kiln drying

[bbiehl]

Not sure which group this should be in but will start here. Is anyone drying their own wood? I have set up a humidifier kiln in my backyard shed. Using a $200 Home Depot dehumidifier and a box fan. Seems to be working good so far. I am drying a 28" Grand Fir log I had cut into 1" and 2" boards. Have gotten the RMC down from above 60% to 20% in a month. No checking so far. Maybe I am missing something. If I could figure out how to include a before picture of the log I would.

-brian

[Don]

Hey, bb. Sounds like you are going to have a ton of lumber from a 28" log. Slow and steady like you are doing should result in some very good lumber. I'd love to see some pictures of your setup and wood. I've heard of people storing lumber in the attic to dry, barn, garages, etc. The trick to this type of drying is to remove the water just fast enough so that there is no fungus, rot, staining. Too fast and you can get splits and checking.

Let us know how it goes.

dawjr