I need to dry 100 cube of timber in a hurry help?

Question

I have a factory in Indonesia and have just received a large order and have limited time to produce.I have to dry 100 cube of timber in various widths.We have to acheive an MC of between 10/12%

Answer 1

Be very careful of using heat. The risk of fire is minimal even at 300 degrees F. The greater problem is in using that heat to dry the wood too quickly. It will 'case harden' the wood. Just quick and dirty, that means that the moisture is removed so quickly that it damages the cell structure. It can cause real problems with your user such as causing kick-back as the saw kerf closes due to distortions.

An alternative is to use cool very dry air. This is done by placing an air conditioner (size depends on the amount of wood and air volume involved.) and supply/return ducts in your closed air stream. Keep that air-conditioner running a few degrees cooler each day and be sure to use the same air, not single pass air. This cool air removes moisture just like condensation on the outside of a glass on a humid day. If you want this air to get even drier, cool it first and then heat it to maybe a hundred. (But do this near the end of your drying.) At that point the air is as dry as dessert air.

Answer 2

the problem is warping or twist being introduced to the timber. stack the timber witn a rail between layers and keep something heavy across the top. gas jet heaters can be used to push hot air through the stack. the problem with that is the risk of fire. Most timber is kiln dried for that reason of removing the ignition source away from the timber.
Buy some kiln dried timber to fill the gap while your timber drys more slowly.

Answer 3

Get a big fan. Keep air moving across the timber. Also rotate it daily so that it dries evenly and doesn't warp.

Answer 4

A sun kiln might work but not fast enough... and Electric or gas Kiln would be fastest!!