YDoesGodMockMeSo Posted October 15, 2003 Report Posted October 15, 2003 How long is long enough air drying for alder? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...&category=28138 Quote
guitar_ed Posted October 15, 2003 Report Posted October 15, 2003 I think that you need to measure the drying time in years, not months. Guitar Ed Advice worth what you paid for it. Nothing. Quote
Brian Posted October 15, 2003 Report Posted October 15, 2003 The old rule is 1 year for each 1" of thickness unless of course you know somebody with a kiln to dry it Quote
YDoesGodMockMeSo Posted October 15, 2003 Author Report Posted October 15, 2003 so..in short. Look elsewhere. Quote
rsera Posted October 15, 2003 Report Posted October 15, 2003 does anybody know how to build a small kiln that would dry in 2-3 days? Quote
MartinP Posted October 15, 2003 Report Posted October 15, 2003 does anybody know how to build a small kiln that would dry in 2-3 days? Cheers! I guess it's practically impossible, ie. it's possible to bring the moisture content (what are we talking abt. for start???) to 6-7% (which should be where we have no more "free" moisture in wood, only "molecular" moisture. Sorry, my English is probably not technically correct at all). There are around vacuum kilns with very high temp. (I've even heard of centrifugal eee... kilning) which can "cook" large quantities of timber from unseasoned to 16-18% in a few days, but that's used for low quality constructional softwood only. The problem is that when a piece of timber is dried too quickly it will dry unevenly and twist and "cup" etc. and most probably develop end-shakes. Not too nice if your precious piece of timber has 10-20 cm splits at both ends. They even submerge the ends in hot wax before kilning to slow down moisture evaporating so that the possibility that end-shakes occur is smaller. (Not that I would really know s**t abt. correct kilning but I'm working in a company producing hardwood furniture details so we have our own kilns specially built for slow and controlled hardwood kilning + an learned operator). Quote
Scott Rosenberger Posted October 15, 2003 Report Posted October 15, 2003 There was an article in Woodworkers Journal magazine about a year ago showing how to build a personal drying kiln from a household dehumidifier and heat lamps. The kiln could dry a couple hundred board feet in a couple weeks to a month depending on moisture content desired. I'll look for it tonight and if I find it I'll post the pertinent information Quote
Hotrock Posted October 15, 2003 Report Posted October 15, 2003 Put it in the oven!!!! Then tell me what happens I've got a 3 inch thick sycamore wedge drying in the shed. 1 month gone, 35 to go. Quote
Brian Posted October 15, 2003 Report Posted October 15, 2003 Did you wax the ends to prevent splitting? Quote
Guitarfrenzy Posted October 15, 2003 Report Posted October 15, 2003 Your best bet is to find someone who will run it through a good kiln for you, they shouldn't charge you too much. In fact, a friend of mine found someone who dry kiln the swamp ash we got for nothing. We just had to wait till he ran some of his wood through and he put it in there also. That's what I'd do... Get the phone out and make some contacts.. Matt Quote
StratDudeDan Posted October 16, 2003 Report Posted October 16, 2003 so buying fresh-cut (within 2 months of cut down) lumber would be a bad idea. alright. that sucks. there goes my free stuff. i'm not patient enough to air dry the damn bastard, and i have no money to build the guitar much less a kiln. arr... i think i might try the oven. for a month or three. maybe seven. Quote
Scott Rosenberger Posted October 16, 2003 Report Posted October 16, 2003 I'm always on the look out for a good piece of wood, dry or not. if it's not dry I stash it up in the attic and forget about it. then in a couple years my old ass will eventually remember that it's there Quote
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