Drying wood

[phil sedwell]

Do they treat wood before it is kiln dried ?

 

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[se7enthdevil]

depends on the species. most will kd quite happily but there are plenty that need wax protection on the ends to stop major splits developing.

[Woodworks]

All the US kilned dried wood I buy has painted ends.

[Stompy]

All the US kilned dried wood I buy has painted ends.

 

Same over here..... It can get upto the mid forties here in the summer so trying to slow the drying process is vital, similar to in the US. It is not such a problem in the UK but still worthwhile end sealing...... generally the slower the timber is dried the more stable it is.

 

Kiln drying, if not performed correctly can collapse the cells in the timber creating a brittle product. Best to air dry for as long as possible before kilning..... In my opinion

 

And keeping the timber whole until you intend to use it and it is dry is always the best course of action. Or get it down to rough dimensions and dry from there but allow enough for movement.

[openspaceman]

Do they treat wood before it is kiln dried ?

 

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I doubt it, traditionally it was air dried from mid winter to gradually lose the water in the cells, to about 25%mc As it is cold and humid the water leaving the surface is slow and the moisture content through out the log stays about the same as drying takes place. It's as the wood falls below this 25% that it shrinks, mostly tangentially, next radially and only a little longitudinally, at this stage what becomes important is not letting the outside layers become drier than the core such that they shrink more than the middle and pull a tear. The kiln has a controlled humidity which ensures the wood stays in equilibrium over all its parts whilst having an increased temperature to aid migration of moisture from the middle to the surface.