Wood Drying Box??

[Michael J. Spangler]

IG mentioned something today about a wood drying box or something of the sort using high watta light bulbs to help dry the woods. Anyone know of such a thing i could build to help dry my burls?

 

[Mike Hull]

It's just a box about the size of a small refrigerator(or bigger if you need more room), with wire shelf racks, or wooden slats(anything that will allow heat to rise through them, and a light fixture at the bottom with a 25-60 watt bulb. A porcelain keyless fixture works fine.

You also have to drill holes in the top for the heat to escape.

The wood is stacked on the shelves, the light turned on, and the heat does the rest, as it rises.
People used to leave them on all the time, but it has recently been found that allowing the wood to cool, as it would in nature, at night, makes for a quicker, and better job.

Here's some links on wood drying. They might help.

BTW, you can use an old refrigerator if you have access to one. Just drill some holes in the top.

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~rhaslip/Rex/workshop/microwave/microwav.htm

http://www.woodturningplus.com/boiling_dry.htm

http://woodworkersworld.homestead.com/fall_2002_p1.html
Scroll down to "kiln drying".

 

[L6steel]

Mike, when you mentioned using an old refer it made me remember what a friend told me a couple years ago. A refer set at a low temp will dry stuff out about as fast as anything.
Anyone ever tried storing thier handle material that way?

 

[John Andrews]

Yeah, kinda. My old shop, where most of my organic handle material is stored, is cold in the winter, hot in the summer. The wood, especially the Osage orange, dries really well, with no checking. This is drying green wood, also. Some of the oversize cut pieces are in large metal drawers with gaps large enough for air to circulate. I like the bulb drying box idea for drying wood, too. I had so much deer antler stored in there that I didn't have much room for wood, so Dave Larsen was kind enough to take a bunch off my hands so as to make room in my shop.That big pile of dang antler was always right in my way. Seriously!

 

[Mike Hull]

Originally posted by L6steel
Mike, when you mentioned using an old refer it made me remember what a friend told me a couple years ago. A refer set at a low temp will dry stuff out about as fast as anything.
Anyone ever tried storing thier handle material that way?

I've not tried it, but frost free refrigerators can really dehydrate food that's not wrapped good.
I would worry about cracking, either from freezing, or rapid dehydration, but maybe it would work great.