Dryng wood in shop

[James Conrad]

If you are going to employ a dehumidifier, be sure to get one that is designed to work in low temperatures as a typical one will start to ice up once the temp gets down into the low 60's and under. I've also found that using window type airconditioner is more efficient both in reducing humidity and electricity cost. The air conditioner is just set in the room, not in a window, just put a bucket under it. Again, low temp might be an issue here. Never tried to dry wood this way though, just condition space.

[Carl Beckett]

Going into winter a dehumidifier might not do much. Winter can be pretty dry air already.

[Mel Fulks]

Well, I just looked up what I had posted about the poplar.FPL says some woods benefit from some drying before kiln.....poplar is not one of them. But there is only one supplier in this area that sells flat straight poplar and they say that their "secret" is drying before the kiln treatment .

[John TenEyck]

If you build a plastic tent around the wood stack and put the dehumifier inside its heat will keep the air inside well above 60 deg, so it won't ice up. In fact, you want to get the temp. even higher to help draw the moisture out of the wood. I run my dehumidification kiln at 110 deg. Most of the heat comes from the dehumidifier, but there are 3, 100 W lightbulbs also to make up the difference as the humidity reaches each setpoint of the drying curve and the dehumidifier runs less and less. Another reason for the plastic tent is so that you have control over the process. Trying to force dry wet wood with no knowledge of how fast it's drying is good for making firewood but not furniture lumber. By putting the wood inside a controlled environment and measuring how much water the dehumidifier collects every day, you can control the drying rate and avoid drying defects.

John

[Nick Lazz]

Update for anyone who is interested...

I ended up using a standard HVAC squirrel cage fan used for ventilation, enclosed in a sheet metal housing. Not exactly the right application but it moves air and is safe to run....plus I had it so it was free.
I set my temp in shop to 57 F. I placed the fan at the end of the stickered stack an covered all of it with painters drop sheets...I had these lying around too...basically a heavy cotton or light canvas type material.

My moisture content in the last 2 months has gone down to about 12%. No crazy wood movement that I can see yet but there has obviously been some.

I did not use a de-humidifier or any other agent to assist in drying. I believe the shop humidity is close to what will be in bonus room where wood will be used.

Total dry time so far is 2 months.

[Ed Aumiller]

Get a cheap humidity gauge (Radio shack has indoor/outdoor thermometers w/ humidity gauge for $20 or less)
For the small amount of wood you are drying, if you keep the humidity in room less than 30%, the wood will dry relatively fast w/o ruining it...
Just keep it stickered and weighted down...
I dry wood in my shop the same way all the time for small amounts... (also have kiln for larger amounts)
In the winter a dehumidifier is not needed normally as the cold outside air will keep humidity down (that is why you need a humidifier in your house in winter)...

[Scott T Smith]

Nick, each species of wood has an optimum drying rate that is based upon it's thickness and initial moisture content. If you try to dry wood too quickly, in all likelihood you will damage it. If you're going to be successful, you need to understand the impact that temperature and RH% has upon the drying rate.

These two threads from the archives will help increase your knowledge of wood drying.

Start with post 9
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...90#post1952490

Start with post 6
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...ught-yesterday

Regards,

Scott

[Darius Ferlas]

I didn't think much about the issue so on a Saturday last February, I put about 200 bf of green lumber (cut the same day) in my one car garage, at about 4 feet above ground on a simple 2x4 structure. The lumber is mostly red oak but there are a few boards of cherry. For the first month and a half the garage was "ventilated" once a week by opening the garage door (garbage collection day). Then a little more frequently as I kept the garage door open as I worked on my projects.

I noticed no discernible increase in rusting of my tools (the table saw slides right under the shelf with the lumber) and the lumber appears to be drying very well. In fact it seems to be drying with fewer issues than in my small solar kiln filled with 500 bf of walnut and ash. I tested the lumber periodically and the last time I checked it in September - the 8/4 boards were at 18% MC. They're probably ready for the knife now. The solar kiln one was at 9% around June.

Kinda late to run to the garage to take a photo of my out of this world drying rack. If I don't forget then perhaps tomorrow... if there is any interest in having a chuckle.

[Nick Lazz]

Boy Scott, that was a thorough and detailed explanation. I need more paragraphs like the last one though... "..... is approximately 55 degrees and 80% RH with a gentle fan running across it, in approximately 90 days your lumber should be between 20% - 27% MC%, give or take. At that time, once it is below 25%MC it will be safe to move it into an environment where it can dry at a faster rate, such as your workshop or some type of storage shed."
Very good information and very helpful.

My environment mimics your example almost exactly. I will check my shop RH vs the local average but my fan is gentle...the temp in my shop is cool...and I just don't think it has been too fast. If it has, then this is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay to temperamental and scientific for the average sawdust maker, like myself.