Kiln drying wood at home is considered a great way to harvest unused materials.
With a kiln, you can dry wood faster for furniture use. Remember that furniture from wet wood will crack as it continues to dry.
In this article, we will take you through steps to kiln dry wood at home- check out our DIY firewood racks for some firewood storage solutions.
And these DIY firepit plans will help you use up all that kiln-dried wood.
Kiln Drying Wood Techniques
1. The Best Technique – How to Kiln Dry Lumber and Get Flat Boards
If you’re a survivalist, then you know how important it is to have a supply of dry wood. And what better way to dry your wood than with a kiln? In this video, they show you how to kiln dry lumber and get flat boards- maybe use them with your DIY pizza oven!
2. Kiln Drying Lumber Process
Drying wood in a kiln is a great way to ensure that your firewood is ready to burn.
3. Simple DIY Wood Drying Kiln
Have you ever wondered how to kiln dry wood? It’s a process that can be used to speed up the natural drying process, and it’s a great way to ensure your wood is properly dried before using it in your projects. In this video, you’ll learn how to kiln dry wood using a simple DIY method- maybe use them with one of these DIY smokehouses! So whether you’re a beginner or an experienced DIYer, this tutorial is for you!
4. Kiln Drying Lumber
5. Drying Wood with Dehumidifier Wood Kiln – How to Dry Wood
Do you like spending time in the workshop, making beautiful pieces of furniture? Or maybe you’re a carpenter who needs to keep your lumber in good condition. In either case, you should definitely consider using a dehumidifier wood kiln! It’s a great way to protect your valuable wood from moisture and keep it looking great. Read on to learn more about this handy tool.
6. Wood Kiln (dehumidifier) first one
How to kiln dry wood: step by step
Step 1: 
It is worth noting that finding logs is quite easier than we all think. You will always find a person around you trying to get rid of a fallen tree. In addition, you can consider calling around the local tree trimmers.
It is a great opportunity you should not ignore. Such people will sell you the log if you offer them a fair price. Selling the logs is not only a source of living but also saves them work of disposal.
Start by checking with the municipality people who deal with downed trees. You will definitely find a seller at the end of your search. Once you have bought wood, you should look for a local sawyer.
Most sawyers prefer bringing sawmills to the clients at an affordable rate. Keep in mind that an experienced sawyer will do a lot within an hour.
Alternatively, you can go ahead and mill it yourself. You only need to have a quality chainsaw to get the work done. If you choose to use a chain saw, you should read all the safety precautions.
Make sure to protect your ears and lungs.
Step 2: Remove Moisture
It is advisable to seal the end grains of your logs and timber. Failure to seal the grain will make the log crack. The essence of sealing up the end grain is to close the pores of the wood.
Use a mixture of wood glue and water. After that, saturate the wood ends a multiple times. If you don’t have wood glue, you can use paint.
These materials will guarantee more than 32% moisture content.
Step 3: Air Drying the Wood
Wood should be allowed to shed water naturally. This should be done for a few months. After approximately two months, your wood pieces will have lost more than ten percent of moisture content.
When air drying the wood pieces, you should stack the wood with multiple spacers and stickers.
Humidity at the ground can end up damaging your wood. That being said, you can place a piece of plastic on the ground. Binding the wood with tie-downs will minimize cracking.
The best way to solve this is by building a temporary plastic roof. The plastic roof will keep off the rain. After building the roof, you should place it in a perfect location free from prevailing winds.
Step 4: Build the Kiln
Now that a few months are over, it’s time to take the wood in closed space for further drying. The first step in building the kiln lay poly is clearing plastic which you had earlier placed on the ground. From there, you can build a frame using 2 by 4 inches studs.
Make sure you leave enough space to have a standard household dehumidifier.
The primary use of the fan at this point is for proper air circulation. In most cases, such air fans are made to pull air from below. This fan will blow air from a plastic tube to the other end.
In this way, you are assured that no air will be left in the kiln.
The right fan should measure 20 feet by 6 meters. Also, the dehumidifier must be trapped in the kiln and later set to the maximum. If you still want to go with this model, don’t forget that it has a hose that runs out of the kiln.
The hose is uniquely made to fill the bucket.
Build the kiln around the stacked lumber using wooden frames. Using a vapor barrier, seal all the seams. To easily control the dehumidifier, you should cut a few small access holes.
It is always recommendable to tape up the holes after using them. The wood must be in the kiln for at least four months. After this period, it will have reached a moisture content level of 8 percent.
Step 5: Using the Wood
It’s time to bring the pieces of wood into your workshop. Give the wood time to acclimate for a couple of weeks. This is always the norm before processing it.
You will notice that the 5 inches material will be excellent for making furniture.
Step 6: Making Furniture
Now that you are proud of harvesting wood in a sustainable manner, you can use this unique wood to build furniture.
How to Tell the Wood is Dry
Follow the tips below to know the wood is dry.
- The color of the wood. When fully dry, the wood color will change and become lighter.
- Wood will weigh less. Remember that the wood has lost most of its moisture content.
You may also notice cracks on the wood. However, this mainly depends on the type of wood. If you are drying wood using an oven, this might not be a permanent solution.
If you see moisture on the wood, you should consider applying a stabling solution so that the wood can dry for a long. Don’t use the stabling solution before the wood reaches room temperature.
Tips to Prevent Wood From Splitting
Splitting is a common occurrence after drying wood. The leading cause of splitting is collapsing of cells. The best technique is using a wood stabilizer.
In addition, don’t rush the drying process as you may end up damaging the wood. You should make sure that every wood dries evenly. To do it efficiently, expose the wood to heat from all sides.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, it’s not hard to kiln dry wood. However, it would help if you observed safety precautions on this project. Switch off the oven for a while.
This allows you to see whether there are flames before using it.
Hi, my name’s Elena Coolidge. I’m a DIY enthusiast who loves building fun woodworking plans. These DIY plans are fun hobby projects for enthusiasts or even more advanced builders that want to build things like bunk beds, end tables or even a duck box!
