drying wood quickly

[Dan Gray]

I was thinking that the steam removed the sugars that held it's water more than the pure water from the steam, actually I think that was about what you said anyway kind of but I understand it better now..
a bad comparison of the two on my part,

Steam bending wood dries almost as fast as it cools. I like the isopropyl idea, hitting the iso with a lot of pressure maybe wood penetrate faster, then vacuum?

if you use vacuum, it places a minus atmosphere within the wood when you release the vacuum while the wood submerged in a medium the wood now try's to equalize it's atmosphere to ours thus sucking in the medium,

yes an added pressure sure would help the penetration.. after the vacuum.. some of the pro's stabilize this way or most of them?,
isn't Isopropyl made from wood?
another name for it is wood alcohol
if so I can't see it hurting it.. after all drying the water out by anymeans would be good as long as it's done evenly inside and out..
Isopropyl
NOUN:
A clear, colorless, flammable, mobile liquid, (CH3)2CHOH, used in antifreeze compounds, in lotions and cosmetics, and as a solvent for gums, shellac, and essential oils. shellac is the key word here I think.. wood sugars?

 

[WadeH]

This is great and in just in time. I have been discussing this same topic with a couple of friends. My experiment so far has been to use low heat 125-150 since that is as low as the oven will go. I have been doing it in cycles. A few hours of heat and then letting them cool slowly with the oven then repeat. To me doing it in cycles lets the wood and the moisture stabilze. So far no checks in any of the pieces. The wood I am working with right now is Spalted Dogwood and Walnut. The walnut is about 3/4 inch thick and about 3 inches wide and about 10 inches long and is a burl. The dogwood is about the same thickness and 3 x 6. It will be interesting to see what the response is from the National Wood Collectors Ass.

 

[Dan Gray]

My experiment so far has been to use low heat 125-150 since

You can speed that up a bit also
by taking the wood from the oven and put it into the refrigerator since cool attracts moisture, just make sure you put it into a zip lock bag sealing moisture out when you take it from the frig until it warms back up to room temp at least because the cold block will now attract moisture like the frig, if you alternate this you'll dry the wood faster..
also if you plan on the block to house a hiding tang put your hole in now to help the inside to dry more evenly.

also oven heat of 150F is a good point to work with, you can straighten out some materials that has warped,,,
at that heat then pressing it between two pieces of steel until cooled...

 

[scottickes]

Acquiring a moisture meter will also be beneficial. It helps to know how much moisture is in the wood, so that you know when to stop!

Ickie

 

[tmickley]

My understanding of steam drying is this:
It is not a final drying, but a lowering of moisture and oils content prior to shipping. It reduces the years often spent waiting for wood to become dry enough to put in an oast.
The steam atmosphere allows the wood to be heated up to near the boiling point of water, without creating an atmosphere where the outer surface is dryer than the inner core. Wood normally dries from the outside inward, thus creating stresses that show up as splits and checking. Since the atmosphere around the wood, in steam drying, is mostly water in the form of hot steam the wood does not split and check as much. The wood gets dryer since the water inside the wood is liquid and the water outside is steam, and the water moves to create equilibrium.The liquid water moves through the wood much faster through the softened and pliable wood fibers , thus avoiding splitting. When the steam is removed and the wood cools down, the amount of liquid water in the wood has been greatly decreased (steam is much less dense than liquid water).The wood at this point has reached its fiber saturation point (FSP). It still has water in the fiber and some inside the lignum cells, but the liquid water has been removed. The wood can then be kiln dried if a lower moisture content is needed (and we need it much lower for knife handles).I believe this method is used on resinous and softer woods, like fir and pine.
Stacy

I'd never heard of that before but it makes sense. It shouldn't be that hard to make a steam chamber.

 

[Dan Gray]

I'd never heard of that before but it makes sense. It shouldn't be that hard to make a steam chamber.

I have three of them
I'm using one to cook chicken in today, a pressure cooker
I'm sure lightening the pressure relief on top would change the boiling point as you'd want or just steam with out the pressure relief, ?
I have the newer type