Understanding the Drying Process

• How water moves in wood
• Aspects of wood that affect drying time and quality
• Drying stresses in wood
• Understanding how water and wood interact
• How log quality affects drying quality
• How sawing patterns affect drying

Air-drying Lumber (Prior to solar drying)

• Proper stacking methods
• Setting up air-drying capacity
• Estimating air-drying times
• Avoiding air-drying defects

Monitoring the Drying Process

• Moisture sections and kiln samples
• Measuring temperature and relative humidity
• Moisture meters

Solar Kiln Designs

• Passive solar
• Active solar
• Auxiliary heat
• Basic requirements of a solar kiln
• Variations on the basic design
• Solar powered fans

Operation of Solar Kilns

• Reducing stress
• Controlling kiln conditions
• Developing a schedule
• Handling extreme weather conditions
• Auxiliary heat
• Setting pitch and killing insects

Is solar drying Right for me?

• Discussion of solar kiln advantages and limitations
• Discussion of alternative kiln types
  • Steam kilns
  • Direct fired dry kilns
  • Dehumidification kilns

Avoiding Defects in Lumber Drying

• Checks
• Honeycomb
• Stain
• Warp
• Collapse

Handling and Storing Dry Lumber

• Avoiding moisture uptake during storage