Hawk Island Ct as I remember. Very strange stuff. LOL.


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## HomeBody

Seeing that kiln full of wood sure makes me feel like a beginner. Sheesh!
About how long do you figure it would take to dry a 10/4 walnut crotch gunstock blank? I may have you do some for me if your willing. Gary


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## gvwp

HomeBody said:


> Seeing that kiln full of wood sure makes me feel like a beginner. Sheesh!
> About how long do you figure it would take to dry a 10/4 walnut crotch gunstock blank? I may have you do some for me if your willing. Gary



Normally I dry 3 X 3" Walnut stock in a single cycle, however, Walnut is a tricky wood to dry. Depending on the time of year its cut down and the beginning moisture content we have had to run our 3 X 3" stock through an additional cycle to get it completely dry (down to 6-8%). This would be 60 days. 10/4 lumber will be similar. Do you know how long the stock has been cut and its approximate moisture content now?


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## HomeBody

I have 2 good size crotches that have been in a barn for 30 yrs. I cut one already and got one feather crotch blank out of it. Bugs had damaged the rest. That blank showed 14% immediately after I cut it last month which surprised me. I was told wood wouldn't dry that much in log form. I have the other crotch cued up and will probably mill it this week and am hoping for at least a couple more blanks from it. Gary


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## gvwp

HomeBody said:


> I have 2 good size crotches that have been in a barn for 30 yrs. I cut one already and got one feather crotch blank out of it. Bugs had damaged the rest. That blank showed 14% immediately after I cut it last month which surprised me. I was told wood wouldn't dry that much in log form. I have the other crotch cued up and will probably mill it this week and am hoping for at least a couple more blanks from it. Gary



A single 30 day cycle should do the trick with no problem.


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## HomeBody

I'll get the other one cut and get back with you. 30 days sure beats a couple of years air drying. Gary


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## gvwp

No problem. Just let me know when you are ready. 

David


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## DavidDobbs

Got my small DH kiln up an running............. Will get some pics up soon.

But was going to throw this out there . Has anyone ever dried wood /air dried wood in a grain bin? I have 3 sitting at the fram not being used. I have some walnut in one but it was already dry when I put it in.

They would hold a bunch of wood.

Was getting ready to scrap them then the light bulb came on......lol

Has everything you need free airflow free heat from the sun All 3 bins have floor in them

Done it or heard of anyone doing it?

Thanks
Dave


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## Kevin

Dave I'm not real familar with the construction of grain bins. As long as you can insulate them, make them air tight for retaining the heat for the bug kill cylce, and as long as you can add a couple vents to keep the humidity at recommended levels for the specific drying cycle for the specific species, then you can use them. 

Practically anything can be converted to kiln chamber.


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## DavidDobbs

there is no way with in reason to seal them up. basically would be a super charged air drying shed with draft from the bottom up. wouldnt do much in the winter. But the summer would be some great drying times





Kevin said:


> Dave I'm not real familar with the construction of grain bins. As long as you can insulate them, make them air tight for retaining the heat for the bug kill cylce, and as long as you can add a couple vents to keep the humidity at recommended levels for the specific drying cycle for the specific species, then you can use them.
> 
> Practically anything can be converted to kiln chamber.


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## hobbit-hut

I spent some time as a teenager working on my uncles ranch in Nebraska shoveled some corn into and out of those bins. Someone posted their DIY kiln made from a black plastic trash can. Sounds like yours could work like that if you painted it black. To use it during the winter you might have to hook a wood burning stove to it. Provideing firewood is readly avaiable and inexpensive. Storing your wood in one might be preferred befor loading the kiln you just finished. But I don't really know much about kiln drying and cycles. I wouldn't take them down just yet if they were mine. They may have some use.


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## DavidDobbs

they are 100 miles from me at the farm so it would be a load it an forget it type of deal. Just check them every few weeks.
An yes the hottest day of the year is when the last load/cleanout of the bin.


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