How to properly dry larch in a stack. Drying wood with your own hands - is it very difficult? Features of drying boards in the home

22.10.202327.05.2017

Methods
Grandfather's secrets
Natural drying method
Kiln drying
Rotational method
Conductive method
Atmospheric method
Liquid drying

Drying wood is a mandatory stage in lumber processing. Excess moisture is removed by evaporation, and the natural material reaches the required condition before use. Woodworkers know that without this technological process the wood will not be strong. It will warp, crack and rot, and these are serious problems. If you want to get the effect of working with wood, you need to know how to dry wood correctly and in what ways to do it.

Methods

There are several methods for drying harvested timber with your own hands, and all of them are aimed at obtaining high-quality construction raw materials with the required physical parameters. Regardless of which method is chosen, before the wood is dried, it is carefully inspected for defects.

Grandfather's secrets

Evaporation technology came to us from the past, and it consists of immersing boards in a container filled with hot water (about 70˚C), on top of which sawdust was poured. After such steaming, the material did not crack, and the wood itself additionally gained elasticity and a dense structure. There is a known method of waxing, when the workpiece was dipped into liquid paraffin heated to 40 °C for several hours. After this procedure, the board did not warp and additionally acquired a beautiful dark tone.

The process of drying wood by waxing was used in the production of tableware. The master had only to decorate the cups and bowls with patterns, and then cover them with a protective layer on top. The finished products were so durable that even with temperature changes they retained their original appearance, and not a single crack could spoil the master’s fruits.

Natural drying method

Natural drying of wood demonstrates how to dry wood at room temperature without using expensive equipment. If we are dealing with a ridge covered with bark, then the top covering is not removed, but notches are made across the trunk. You can leave strips of bark no more than 10 cm thick along the edges of the ridge.

Natural drying of lumber guarantees the absence of cracks in hardwoods such as , or , however, it is still better to tar the ends of the logs or .

The room in which the wood is dried must be dry and well ventilated. Make sure that direct sunlight does not fall on the log, otherwise its external surface will overheat excessively, and the internal one will retain moisture, which is why the material is highly likely to crack. The correct way to dry lumber involves stacking it on a stand. The distance must be at least 60 cm from the ground, and ventilated gaps must be provided between the workpieces.

To the question whether it is possible to properly dry boards installed on the edges, the answer is categorical - no. This is a fairly quick home drying method, but it often warps and cracks the timber. The same applies to drying wood at the ends, after which the timber has to be trimmed. This must be taken into account when planning the required length of the workpieces. Complete drying of any other type of wood in this way lasts at least two to three years, and this is a serious drawback, because the master does not always have time. The undeniable advantages of natural drying include its simplicity and lack of financial costs. If you are not satisfied with the timing of the manipulation, and the timber needs to be dried quickly, albeit at additional costs, you can use.

Kiln drying

Chamber drying of lumber is one of the advanced modern methods that allows you to get excellent results quickly. This can be done if you are ready for financial investments. The advantage of accelerated drying of wood, which is carried out in industrial conditions, is that you can easily achieve the desired humidity parameters. The chamber process is carried out as follows: carts with lumber are fed into a drying unit, where, under the influence of a gaseous environment, liquid is removed from the wood structure. The drying mode can vary depending on the requirements and at the discretion of the master.

PAP chambers are metal drying chambers, inside of which special equipment is installed that provides aerodynamic heating. According to the technology, steam is regularly pumped into the chamber under low pressure. Despite the simplicity of this method, it cannot be called cheap, due to the high cost of electricity, which significantly increases the cost of the processed material.

Rotational method

There is another effective method in which it is possible to dry the timber using centrifugal force. Boards stacked on a platform are placed inside a heated room. Centrifugal force ensures uniform movement of moisture from inside the log to its ends and outer surfaces.

Intensely moving hot air allows you to quickly dry the lumber to the desired condition, and lamps or slabs designed for such purposes act as heat sources. Rotary or infrared drying, in which radiation penetrates wood to a depth of 12 cm, can be carried out in just a few minutes, which makes this method noticeably superior to chamber drying, while atmospheric drying of wood, which lasts for several years, remains far behind in terms of efficiency.

Conductive method

If you need to remove moisture from a thin material such as plywood or veneer, it is better to prefer conductive (contact) drying, which is usually done using a press. The sheets are clamped between plates heated to a certain temperature, which are in direct contact with the material being processed - hence the name of the method. Contact or vacuum drying of wood allows you to do without fans. This saves energy. No need for a humidification system or numerous thermometers. As auxiliary equipment in vacuum installations, humidity sensors are used, which are controlled externally. The absence of aggressive temperatures and the gentle process of moisture evaporation protects the dried wood from deformation.

Atmospheric method

Atmospheric drying is a good example of how to dry boards at home without additional energy costs.

The effectiveness of atmospheric drying directly depends on a number of factors, such as climatic conditions, time of year or air temperature and humidity. To install storage devices you will need space, as well as compliance with simple rules:

the dryer in a barn or under a canopy should be intensively ventilated;
wooden material is stored in several rows with mandatory technological gaps;
To prevent the tree from moving or warping, it is usually pressed from above with something heavy.

In dry weather conditions, atmospheric drying will allow you to achieve 12–48% humidity, and to obtain more significant indicators, the room method can be used in a heated room.

Liquid drying

Rapid drying in liquids is an additional measure before treating workpieces with antiseptic agents. Water-salt solutions or hydrophobic compounds (sulfur, paraffin, liquid metals) can be used as an active agent here.

The duration may depend on the power of the heat exchanger installed in the drying chamber and the intensity of heat redistribution within the fibers, depending on the type of wood. The board is immersed in liquid and brought to a boil, maintaining the optimal temperature until free moisture is removed, which takes an average of 3 to 20 hours.

In addition to these methods, there are a number of other methods (radiation, induction, microwave, refrigeration), but none of them is possible at home due to the specifics of the equipment and its high cost. As for the drying time, with accelerated artificial methods the timber dries in just a couple of hours. Properly dried wood will serve as a finished product for many decades, while wood with excessive moisture will quickly become unusable, so such an important technological process cannot be ignored.

Regardless of the quality of wood processing, over time its surface may become rough, which will make the finishing process more difficult. The master faces quite a big problem when sanding such boards. And the varnish soon after application cracks and begins to crumble.

Wood roughness most often occurs due to improper drying. Such defects are a consequence of uneven drying of the layers. The fact is that the upper layers, when dry, become smaller in volume than the inner ones. And surface deformation occurs.

It should be remembered that in winter the moisture content of wood is minimal, while in spring it reaches its maximum. Therefore, try to prepare the boards at the optimal time so that the wood contains as little juice as possible. This way, you can minimize the possibility of the boards becoming warped and cracked. The number of cracks and their depth directly depends on the strength of wood drying. Soft wood dries out the least.

Each tree has its own degree of shrinkage. Depending on this, tree species can be divided into three groups: low-drying, moderately drying and highly drying species. The first are poplar, willow, cedar, spruce, and pine. The second group consists of aspen, linden, oak, elm, and ash. And the third includes apple tree, birch, maple and larch. This must be kept in mind when choosing wood. After all, the degree of shrinkage is one of the most important factors for successful construction.

The purpose of wooden blanks dictates the condition of their drying and what permissible moisture content will remain in the material:

From 18 to 22% - the tree can be transported in warm weather to fairly remote places. Applicable in the normal construction of houses, the manufacture of containers, etc.;
From 2 to 15% – a subtype of woodworking humidity, at which boards are used as decking material, for cladding and for flooring;
From 8 to 15% – carpentry moisture, solid or glued wood products: window frames, door panels, stairs or interior elements;
From 2 to 8% is furniture humidity, which gives wood the most optimal characteristics during processing.

Many people dry boards at home, completely forgetting about the properties of wood. From the article you will learn what needs to be done so that the boards can maintain their smooth surface and not cause you any inconvenience during their subsequent processing, and you will receive answers to frequently asked questions.

What materials are needed for high-quality drying of wood?

So, you have boards and you need to rid them of excess moisture. What you will need first is lumber for drying. Also, we should not forget about roofing felt and sheets of iron. Pipes, beams, logs, paper, glue and paint - all this is also necessary for high-quality drying of wood. Plastic film will help you in this somewhat difficult task.

How can you dry wood?

When approaching the matter directly, the question immediately arises about how to remove moisture from wood. To prevent the boards from warping, it is important, first of all, to choose the right time of year. Autumn or winter is most suitable for this. It is at this time that the largest number of blanks falls. This is due to the small amount of moisture in the trees, and, therefore, the high quality of the prepared boards. Thanks to this, you won't have to do most of the work. Just dry the boards a little. But as? There are several easy-to-use options, the decision to use which will depend on the conditions under which the workpieces are produced.

Remember that home drying is different from industrial drying. Of course, self-dried boards will be inferior to the same ones, but processed by industrial equipment. However, do not be upset: with some effort, you can achieve excellent results.

Try to lay out the foundation beams so that the bars or pipes are in the same plane. It's okay if it is not positioned strictly horizontally. It is much more important to maintain one plane. This is necessary to avoid deformation of the boards due to heavy load.

In this state, the boards dry for months. However, this process accelerates during the summer months.

Don't forget to trim the ends of the boards. This can be done with a lime solution of a creamy consistency with some addition of wood glue. Drying oil, oil or paint can also help you when processing the ends.

The sides of the stack must be covered to avoid moisture from slanting rain. It is also necessary to protect the boards from blowing. A covered stack can handle this easily. Use spacers between the boards, spaced 1 m apart.

This method is good because it prevents cracks from appearing in the wood.

Did you know that concrete is excellent at drawing out moisture? Then you will not be surprised that the next method directly uses concrete for high-quality drying of wood. The boards are laid on a clean, dry cement floor and then turned over several times throughout the day. So, the boards will dry much faster. If you are a craftsman who knows the mechanical properties and structure of wood, then using an axe, chisels, saw and other tools you can direct the drying process at your discretion.

When drying boards at home, do not forget about the sufficient duration of this process. Do not forget to protect the boards from precipitation and direct sunlight. If you decide to dry wood indoors, ensure that it is regularly ventilated. But avoid drafts. After all, wood doesn’t like this. Then you will not be able to avoid cracks. It is also unacceptable to have any heating devices in the room. Being in close proximity to metal boards can cause them to darken.

You can safely dry small boards in your apartment. But not on the balcony or loggia! The ideal place for them is the mezzanine. They are stacked in stacks, arranged with slats and bars. Keep in mind that boards that have just been sawn darken upon contact and then begin to rot.

How can you dry boards quickly?

There are also times when you need to quickly dry the boards. Is there such a way? Yes, sure. Wrap the board in 5-15 layers of paper, one layer of cellophane and make holes in the latter.

After this, place the board on a warm radiator. A window sill is perfect for an apartment. Considering that the paper absorbs all the moisture, change it several times during the day. And turn the board over. With a thickness of 3 cm, 4 days will be enough for drying.

The main disadvantage of this method is that the board warps. But you can easily fix the situation with a plane.

What to do with freshly purchased lumber?

Many, having bought obviously expensive lumber, treat it too carelessly. Therefore, this material gradually rots and becomes unnecessary to the buyer. Without proper drying, freshly purchased boards quickly turn black. It is worth noting that there is nothing complicated in the process of removing moisture from lumber. You can easily get by with natural drying in the open air. And thus get great boards. However, this process can last a year, and in some cases it drags on for a longer time. Therefore, plan your construction in advance and you will be able to enjoy the process while avoiding troubles at work.

Raw material is always a problem. It is he who causes the alterations in the final result. But by choosing the right place for drying, you can avoid all of the above. The best place in the country is, of course, under a canopy. So, you will reduce your workload by trying to protect the boards from precipitation and sunlight.

Now you know about the most optimal ways to dry boards and the tools needed for this.

Video Drying wood using improvised materials at home

Larch wood is considered the most “capricious” of all coniferous species. During the drying process, due to ignorance of the specific features of this material and non-compliance with technology, face and end cracks most often form on larch. Drying, carried out using modern drying chambers, will avoid deformation of lumber, preserve its natural color and improve quality.

Properties of larch wood

The structure of larch wood is similar to other coniferous species. Just like them, larch has an undoubted advantage - increased resistance to aggressive biological environments and moisture. Therefore, wood of this species is often used for finishing external walls of buildings, erecting ceilings and flooring in attics and gazebos. The minimal thermal conductivity and high hardness of larch wood do not allow it to be used for building houses, but the tree is quite suitable for constructing crowns.

In addition, larch is characterized by high density. The last parameter, on the one hand, is an advantage of the breed, but at the same time it is its main disadvantage. The high density of wood, the characteristics of which are very different from core and sapwood, combined with a high moisture content, complicates the process of processing larch and can lead to the formation of cracks and bending of the lumber. The possible percentage of deformation can be reduced if drying is carried out in the radial direction, the coefficient of which is 2.0 less than in the tangential direction.

The difference between larch and other wood species

The main difference between larch wood and pine and other species is the coefficient of moisture conductivity. In larch it grows with increasing exposure temperature, much more than in other species:

Due to the lower tension between the tangential and radial layers, wood of other species warps less, cracks less often and reaches the required moisture parameters faster.

Ensuring the correct drying process when using kilns

Drying larch using drying chambers is the most effective and reliable method of heat treatment of this species. It allows you to quickly achieve transport humidity of larch, which can vary from 6 to 15%. In order to avoid unpleasant results, during this procedure it is necessary to take into account the thickness of the wood and strictly follow the technology:

To achieve 8% moisture content of lumber up to 38 mm thick, drying is required for 14 days. To obtain 15% humidity, this parameter is reduced to 8 days;
It will be possible to achieve 6% humidity in wood 50 cm thick in 30 days, and you can get larch with 15% humidity in 20 days.

To prevent the larch from warping and cracks forming on it, drying should be done in a soft mode with constant control of the precisely specified temperature. The maximum temperature for lumber 50 cm thick is 65°C, and for a 32 mm board 55°C. In this case, during the drying process, the temperature from the minimum value must be raised gradually - for thin wood by 5 ° C, for thick wood by 2 - 3 ° C per hour. If there is drainage in the chamber, it is recommended to forcefully close the hood. Slow heating, excluding the intake of fresh air, will ensure the safety of the board and prevent it from cracking.

Maximum efficiency of larch drying can be achieved only by using specialized equipment, which includes drying chambers for lumber from the company Makil Plus LLC. The chambers are equipped with high-tech systems that create optimal conditions for high-quality drying of lumber and accurately control temperature and equilibrium humidity. Wood drying chambers have modern software and an intuitively simple control system that allows you to control each stage of drying, as well as avoid potential errors on the part of the operator, reducing possible defects to 2%.

One of the most exciting issues for any woodworker concerns drying birch.

This tree species can figuratively be called universal, since logs and finished lumber from birch are dried in the same way as any other wood, which we will discuss in detail in this article.

Before you start drying birch, it is important to block the pores at the ends of the workpieces and on their cross sections.

Wood processors cover the ends and cuts with paint or glue (in particular, PVA). If these actions are neglected, the ends and cross sections of birch blanks will dry out quite quickly than the main parts of the blanks.

When a birch dries, it shrinks unevenly, decreases in size in some places more and more quickly, and in other places practically does not change its basic dimensions.

As a result of this unfavorable uneven drying of the wood, a certain tension is formed in it, which, so to speak, is released and breaks the fibers of the material, forming cracks.

The next condition when drying birch is to eliminate the possibility of any drafts affecting the uneven drying of the tree (it dries exclusively from the side that is affected by the draft)

How to dry pine

In industry, pine drying is carried out in two ways: in a special chamber and outdoors in the shade. In the second case, the main disadvantage is the rather long drying time.

However, you still have to dry lumber at home, so this process is carried out in a natural way.

To do this, you first need to prepare a flat surface and always under a canopy or in the shade under thick tree branches through which the sun's rays do not pass.

Interesting video: DIY pine drying chamber

This area must be covered with any waterproofing material. A garage or other room with insufficient fresh air will not be suitable.

Modern production rejects this drying method and chooses special chambers.

Here the wood is first well heated, then dried, and then subjected to final heat treatment. The pine is dried to standard humidity, which is 12%.

If the humidity in the environment increases, the wood begins to absorb it.

How to dry spruce

Drying spruce in a chamber is the main method of drying lumber of this type of wood, although the owners do it in a natural way.

Fast and high-quality drying requires the availability of the necessary equipment. Only in the chamber can you regulate humidity, air circulation and temperature.

Drying on the street can only serve as a preliminary drying of boards, logs and other lumber that are stacked.

Interesting! How much wood will there be in a cubic meter?

In this case, dry wooden spacers must be placed between the rows. The formation of stacks is carried out from lumber of the same species. In addition, the size of the boards should be the same.

The correctness of their installation is checked using the template method.

The boards are laid out depending on the direction of the air flow. Pre-stacks are formed on a pre-prepared site. This happens next to the drying chamber.

If the boards are laid manually, it means that vertical lifts are used, which significantly increases productivity.

How to dry cedar

When drying cedar wood, be sure to follow a gentle regime. This is due to the fact that cedar can crack. If you dry this type of wood under a canopy, the percentage of defects will be reduced to a minimum.

Before drying cedar, the ends of the boards or logs are coated with paint or lime. This reduces the likelihood of cracks occurring. And although this lumber is quite strong, it still remains soft and flexible.

Due to its high resistance to moisture, cedar is successfully used in the production of external carved elements.

Drying of cedar boards is carried out at a given temperature (25ºC) and the required humidity concentration (18%).

This concept includes the alternation of temperature and humidity processes that act on lumber. The temperature rises gradually, and the humidity, on the contrary, decreases.

The drying modes are set by the master, taking into account not only the type of wood, but also the thickness of the boards, their quality category, the required final humidity and the type of chamber.

How to dry larch

Coniferous wood is dried at a temperature of 25ºC. This regime can only be maintained in a chamber, but under a canopy, drying the larch can continue for quite a long time.

At woodworking plants, the drying process is automated, so everything takes place in the same time interval. Today there are highly specialized enterprises that work with a specific type of wood, for example larch.

Previously, such mills sent lumber to customers without preliminary drying, but this brought in less income than the sale of dry wood.

The fact is that green lumber is too heavy, so approximately 20 m³ of wood could be loaded onto the truck, and more than 30 m³ of dried lumber.

In addition, dry lumber is sold at higher prices.

Transport costs have also decreased several times.

The most popular are Italian drying chambers with a loading volume of 200 m³. They produce a small percentage of defects - a maximum of 3%.

It takes only 6 days to completely dry thin boards.

How to dry fir

Before the fir drying process begins, it is heated with steam to a certain temperature.

Steam is supplied through special pipes. At this time, powerful fans and heating devices are operating in the chamber, but at the same time, the supply and exhaust ducts are blocked.

The duration of the initial warm-up is directly related to the type of wood. The fir is heated for a maximum of two hours.

Then the drying process itself begins. To do this, all parameters (temperature, humidity and air flow) are adjusted to the required values. All this happens automatically with open supply and exhaust channels.

And since residual internal stress is formed during drying, it is eliminated by intermediate moisture-heat treatment.

The boards are dried to operating humidity, that is, when they become suitable for mechanical processing with carpentry tools.

Lumber from fir and other coniferous species, the minimum thickness of which is 60 mm, undergoes moisture-heat treatment.

At the end of drying, all modes in the chamber are reduced to certain parameters, and the lumber is kept for another three hours, after which the chambers are turned off.

How to dry plums in an electric dryer

Furniture made from wood without pre-drying will warp and dry out.

Therefore, any tree species is pre-dried to a certain humidity, which will correspond to the operating conditions of future products.

Most often, wood is supplied to furniture factories with a high degree of humidity.

The main drying modes for plum boards in the electric dryer include two processes, one of which is high-temperature and the other is low-temperature. At low temperature conditions, the air in the chamber warms up to 100°C.

True, a lot depends on the purpose of the lumber. And since increased demands are placed on them, drying modes are divided into the following categories: normal, soft and forced.

In the first option, after the wood leaves the electric drying chamber, no defects are detected. Slight color variation may occur.

If the soft drying mode is turned on in the chamber, then the color of the wood does not change and the physical and mechanical properties are preserved.
After the forced mode, wooden parts sometimes darken, but its strength is maintained.

How to dry an apple tree

Every craftsman who works with wood is interested in the issue of accelerated but high-quality drying.

The importance of properly dried apple trees cannot be overestimated. For example, furniture made from damp wood may become unusable while still in the store.

The same fate awaits over-dried lumber. For example, the front door or cabinet door will not close because it will be saturated with moisture from the air and swell.

For this purpose, a technology has been developed for drying each type of wood separately.

In modern chambers it is easier to achieve the required humidity (18°C), because everything here is automated. And drying apple tree boards in the fresh air requires certain knowledge and experience.

After all, you need to be able to determine when to stop the drying process.

But in any case, raw wood cannot be used, especially in construction.

Drying lumber is a rather lengthy process.

And if you do this on your own personal plot, where there are no modern automated drying chambers, then this procedure will become unpredictable. Therefore, it is better not to save money, but to immediately buy dried wood.

How to dry a whole pear in an electric dryer

Pears, like other types of wood, are best dried in an electric dryer.

You can put them in the unit as a whole or cut them into boards and other parts.

Some people think that it is better to buy already dried lumber, but the majority of owners prefer to save a significant portion of their money and purchase raw wood.

In this case, they do the drying themselves.

In production, boards are dried in steam chambers and electric dryers.

In both cases, they are spacious rooms with a large number of powerful fans. And the very fact of drying lumber in closed chambers eliminates the possibility of damage.

The process of removing moisture from a pear is not as simple as it might seem, because this type of wood contains two types of moisture. It is present in the walls of plant cells, as well as in their cavities.

If the humidity is 30%, then the wood has a lot of free intercellular moisture. Therefore, different types of wood are dried differently and the percentage of moisture left is different.

8% moisture is left in pear trunks and boards. When the moisture content of lumber exceeds 22%, their transportation becomes unprofitable. After all, even the largest truck has a loading weight limit.

How to dry quince

Wood moisture can vary and is divided into several categories.

For example, quince moldings are dried until 15% moisture remains. Fluctuation in any direction up to 2% is allowed.

In products made from laminated and solid wood, moisture fluctuations from 7% to 15% are allowed. As for the production of furniture, the best characteristics are demonstrated by lumber with a moisture content of 8%.

They glue securely and are easy to process. This also increases the service life of the finished product.
Today you simply cannot do without drying chambers.

They rid the wood of excess moisture. One of the economical and popular technologies for artificial dehydration of quince building materials is drying.

A modern drying chamber is a spacious room equipped with the necessary equipment operating in automatic mode.

Loading of lumber from quince and other fruit trees into the chamber is carried out using forklifts, lifting devices, carts moving on rails, etc.

Well-dried quince boards are durable and high-quality material.

How to dry cherries

The main equipment intended for drying chambers is a heat supply system, numerous fans and supply and exhaust ventilation.

The most popular is the automated control of the drying process. If you load cherry trunks or lumber into such a chamber and turn on the automatic mode, then you don’t have to monitor the drying process, since everything will be done by electronics and automation.

Temperature and humidity will be maintained at the specified level and, if necessary, increased or decreased.

Temperature is regulated by supplying hot air or steam, and humidity is controlled by supply and exhaust ventilation. The entire drying process can be controlled remotely.

Now, to measure the percentage of moisture in wood, it is not necessary to enter the chamber. This can be done using a remote moisture meter.

Moreover, humidity is checked at any points. When drying cherry lumber, a mild temperature regime is used: up to 75°C. This is done due to the high density of this tree species.

The air humidity in the chamber does not exceed the permissible norm - 80%.

Anyone who has started building their own house must remember that saving on drying lumber will lead to disastrous consequences. And correcting them will require additional financial costs.

Interesting video of drying wood from scrap materials

Pine is the most common type of wood in Russia, which is widely used in many areas. It is used for the construction of load-bearing structures of buildings, construction of ancillary structures, gazebos and other objects.

According to its physical properties, the material is quite strong, easy to process mechanically and durable. But all this is true only after high-quality heat treatment.

To dry it, it is necessary to observe a lot of conditions and exercise quality control. Due to the increased resin content, it is also one of the most dangerous lumber in terms of fire.

Nuances of drying pine

Being the most porous type of wood, pine is most susceptible to various factors that can both positively and negatively affect its structure. For example, excessive drying can cause fire, warping or cracking. Over time, under-dried lumber turns blue and becomes unsuitable for use. Therefore, it is very important to maintain acceptable parameters of temperature, air flow and humidity.

There are different technologies for drying pine, and each has its own characteristics:

For example, the convective method allows you to increase the humidity percentage to 6-8% within 2-3 weeks, but due to the uneven distribution of the heated air flow throughout the chamber, moisture remains in some parts of it. Drying pine boards in a chamber whose temperature is too high can negatively affect the quality of the finished product, leading to cracking and bending.
Microwave technology allows you to remove moisture by almost 94% by exposing water molecules to high-frequency microwaves. This method allows you to heat the material along its entire length, but due to the uneven propagation of waves, the wood may not be completely dried.
Vacuum technology with contact heating is predominantly the most effective and economical drying method. Contact heating evenly distributes heat along the entire length of the lumber, which ensures effective release of moisture and uniform drying throughout the entire structure.

Drying pine at home

This is a rather complex process, due to the need to create optimal temperature conditions, maintain optimal moisture levels and high-quality heating of lumber along its entire length. If these conditions are not met, then there is a high probability that the lumber will be of poor quality and short-lived.

How can you dry pine at home?

Despite the poor quality of lumber after drying without the use of equipment, many still rely on the old old-fashioned methods and continue to dry in the old ways. That is, outdoors with natural ventilation.

Under natural conditions, drying conifers, such as pine or spruce, will take about 1 to 3 months, depending on the initial and required moisture content. If the board was lying outside and drying began after frost, then you need to add additional time to warm up the board. Shrinkage during tangential cutting through thickness is about 3.4%

The boards will dry, but this moment will not come earlier than in a few months, or even it will take at least six months, which is not good for the owner, who has planned construction in the near future.

To dry, lumber is stacked in piles and remains in this state for a long time. The wind and sun, of course, do their job, but not well enough and not as quickly as we would like. Therefore, many resort to constructing homemade drying chambers. But this often only leads to hassle and endless material waste. Chambers of the convective type are mainly built. Facing the difficulties of uniformity with lugs, warping and cracking. Also, for proper drying, you will have to select a mode and observe the parameters: agent temperature, intensity, cycle, etc. Because With a homemade design, standard modes may not be suitable.

Drying chambers of various sizes are ideal for solving these problems.