okay so my dad has been gathering up odds and ends from remodeling old houses and I went threw some of it today. Holly cow theres a lot of nice wood for call making! There are one by twelve boards of walnut that came from a pre 1900s home that were painted! Anyways whats the best way for this stuff to re dry? I even found a section of quarter sawn cherry with amazing grain! Any ideas would be great!
If it was painted then you may not need to worry about how dry it is, unless it's been sitting out in the rain uncovered and soaked up a ton of water. Check it with a moisture meter and see where it's at? Air dry, kiln dry or set it in a sunny window after you cut it into blocks.
I agree with Scott. It should already be dry unless it soaked up a lot of water since being reclaimed. If not, you can build a kiln relatively cheaply. A box with a 60w lightbulb and a small fan
Been up in your attic lately?
great info guys thanks a lot! I stacked a ton of it in a ford explorer so it should be safe for now, and I think I will try the small kiln idea.
I will see if I can find a link for the one I am thinking of. I would use the fiber board air conditioning guys use for duct work. Be sure to put stickers in between in piece of wood for even drying.
That Ford Explorer should be a perfect kiln if it sits in a sunny spot. Should be dry in no time.
I would suggest as stated above getting a moisture meter. I idea of the warm attic and a fan turned on low is not a bad idea. The rule of thumb it you stack your wood with spacers between the boards under normal circumstances the dry rate is one inch of board thickness per year to get it dry enough to use. The statements above are correct if you are using reclaimed wood chances are it is already dry enough to use unless it has been exposed to wet weather. One technique I use when the wife is not home I will use a moisture meter and a microwave to dry small pieces of wood wrapped in a paper towel. You have to go slow using this technique so you do not burn your wood.
A small light bulb kiln would do the job just fine. I'm currently building one myself, for drying green blanks. An insulated box with a light bulb and a small fan will do the trick. I've even seen some folks using a make shift kiln with a cardboard box and a light bulb.
sounds like a old fridge would work great for a small kiln.
A old fridge would work, but that fridge with a door still attached is a fatel accident waiting to happen.