How I Dry Wood Fast // Tips and Tricks

hi this is the second installment in a series of three videos showing you how I mail my own lumber today we're going to cover different ways to speed up the drying process so at this point we've milled our lumber and now we need it to dry so that we can use it but it can take up to two years to dry a two-inch slab using natural methods like putting it outside so I'm gonna show you a couple methods that I've used in the past to speed that up to two months depending on the method that you choose and the thickness of the slab that you're trying let's get started [Music] I started by laying out a level base to hold the slabs off the floor by laying out four by fours approximately two feet apart from each other I then put a narrower piece on top of the 4x4 to minimize the contact area with the slab it is important that these pieces extend the entire width of the slab I then place my first slab on top and position another spacer on top of the slab these spacers are called stickers it is important that the stickers are positioned directly above the row that is under it for two reasons the first is that it provides a moisture barrier which will prevent a minimize checking if done properly checking will not continue passed the stickers the second reason is that as we stack the slabs on top of each other the weight will prevent and minimize warping you can see that I take my chances with the top board if I wanted to minimize warping in the top board I could add a top layer of plywood weighted down with cinder blocks to help prevent movement I then close the garage doors and leave it with a dehumidifier and free fans blowing to maximize airflow and facilitate the drying it is also good practice to flip the wood every seven to ten days to help minimize warping as well when I flip the wood I also monitor where it is in the drying process using a moisture meter you can see that this board is that 10.5% which is close but not quite at the nine to nine point five percent that we're shooting for so it'll stay in for another ten to fourteen days if any mold or mildew is found I spray it with undiluted white vinegar and let it dry before restocking this will prevent the mold from spreading and any mark that's left on it will come off during the sanding process you all right so in that last bit we learned how to sticker the wood and how to properly stack it we're gonna go through some alternative methods and we're gonna breeze through that part a little quicker but it's important to mention that I do the same process for stacking and all of the methods that were covering for smaller batches I use an old glass kiln that I have I stack the pieces in using the same separating method that I used before being sure to stack it away from the heap elements when I closed the lid I'm sure to leave a crack just a little bit so that it would be well vented I then run 12 to 24 hour cycles at 150 degrees checking it everyday to see where the moisture content is again shooting for nine 29.5% a one and a half to two inch thick piece can be ready within seven to ten days the disadvantage is that only fairly small pieces can be dried in this manner if you don't have a kiln an oven will work the same but certain types of wood it can emit an odor so that is something to be aware of when using this method it's always best to do it when you're gonna be sticking around the house for a bit if you leave be sure to turn off your oven or your kiln it's okay to do this process in multiple bursts if it will not impact the speed at which the wood dries if you need to take it out to cook dinner and then put it back in after the evidence cooled down a bit the same method that I used in the garage can also be done in a guest room or other indoor room I put a tarp down to minimize the mess and place four by fours and stack the wood the same way that I did earlier in the garage I set up a fan and a dehumidifier closed the door and let it run these smaller pieces dried in about four weeks while larger to an inch thick by nine foot slabs of cherry took about two months you so those are a few methods that I've used in the past to dry different sizes of slabs there are obviously a lot of different methods if you have a large yard but you don't have the inside space like I use you can build a solar kiln Caleb Harris of you can make this too has a great tutorial on that I'd recommend going and checking it out we're gonna link that down below if you found this video helpful please click Subscribe you

Channel: Makers Workshop

Views: 250,332

Keywords: how to dry wood, drying wood, how to dry wood slabs, drying wood slabs, drying slabs, how I dry wood, how I dry wood slabs, dry wood, wood drying, wood drying with a dehumidifier, wood drying indoors, indoor wood drying, easy ways to dry wood, easy wood drying, how to speed up wood drying, quickly dry wood, dry wood quickly, how to mill lumber, makers workshop, Michael Makes It, how I dry wood fast, how to dry wood fast, how I dry lumber fast, how to dry lumber fast

Id: mGdGAKNJGWI

Length: 5min 25sec (325 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 14 2019