Has anyone built their own solar kiln? I've watched several you tube videos on the construction. Seems pretty straight forward and rather simple. My plan would be to air dry the slabs for several months and then set them in the kiln to finish. Any experience, do's and don'ts would be appreciated.
Solar Kiln
- Thread starter tater_51
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
Rob Stafari
ArboristSite Operative
Here to follow along and learn...
kimosawboy
ArboristSite Operative
My kiln is wired but I will be making a solar in the future.....The go to Solar kiln is the Virginia tech one , heaps of information out there. Even though it was ''designed'' awhile ago with the tech available now a days it can be run off solar relatively inexpensively and can be monitored on your phone if your so inclined...
good luck , keep us updated..
good luck , keep us updated..
Got the frame up, it's 10L x 5W x 8H, if anyone has information on a good solar fan I would appreciate it, plan on running two. Thanks
Got it closed up, ready to get inside. Have two 12" fans and two 100 watt panels. Not sure where to mount the panels, they are larger than I anticipated. Had wanted to mount them near the top on the outside of the kiln but they are to large.
peterupnorth
ArboristSite Lurker
Your kiln is the same as mine. It's been out there for some 20 years and the plexiglass is getting pretty grungy. I also had the fans and directional airflow to begin with and just stopped using it. The upper half of the stack dries real quick, so generally put the thicker stock on top and the one inch furniture grade lower down. I airdry my fresh boards under roof, till they hit 12% and then toss them in the kiln. Within a couple weeks they are 8% or lower. It is mostly pine/spruce which I'm sure dries quicker than hardwoods. Even on cold days, its amazing how warm it gets in there. I'm sure you will be pleased with the results.
Where do you store your wood/slabs once they come out of the kiln? Indoors? Approximately how much will they gain in MC after out of the kiln? I plan on working on some projects this winter and wondered how to keep the kiln dried stored.
peterupnorth
ArboristSite Lurker
Most of the wood I take out of the kiln is very dry , well below the "8" that I consider perfect. I store them in the unheated portion of the shop, no stickers. We are on a dry plateau with winter temps often going below -40 so never notice the wood picking up moisture during the winter. I mostly build furniture. Even if wood is nice and flat, I still saw it down to Max 5" width and laminate to avoid any warping. Works for me.
