Kiln Drying?

[Alexam]

What would it cost to have a few logs kiln dried and who would I contact in the West Midlands area please?

Alex

 

[Spindle]

Hi

Unless the logs are relatively small diameter, it would be very unusual to kiln them 'in the round' - it uses up too much space in the kiln and would take too long. Normal procedure would be to board them.

Regards Mick

 

[Alexam]

Thanks Mick but I want them in the round, not as boards. Are branches, up to 2ft diameter not suitable for kiln drying?

Alex

 

[Spindle]

Hi Alex

Rule of thumb for air drying is one inch per year - Kiln drying depends on the species, temperature and humidity control but a guy I used to know reckoned on about an inch per week, both times increase as the total thickness increases.

I don't think anyone would entertain a 24 inch log. What do you want to end up with, are you looking to slice rounds off of it? The final product may help someone to suggest a method of seasoning.

Regards Mick

 

[Alexam]

These are Yew branches off a large tree. I want to finish off with slices that are say 6 inches thick when dried. If the branches were sliced first, would the kiln drying split them?

Alex

 

[Spindle]

Hi Alex

Kilning sawn boards is the way to go. There may be some splitting at the ends but if you seal them well this will be minimised.

Edited to add: I may have misunderstood - if you mean slicing rounds off the branches, yes kilning will more than likely split them radially, air drying would reduce but not eliminate the risk.

Regards Mick

 

[Sgian Dubh]

Drying discs of logs or trunks, whether air dried or kiln dried, almost certainly will result in radial shakes (splits). A disc may shake in one or more places. You could try to control the splitting with two methods:

1. Make a saw cut from the bark to the core prior to drying, and whilst still green, in the hope that as the wood dries that this will open up like the segment of a circle, and be the only shake. You would also try to control drying by applying something like End Seal (or Anchorseal in the US) to the exposed end grain at the beginning of the process.
2. Investigate the water replacement or bulking properties of PEG (polyethylene glycol) or Pentacryl, both of which might be effective in preventing the radial shakes forming.

Otherwise, the advice from spindle is right - the logs really need to be boarded up prior to drying. I can't think I've ever come across a drying operation that will attempt to dry either whole logs or discs from logs because success is limited, probably something close to a 99.9% failure rate. Slainte.

 

[Sgian Dubh]

Are branches, up to 2ft diameter not suitable for kiln drying? Alex

The answer to that is generally no for the main reason that branches tend to have a lot of reaction wood in them, which is unstable and very prone to distortion. This is the result of branches not being vertical and therefore having to resist gravity. Because of their generally horizontal orientation the wood in branches is abnormal and stressed. The abnormal growth patterns shows up in different forms in the hardwoods and the softwoods, and because of this branch wood is generally of little interest to furniture makers: however carvers and turners (for instance) can often find a use for it. Slainte.

 

[Woodmonkey]

Is this for wood turning? If so you can part turn it green, say to 1" thick, that way it will dry out much quicker, and then put back on the lathe and turn to finished thickness.

 

[RogerS]

You could try Good Bros at Mortimer Cross

 

[Alexam]

Thanks for the replies on this. Not what I had hoped for, but if that's the case, then so be it. If the branches were just split in half, length wise, rather than planked, would that help drying faster?

Alex

 

[Sgian Dubh]

Thanks for the replies on this. Not what I had hoped for, but if that's the case, then so be it. If the branches were just split in half, length wise, rather than planked, would that help drying faster? Alex

It would, but I suspect you'll still have to consider the possibility of splitting and distortion. It's unlikely a kiln operator would be willing to offer any kind of guarantee about the end result, if that might still be your plan. I suspect a kiln operator would most likely strongly advise you against doing something like that. I hate to say it, but if you approached such a person, you might encounter a certain amount of teeth sucking, shaking of the head, and a general air of 'Are you kidding me?' with branch wood perhaps 2 feet in diameter prior to splitting in half. Slainte.