The Solar Kiln: Operation, Capacity, and the Effects of Building With Green Lumber - Ep17
Вставка
- Опубліковано 5 чер 2021
- This time on the Homestead Adventure(r), we dive into the Solar Kiln.
Thanks for watching and subscribing!
These videos are made possible by YOU: / adventurer
Here is a link to the fans I used: amzn.to/3x4ImT1
And here is a link to the solar panel I used: amzn.to/3DR5eXp
Hello, i am Eric from Ghana Africa. i am planning on building a solar kiln. I have been researching on how to for the past 3 weeks This is to let you know that your video is the best stuff i have come across, Good job and i hope you enjoy your home
Thanks for your time and energy, much appreciated!! We have bought some land in northern Quebec, Canada with all the wood we could dream of. Now are learning how to mill and dry it. We are starting to document our journey and hopefully inspire others to do the same and live free. Much love to all!
It's a miracle!
Been following for a while ... even watched your cooking segments. I didn't realize how long since I've heard you say your trademark phrase; brought a smile to my face.
The Scandinavian method of ringing a tree so that it dries standing for a season always intrigued me. I think it reduces checking and warping quite a bit.
Sooo good. How did I not come across doing what you’re doing before.
Love your attitude and delivery.
Inspiring.
FANTASTIC! Making progress, keep up the good work ... thanks for sharing! 💕
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and beautiful living forest.
amazing how something so simple works so well. I used to drive by Buse Timbers in Everett every day on my way home from work and would see the steam billowing out of their kilns (gas fired no doubt) but they needed to dry in huge volume.
Thanks for sharing your kiln operations!
You are an excellent carpenter in my eyes.
This! This is excellent! Thanks for sharing this video. Very helpful and educational for an aspiring wood dryer like myself.
Great video, especially at the end. It's all wobbly, go with the flow...
absolutely fascinating ... great stuff
Great video. You deserve a taco.
I like that you are using the kiln roof for water catchment. I'm surprises at how quickly the wood dries. Very interesting.
Excellent video. Thanks 👍
This was super cool.... 100% yield concept.....some will be sacrificial but the dried product is sweet, this series is awesome......saw another version, but man this project seems to be super functional at a later day pull the battens down and make wider ones......+can’t wait for the house build to start
Great explanation. So much information.
The kiln looks spot on and what I need to make. Pine does shrink but commercial stuff is generally fairly stable. Good to build with, framing wise. In Australia we don’t have much of a choice so you fill in the states are very spoiled for choice. Great project and can’t wait to see progress. 🙏🏼
Wow I love how that siding turned out! I would really be curious how wet the lumber coming out of the kiln is in the middle. You might want to cut a board in half and check the moisture content on the inside. A solar kiln is on my to do list. Drying lumber is a real science that I wish I knew more about. Anyway, you are making great progress!
Really interesting and educational. Thank you.
Awesome Vid. Love your setup
Love the kiln info thanks
An emergency blanket is a very cheap way to keep the rain water your catching cool from sun. 50 cent e-blankets don’t last long. Foil bubble wrap works well too a little longer and a little more expensive. Love your videos ❤
Another great video
Great video! Thank you🙂
Thank you very much for this amazing video . After watching this I think I’m ready to build a solar kiln
Subscribed from north of Syracuse. Thanks!
Really good stuff.
Very interesting thanks for sharing 👍🏻👍🏻🙏🏻
That finish on your kiln is very nice. Ill have to try that method of charring the wood.
Good looking kiln.
Very nice video. Greetings from the backwoods of New Brunswick
Good idea: instead of cinderblocks use ratchet straps. Wood pack itself is much heavier than those blocks. Use its own weight against warping. On the other hand, the belt weighs less and is easier to operate.
Great job keeping is simple, but explaining completely and well. I’m thinking I’m going to build a couple solar kilns for my operation as I can’t afford a bigger unit. I’ll get my slabs and boards lower in moisture with a solar kiln then hire out finishing so it won’t take as long or be as expensive to finish it off. Thanks for the video!
It is beautiful there. I enjoyed the video, so I subscribed. Take care 👍
Good project.
im blown away at the 7 day estimate. blown away
Great post. Holy smokes. This is like money in the bank with the cost of lumber doubling recently. Crazy what a 2x4 at Home Depot now costs.
On another note... Get back on the boat. We're doing the Baja Haha and hope to see you in Loreto or La Paz soon.
I built a greenhouse with lumber (white oak) the same day it was milled. All the framed-up walls and doors eventually twisted and warped but it stayed solid as a rock and the greenhouse effect actually dried it after it was built
Thank you for your video. Just subscribed and will make something similar to yours. Awesome stuff!
Fantastic building, imperfections and all, this was a really helpful video that was precisely the information I was after. Was hoping you might speak about the treatment of the building's siding, did you char that with a torch for weather sealing? How long after building it green did you have to wait before treatment? Many thanks for your trailblazing! I just bought my Woodland Mill and I can't wait to get going on my own off grid endeavors!
Very interesting
You need to put a rock fountain under that, badgers or that nice fresh smell of SKUNK! Snakes! O MY!
Nice build and your’a thinking!
Looks like a great place to dry laundry too. 😁
Add veggies 😊😊
Very interesting
That should solve most of your shrinkage issues when you start the house?
Good job!
Andy
Thanks
Y’all are moving along. Amazing.👍
Coming up your way in Augusta for a month.
“NEED HELP”? Would love to work in the Great outdoors…. An idea.😎 be safe.🇺🇸
I am building a skillion frame for a cabin. Facing solar south. Hoping to have winter solar gain by south facing window wall and north sloping roof. Going 24x28 because only can span 14'6" with 2x12x16' 16" o.c. For now just getting 9 piers, 9 post, 3 headers, and roof finished. So like a skillion pavilion.
You should also anchor seal the ends. That will prevent the boards from extra checking and overall moving.
Save some sap! You can use it! Great preserver!
Great to get caught up with you. Can you over dry? How is the boat?
thank you , this was very informative video . oh , and i want this look on my house of your kiln. is it char ,then oil?
Amazing setup! I have to build my solar kiln between now and the next two weeks. I have questions. How did you setup and build your platform? And what solar fan kit did you buy? It looks like you have one panel running 3 fans?
That's a nice kiln! Did you go off of plans you found somewhere for building it?
Your presentation more or less answered my question philosophically, and a kill like yours would work. Do you have plans or directions on how to make a similar kiln.
I was thinking of building a solar kiln for drying hand hewn logs. Will a solar kiln be able to get moisture content down to about 6 -8 percent?
Ive just found your channel and looking forward to watching your channel I have a year of hardwork until I can start finding property anyway I read that settlers usto make boards out of Doug fur near winter because they had almost no sap if cut then was wondering if there was any major truth to that
nice thing about that building is after you're done using it you can turn it into a greenhouse.
Your solar kiln is a great setup! How long did it take for you to build it?
Where did you get the plans for this kiln? Can you put a link in the description?
I'll bet getting the wood up to 140 deg F would also kill just about any bacteria, mold, and fungus in the wood too. That could be a nice bonus in areas (like the Pacific Northwest) that are wet and rainy all the time, and for posts that are going to be contacting the ground.
I would like to mill trees on my property and make my own planks for a wood floor. Is there anyway to calculate the size/dimension of a piece of wood and how long it would take to use it for flooring without warping?
I rabbit all my siding and flooring. A router at the end of the mill table, helps alot if you have drag back.
I've built 100s of homes. 90 10:39 probably 99% of framing lumber was green from the suppliers. You shim shrinking under headers, then cover with sheet rock and putty and paint makes carpenters out of those who aint.
Do you happen to have plans available for the kiln? We are getting ready to build one now.
What does the ambient temperature have to be to get good heat inside the kiln?
Steel tubes in a fire running up hill will do a lot to put heat where you what it to dry lumber.
Do you happen to have plans you would post?? This looks like a great solution to what we’re dealing with. Thanks
i like it butt, talking to myself too. never feel 80 when we think 21. at least, be thankful for why we hurt because of the fun we had when we were 21 hehehe. then feel the breeze as the purple mountain majesty rises on the setting sun. i'm going to addopt this design. thanks
Nice build . Do you have plans for the build of your kiln and would you share them . I like your build and wouls like to make one like yours. Thanks
Hi there. what is right type of roofing material? Dual wall is better because of thermal isolation but on the other hand "wave" type should catch a lot more sunlights because of wave shape there will not be so much reflection in morning and evening like with straight material, right? Thank you, Tomas
Hi!,
I just subscribed to you channel so many of my questions may have been answered already but I noticed you have a burnt outer coating on the kiln. Are you concerned about fire, GOD forbid, since charred wood burns quicker than just uncharred wood? I also noticed the direction of the kiln as it sits. Does the building/roof face due South to max out the heating potential? I love the ingeniuty of building the kiln first, to dry the wood for the house! For the foundation, how do you get the concrete to your location? You probably have answered these questions already. You really look like you are in the middle of "nowwhere USA" I'm going to start with the first video, THANK YOU for labeling the video parts sequencially! Many videos are not labeled 🤔making it hard to follow in order.
Hello nice video
But i have a question i building my own solar kiln but hoe big are your Solar panels and how big are the fans i mean how manny volts
Are the boards for the exterior of the kiln burned? Or does it darken like that because of the heat?
Just curious but where does all of the moisture go? Is it just wicked through the materials of the kiln?
2 days of milling!? I work at a circle sawmill and the old guy that runs it is always going on about how slow band saws are. Usually just nod and smile and keep tailing off. But that 3 foot pile is only 4 hrs of milling for us. 1500 board feet of soft lumber in a 4 to 6 hr day is not a problem. I had no idea how slow a band saw was. If I ever get my own mill I'll definately build a solar kiln like yours.
People may want to look into framing the roof using rafters and purlins for this application. It involves less material and time.
Will this work for larger timber’s for timber frame construction? Or are those just too thick for this process to be effective?
I’ve seen klin with dehumidifier in the past to speed up the process even more. Would it be worth it to add another solar panel to run one that has a water run off outside?
Would it make more sense to install black painted plywood instead of the tarp if you need a diverter anyways?
Hmmm wonder if using a modified 20 foot shipping container could be a viable kiln, not to mention could load it on a trailer if you want to sell or rent it.
Thanks heaps for the video guys; super helpful and informative. Cheers
One could build a 18’ wide 12’ tall kiln along the top edge above the double wide doors 8’ wing span per door 16’ total width of exterior door opening add a solar/wind powered fans along the top edge every 2’ for a total of 9 intake fans run a full board width starting from the top ceiling dropping down 3’ from top at a angle to middle of stack height of wood. Add three dehumidifiers one on each outer edge and one hung dead center all running of solar/wind battery are deep cycle. Glass the outer windows with wide panels double glass. A top of the out side metal panel or highly stained wood panel extending four feet off the top back side with putter and side drip edges. To keep top fans dry in wet weather. Painted or stained dark. In the lower doors add four high Volume fans two to each door pointed outward for rapid venting. The water from the dehumidifiers could be collected in exterior rain barrels with added oxygen stone for each to keep the water fresh. For yards or gardens. The interior and exterior walls will be insulated with Rock Wool or insulation of choice. Stained dark or painted dark. Build a platform at base for easy forklift, tractor, bob cat loading. Have a certified electrician help with the battery and wind/solar components. Enjoy quickly solar kilned wood for years to come. The floor should be off the ground by 2 feet with sand and gravel base and stained or the bottom treated wood. I could source the whole thing but a contractor with experience could tell the cost of this beast better than me.
Solar power is power
What type of fans did you use? And where did you buy them
Hello Jeff and Brenda . See you bought land in where? Washington State?
That is AWESOME 👌 !!!!!!
I have built with great green wood too so much that I only wanted to nail on one side of the board
You've had your solar kiln for a couple of years now. How well is it working and are you glad to have it?
Do you experience cold winters in your neck of the woods? Saw a comment below say something about Augusta - are you in Georgia?
I hear you. I’m mid 60, and feel like 90 until I smell the smell of fresh sawdust. Haha
Should the ends be sealed or painted to prevent splitting during drying process?
Yes!
Do you have plans for this build? I want to build one as well but I am unsure of blueprint plans
So I see you have air vents at the top. I am guessing that since warm air raises they clearly let hot air out but where does the cool air come in? Or is it part of the plan to keep the kiln warmer by limiting the air flow?
probably to vent moisture
Been researching for a good solar kiln design. I think this is my favorite so far. Is there any reason to not put the door on one of the sides of the kiln? As long as the kiln was tall enough and wide enough, I could walk the boards in and stack them?
I'd rather have the side open and move them in and out on a pallet with the forklift
If you will regret putting door at end of kiln!
Mid 40s feel like about 80. I feel you.
does effectively get rid of the insects?
heat solidifies sap? would think the opposite, letting it drain from the wood faster
Was that your frist load.
Bugs in the center of the wood will Not be killed, center of the wood never gets to the temp that the kiln reaches according to the designers of the Kiln at VA Tech.
I wonder why you didn't use kiln dried lumber to make your kiln? 😂 Nice build all the same; does it make a nice warm patio on a winter day?