Easy Way To Create An "Instant" Wood Kiln

Easy Way To Create An "Instant" Wood Kiln WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 90-10-70 If you're looking for a quick way to add value to sawn wood, you'll like this new mini kiln that lets you set up a temporary 200 cu. ft. kiln anywhere using 2-in. thick sheets of Styrofoam. "It's designed to dry 500 board feet or less," says Charlie Griffin, technical sales, Logosol, Inc., about the Sauno Wood Kiln. "It's fine for small amounts of high value or specialty wood that needs to dry quickly. It comes with all the clips and plastic screws needed to quickly set up a temporary kiln. Or you can install it in a permanent, insulated structure." The $999 kiln uses a drying method called "relax drying" that reduces cracking and other damage from accelerated drying. Using single-phase 220V power, the unit first heats up and steams the green lumber at temperatures of 158 to 167 degrees. This changes the cell structure of the wood, allowing moisture to move outward. The system then switches to a dehumidifying step at 104 to 122 degrees. "It takes about 150 to 200 kW hours to dry a cubic meter of wood, which is about 50 board feet," says Griffin. The end result, the company says, is furniture-dry wood that is straighter and has fewer cracks than slow air drying. While time required will vary with the type of wood and desired moisture level, softwood can be dried from 17 percent moisture content to cabinet- making quality in a week. "If you have a larger insulated structure, you can add kilns and use them in series," says Griffin. "We also sell a larger unit that's sized for a 441 cu. ft. space." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Logosol Inc., P.O. Box 660, Madison, Miss. 39130 (ph 601 856-1889 or 877 564-6765; info@logosol.com; www.logosol. com).

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